Mihintale, Sri Lanka - Tourist Information, photos

General information about Mihintala

Mihintale is a popular tourist attraction (ruins and Temple) 12 kilometers east of the ancient capital Sri Lanka - Anuradhapura (Mihintale on the map of Sri Lanka). Its main attraction is the mountain range, called Mihintale or "Mahinda mountain", also called Missaka Pabbata (Missaka Pabbata), Chetya Pabbata (Cetiya Pabbata) or Chetya Giri (Cetiya Giri). It includes three Hills: Mango plateau (Ambastala), Royal Hill (Rajagiri), Elephant Mountain (Anaikutti or ET Vehera). Mihintale is very popular, and not only with ordinary tourists, but also with adherents of Buddhism. In the month of June, this place becomes the main religious center, where pilgrims (all dressed in white) flock to celebrate Poson Poya (the birthday of Buddhism in Sri Lanka). After all, it is believed that it was here that Buddhism originated and began to spread throughout the country. Tourists often combine a visit to Mihintale with Anuradhapura, and some even believe that this place is more interesting than its hyped neighbor.

By itself, the village of Mihintale, which is located near the mountain, does not represent any tourist interest. It is a small town with no tourist infrastructure. There is only one hotel (Hotel Mihintale), so do not expect to stay here overnight. For this, it is better to choose hotel in Anuradhapura.

According to an ancient legend, in 247 BC.E. King Devanampiya Tissa (307-267 BC. E.) met here Mahinda (Mahinda) – a Buddhist and the son of the Indian emperor Ashoka. As a result of this meeting, the King was struck by the meaning of the new religion and became a Buddhist himself, spreading and consolidating it as the main one throughout the island. In honor of this event, the first Buddhist monastery and pagoda (Dagoba) Mahaseya (Maha Saya) was built on the top of the mountain, in which the hair of the Buddha himself is immured. So it was in fact or not, but today many people want to get here and touch the history of the oldest world religion, to feel the atmosphere of this sacred place.

It is believed that the main attractions of Mount Mihintale are on its top, but this is far from the case. Perhaps that is why most of the tourists, having climbed to the top, having examined the pagoda and the picturesque surroundings from a bird's eye view, leave slightly disappointed. But interesting places are not only on the mountain, but also around. After all, Mihintale is a huge complex, including many ancient ruins, dagobas, caves, ponds, and during a walk through the jungle you can meet many monkeys. In general, there is something to see here, and a full inspection of all the sights will take less than half a day. If you are traveling on your own, you can hire a guide, who sometimes very obsessively offer their services for 500 rupees at the foot of the mountain.

Climbing Mount Mihintale is quite difficult, and not everyone can master it. After all, the height of the mountain is 305 meters and to get up, you have to overcome 1840 steps. Therefore, it is best to start climbing in the early morning, while it is not too hot, stock up on enough water and take socks with you (you will have to walk around the complex barefoot). But there is a way to see Mihintale without such a laborious climb. To do this, use the upper parking area (on the map), which will shorten your journey by almost half, although you will miss a couple of uninteresting attractions. But almost next to the parking lot there are 68 caves, the ruins of Medamaluva, and the Mango plateau, where all pilgrims and tourists strive. You can get there either by motorcycle, or by car or minivan. Walking from the very foot of the mountain from the lower parking lot is usually done only by pilgrims and believers (lower parking on the map).

Entrance fee in Mihintala: Access to most of the Mihintale complex is free. You will have to pay 500 rupees only for the entrance to the Mango plateau (Ambasthala).

Visiting Mihintale proved to be one of the most memorable in Sri Lanka. Even such hyped ones Dambulla and Sigiriya did not impress me as much as Mihintale. Maybe, of course, it happened, because we visited this place almost at the very beginning of the journey, but anyway, I remember and revise the photos of Mihintale with some special feeling. The most interesting thing is that the most memorable is not the Mango plateau, but for some reason the Black Pond. It was so quiet, calm, beautiful and somehow everything was mystical that I did not want to leave.
To avoid the crowds of tourists, we woke up very early in the morning, still dark, and arrived at the mountain when there was still no ticket sale. I had to pay after we looked at the plateau and returned to the parking lot, where we left our motorcycle. While we were inspecting, we did not see crowds of tourists, although maybe they drive up here later, around 12 o'clock, and we went down from the plateau around 8 o'clock. Mango plateau is interesting and worth visiting, and you should definitely climb to the very top of the "submarine" (invitation Rock). From there, there is a SuperView of the surroundings, and only he is worth the 500 rupees for admission and time spent. Climbing there, by the way, is a real extreme, quite dangerous. But this does not stop anyone, and when I was already going down, I saw how the old grandmother was pulled up by a whole group of assistants. I can not even imagine how it was further raised to the very top, I did not wait, but it is really difficult and dangerous to climb there.
When we were leaving, we made a stop near the hospital. From a distance, the hospital is a pile of stones, but I strongly advise you to walk to the bathroom and look at it more closely. Her bottom so clearly repeats The Shape of the body that you can even see the ass : -).

