{"id":1406,"date":"2015-09-25T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T01:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.srilanka-villa.com\/?p=1406"},"modified":"2024-01-15T17:41:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T09:41:14","slug":"travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Guide: A Cultural Discovery of Mihintale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Mihintale, a mountain peak located near Anuradhapura, is a pilgrimage site visited by many. Home to <strong>religious monuments and ruins<\/strong>, it is believed to be the site whereby\u00a0King Devanampiyatissa had his first encounter with the\u00a0son of Emperor Ashoka of India, Mahinda. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka is associated with Mahinda. Sent to Sri Lanka to offer a message of peace, he\u00a0arrived on the day of the full moon in the month of Poson. Having tested the King&#8217;s wisdom, Mahinda found him to be a worthy disciple and converted him immediately.\u00a0<\/em><em>Every year, the grand festivities of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lanka.com\/events\/poson-festival\/\">Poson Poya<\/a><\/strong> are celebrated in Mihintale on the full moon night in the month of Poson, and devotees carry out a\u00a0pilgrimage to Anuradhapura and Mihintale during this particular month.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/#Kantaka_Cetiya\" >Kantaka Cetiya<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/#Vejja_Sala\" >Vejja Sala<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/#Kaludiya_Pokuna\" >Kaludiya Pokuna<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/#Aradhana_Gala\" >Aradhana Gala<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/travel-guide-a-cultural-discovery-of-mihintale\/#Ambasthala_Dagoba\" >Ambasthala Dagoba<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kantaka_Cetiya\"><\/span>Kantaka Cetiya<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the earliest religious monuments constructed on the island,<strong> Kantaka Cetiya<\/strong> is situated close to the first landing of the stairway on Mihintale. Interesting features that visitors should keep a lookout for are the ornate shrines facing the four cardinal points. Most of the dagoba is now in ruins, but\u00a0the eastern shrine remains\u00a0the best preserved building. Peer closely at this monument, and you will make out intricate carvings of dwarfs, elephants and other figures.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vejja_Sala\"><\/span>Vejja Sala<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Set sight on the ruins of a hospital dating back to the third century. Constructed some 400 years before the earliest hospitals were built in Europe, the <strong>Vejja Sala<\/strong> promises to offer intriguing insights into ancient medical practices. Monolithic stone baths used for treating the sick with herbal oils lie amidst the remaining walls and pillars, and an array of medical tools and equipment have been uncovered at the site.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kaludiya_Pokuna\"><\/span>Kaludiya Pokuna<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Take a quick five minutes&#8217; drive from the entrance of Mihintale, and you will arrive at <strong>Kaludiya Pokuna<\/strong>, which translates to mean &#8216;pond of black water&#8217;. The calm waters of the lake present a serene sight, and the surrounding area is dotted with a scattering of monastic ruins. The minimalist design of these buildings seem to indicate that the monks were living in a simple environment, and making do with basic amenities. However, this was not the case; instead, the monks enjoyed relatively modern comforts such as indoor toilet amenities and bath houses.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Aradhana_Gala\"><\/span>Aradhana Gala<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Translating to mean &#8216;meditation rock&#8217;,\u00a0<strong>Aradhana Gala<\/strong>\u00a0marks the exact spot where\u00a0Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa and spoke to him for the first time. Set upon the summit of a hill, there are iron railings built into the rock to help visitors ascend to the top. The area whereby Mahinda and\u00a0King Devanampiyatissa met are well-revered by Buddhists; determined pilgrims make their way to the top of the rock even when\u00a0strong winds are present.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ambasthala_Dagoba\"><\/span>Ambasthala Dagoba<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A pristine white stupa stands in the highest terrace of Mihintale, encircled by pillars. This dagoba\u00a0marks the point in which Mahinda surprised\u00a0King Devanampiyatissa halfway during\u00a0a stag hunt, and is said to enshrine the relics of Mahinda.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">See our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/\">villas in Sri Lanka<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mihintale, a mountain peak located near Anuradhapura, is a pilgrimage site visited by many. Home to religious monuments and ruins, it is believed to be &hellip; <\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_excerpt -->","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,176],"tags":[33,128,125],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions","category-travel-guide","tag-anuradhapura","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-family-friendly-travel","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.srilanka-villa.com\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}