Mihintale, holds a significant place among the Buddhists and Sri Lankan Culture, for Minitale is the place where Arahath Mahinda thero encountered the King Devanampiyatissa.
About the location
Mihintale, holds a significant place among the Buddhists and Sri Lankan Culture, for Minitale is the place where Arahath Mahinda thero encountered the King Devanampiyatissa.
It also holds to be the landmark in the reception of Buddhism as a religion to Sri Lanka. Mihintale derived its name as it was recognized as the ‘Arahat Mahinda’s hill.’ Culturally, Mihintale is one of the Solosmasthana and is also known as the cradle of Buddhist civilization.
Irrespective of the faith and culture, many visit the Mihintale temple premises for the fantastic setting of the temple. At one side of the temple is the entrance to the Aradhana Rock, on the other hand, there is the KaluDiya Pokuna (Blackwater Pond), and further towards down, there are set of caves like aramayas (Monasteries), which were used by the monks back then.
Though Mihinthalaya is mainly of the Buddhist faith, many visit the place to enjoy the hike up the Aradhana Gala (Rock). As per the Mahavamsa, the Aradhana rock is said to be the site where the Arahath Mahinda landed.
Climbing Aradhana rock is a 70 to 80-degree, there are metal railings to help the climbers and for the safety of the people. Many people jump the sacred rock with so much enthusiasm, as the view from the top of the top is breath-taking.
When you walk along to the top of the summit the wind blowing east after touching many tanks in the nearby vicinity is somewhat cold and refreshing. It’s best if you could avoid visiting this area during the dry season and also if you could visit before 11 in the morning and after 4 in the afternoon, as the sun rays directly fall on to the rock making it excruciating for an individual to climb. Since you need to climb the steps barefoot be aware of steps as it might be slippery sometimes.
Other places close to the destination
There is a hospital named Vedahala at the foot of the mountain. It consists of four rooms, a consulting room, room for preparation and storage of medicine, room for hot water baths. Each room has an area of 100 square feet.
There is a great stairway at Mihintale which leads up to the mountain and has no less than 1840 steps. Some of these steps are carved into the natural rock others are done by cutting granite.
There are sixty-eight caves around the Kantaka Chetiya in Mihintale. These used to be the earliest dwellings of the monks at Mihintale. It is narrated in the inscriptions that the donation of caves to the monks was done by King Devanampiya Tissa.
How to reach your destination
From Colombo
Go on McCallum Road. Continue straight onto Colombo – Katunayake Expressway and take the Ja-Ela exit. Turn left onto Ja Ela-Ekala Highway and turn right onto Kurunegala Road. Turn left at Kalugamuwa Junction onto Kalugamuwa-Wariyapola Road and turn left onto Niwanthaka Chethiya Road. Take the 2nd exit onto Mahinda Rajapaksha Mawatha to reach your destination.
From Anuradhapura
Go on Sangabo Mawatha and continue onto Bulankulama Disawa Mawatha. Take the 3rd exit onto Maithreepala Senanayake Mawatha and take the 2nd exit onto Mahinda Rajapaksha Mawatha to reach your destination.
Featured Image Credits : Arian Zwegers Do not reuse without permission.
Other Image Credits : Lospiettos [CC BY-SA 3.0]
: sampath s at the English language Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0]
