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| Sunday, 8 June 2003 |
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June 14th is Poson Poya day The rocky citadel of Buddhism by Aryadasa Ratnasinghe The Mihintale mountain, the rocky citadel of Buddhism, is situated eight miles on the Anuradhapura-Trincomalee road, and rises majestically to an altitude of 1,089 feet above sea level. The picturesque line of footsteps of uniform size, numbering 1,840, leading to the summit of the rocky "aradhana-gala" is of superb architectural design nowhere else to be found in Sri Lanka. A European tourist, who had once seen it, said: "This line of steps appears leading to heaven".
The gentle breeze atop the mountain is so soothing to the body and mind, that even the most wicked heart of a criminal throbs with compassion towards others. The verdant forest beneath the mountain silhouetted by the distant blue sky and the fleecy clouds, add to the beauty of the landscape. The wilderness is rich with fauna and flora, mostly by ungulates (deer, elk, stag etc.) that roam in the jungle in search of food and water. Before the advent of Maha Mahinda thera, this mountain was known as Missaka-pabbata. Thereafter, it came to be known as Mihintale (Mihindu-thala), as it was upon this mount that the thera met King Devanampiyatissa, for the first time, on the Poson fullmoon day in 306 BC (2,309 years ago), and their confrontation led to the establishment of Buddhism in the island. The principal cetiya on this holy mount is the Ambatthala. The king Maha Datika Maha Naga alias Maha Deliya Mana (06-18 AD), on his ascension to the throne, his earliest act was to build this cetiya (also known as Ambulu dagoba), on the spot where the confrontation took place unexpectedly. When the cetiya was completed, the king set up, at the four entrances, four bejewelled arches, which skilled artisans had fashioned resplendent with gems. Among the ruins at Mihintale mountain, the headless and armless statue facing the Ambatthala chetiya, is said to be of king Devanampiyatissa, to mark his own position when he is said to have met the thera. This statue has no ornaments on the chest or on the waist, and the whole dress to be a plain cloth from the waist to the ankle. Later, the missing head had been found some distance away from the cetiya, "consisting of a plain and slightly elevated pear-shaped cap encircled by a jewelled band of diadem". Archaeological value Among the ruins of archaeological value are the Kantaka-cetiya, Naga Pokuna, Sinha pokuna, kaludiya pokuna etc., and at the beginning of the steps, to the left, is found the ruins of an archaic medicinal hall and a herbal bath. Mihintale is also known as Cetiyagiri or Segiriya, in view of the numerous cetiyas that were built there by devout kings from time to time. The king also built 68 caves, on the way to mount, for bhikkhus to spend their time on meditation, and also, 1,600 monasteries to shelter the bhikkhus, between the city and the mount. King Lanjatissa alias Lemini Tissa (119-101 BC), to atone for his neglect of Buddhism and remissness towards bhikkhus, went to the other extreme of spending lavishly with unbound munificence, and to build a splendid Lanjakasana hall for the bhikkhus, and gifted them with six robes each, with great devotion.King Kutakannatissa alias Kalakannitissa alias Makalantissa (44-22 BC), built a large repository at Mihintale for the 'uposatha' of bhikkhus, and to the east of it, a stone cetiya, and planted a bo-sapling nearby. Being the first Sinhala king, who was earlier a bhikkhu, he showed more interest towards Buddhism than ruling the country.
King Vasabha (65-109 AD), who made his benefactions to Mihintale, had, annually, lit one thousand lamps to illuminate the holy mountain and offered robes to bhikkhus as 'ceevara-dana'. (Mhv.35:79). King Kanitta Tissa alias Cula Tissa (164-182 AD), built a new vihara for the Ambatthala chetiya for the retreat ('vas') of bhikkhus. King Gotabhaya (248-261), restored the Ambatthala cetiya which was in a ruinous state. King Jettatissa alias Kalakandetu Tissa, surnamed the Cruel, (261-275) bestowed the Kalumetiwewa for the bhikkhus at Mihintale for bathing purposes. King Sirimevan alias Srimeghavarna (302-311) placed a statue of Maha Mahinda Thera, close to the Ambatthala cetiya, and proclaimed that it should be taken in procession from Mihintale to Anuradhapura, to mark the Poson festival. King Aggabodhi I (568-601) constructed the Naga-pokuna also known as Nagasondi-pokuna, and repaired the Mihintalawewa to acquire greater merit, and also to conserve water for the bhikkhus, during the dry season, when water was most scarce. Other kings who looked into the welfare of the bhikkhus at Mihintale were Aggabodhi v (711-717), Dappula II (818-828), Kassapa IV (896-913), and many of those who belonged to the Anuradhapura period up to 1058 AD. With the transfer of the kingdom from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, by king Vijayabahu I, Mihintale lost its grace and fell into ruin. Most of the later kings were more interested in their kingdoms, and did little or no work to re-establish the lost heritage of Mihintale. Significance of Mihintale It was during the governorship of Sir Edward Stubbs (1933-1937), that the colonial administrators were anxious to find the archaeological significance of Mihintale. Excavations made by the Archaeological Department were able to unearth a great deal of valuable information, to tell the old tale of the historical mount teeming with wild animals. There are six types of cetiyas enshrining the relics of the Buddha. They are known as 'Ghantakara' (bell-shaped), 'Gatakara' (pot-shaped), 'bubbulakara' (bulb-shaped), 'Dhanyakara' (in the shape of a heap of paddy) and 'amalakkakara' (in the shape of a 'nelli' fruit. The most common among them are the bell-shaped ones, similar to Ruvanweliseya in Anuradhapura. The 'nelli' shaped cetiyas are not found in Sri Lanka. Thousands of pilgrims go to Mihintale during the Poson fullmoon day with great faith and devotion. According to Mahavamsa, Maha Mahinda Thera, with his six companions, left Vedisagiri vihara in Sanchi in India, "rose aloft into the air at that very vihara and instantaneously alighted on the land, at the superb Missaka mountain, and stationed themselves on the rocky peak of the delightful and celebrated Ambatthala." (Ch.13:20). This mode of travel, we can believe, because those who have developed 'jhana' (psychic powers) can travel through air, or become air-borne, if they so desired. "Isayo ettha nipatanti uppathanti cati isipatanam", means that "rishis' (sages), while being air-borne from the Himalayas, alighted on earth at the Isipatana hermitage, and returned, in the same manner, to the Himalayas. To such sages that Buddha delivered his first discourse, two months after Enlightenment, to the 'pancavaggiya' bhikkhus. |
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