Orientation in Mihintala, tips for sightseeing

The complex of ruins of Mihintale occupies a fairly large area, and it will be quite difficult and long to see everything on foot. If you set out to see only the most basic, then you can limit yourself only to climbing to the upper parking lot, where you will spend 1-2 hours on inspection. For access to the attractions of the plateau, you will need to buy an entrance ticket there for 500 rupees (see Currency of Sri Lanka, exchange rate). In principle, you certainly should not see everything here, and if you have a shortage of time, you can do only with the mangrove plateau.

Other attractions of Mihintale are available for free, but they are scattered quite far from each other. If you move between them on foot, it will take almost half a day. If you make the way between them by transport, the whole inspection will take 2-3 hours. Of course, the sights along the stairs are only accessible on foot. This is not to say that these places are of unprecedented interest, but it is the fact that very few tourists visit them that makes them very attractive. So if you have a couple of extra hours, we recommend visiting them. To the "pond of Black Water" , The Monastery of Indicatu Seiya, the caves of Rajagirilena, the hospital, you can almost drive up by car or motorcycle. Transport can be left along the road, there is no parking there.

A brief description and photos of individual places and our interactive map of Mihintale will help you plan your route around Mihintale.

Mango plateau (Ambasthala)

Mango plateau-the place of concentration of the main attractions of Mihintale. It is a platform on which the Ambasthala Stupa (Ambasthala Dagoba) is installed in the center, behind it rises the main hill of Mihintale – Aradhana Gala (Aradhana Gala), on the left the statue of Buddha (Buddha Statue), on the right – the Stupa Maha Seya (Mahaseya Dagoba).

Access to the plateau is paid - 500 rupees. Tickets are sold directly on the street from the stall. Before entering the plateau, you must take off your shoes, and you can leave them in the storage room on the left. Mango plateau on the map.

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  Ambasthala Stupa (Ambasthala Dagoba, Sila Cetiya) (on the map) erected on the spot where King Devanampiya Tissa first met Mahinda. In front of the stupa is a statue of the King, placed on the very spot where he first saw Mahinda. Built by Ambastala King Kutakanna Tissa (PR. 42-20 BC).

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  Aradhana Gala (Rock Invitation, Aradhana Gala) (on the map) – a sacred mountain for every Buddhist, from which Mahinda read his sermons. Going up and down the mountain, be especially careful, because the steps carved into the rock, over time almost flattened, very narrow, and in some places they simply do not exist. Closer to the very top, the climb becomes more extreme, so an unprepared person and afraid of heights should not go up. In rainy weather, the steps become quite slippery. However, for such a difficult climb you will be rewarded with a stunning and very picturesque view of the surroundings.

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  Buddha Statue (on the map) is not of historical interest (it was built in 1995), but in the environment it looks impressive.

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  Maha Seiya Stupa (Mahaseya Dagoba, Mahatupa) (on the map) is a white Stupa on a hill, the largest in Mihintala, its construction belongs to King Mahadathika Mahanaga (PR. 9-21). in the Stupa, according to legend, Buddha's hair is immured. Behind it is Mahindu Stupa (Mihindu Seya) (on the map), where Mahindu's ashes are kept. This stupa was built by King Uttiya (PR. 267-257 BC). in the middle between the stupas there is a small functioning temple, and from the platform there is a panoramic view of the surroundings, and even some stupas of Anuradhapura can be seen in the distance.

Medamaluwa Monastery

Descending from the Kantaka Chetya Stupa down the southern staircase, you will find yourself on a large platform, where the upper parking lot will be on the right (organized groups of tourists are usually brought here). Approximately in this place, the sale of entrance tickets is also carried out.

On this level around are the ruins of the Monastery of Medamaluwa (Medamaluwa Monastery), including The Refectory (the Refector), the Hall of relics (the Relic House), the Assembly Hall (Assembly Hall), The Lion pond (Sinha Pokuna) (on the map).

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  Lion pond (Sinha Pokuna). (on the map) go a little further and you will find yourself at Sinha Pokuna. At the base of a small stone tank, a life-size figure of a lion can be seen standing on its hind legs. Hence the name of the reservoir - Lion. A chute mounted on the side of the tank fed water from the Naga Pokuna reservoir and poured out through the lion's mouth. At the top of the slab you can see a frieze of figures of dancers, Lions, musicians. The Lion pond was intended, as it is not banal, for bathing. From the mouth of the lion poured a stream of water, under which, in fact, ablution took place. In front of the pond are the remains of three buildings, probably monastic cells.

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  Refectory or alms Hall (The Refectory, Alms hall, Bath Ge, Dana Salawa). (on the map) go back and go right, you will find yourself in front of the refectory. Of interest are two troughs, a larger one for rice, a smaller one for spices, which were intended for alms to monks. To the right are the remains of a water pipe that carried water from the Naga Pokun to the swimming pool located in the center of the building. To serve the monks there was a large staff of workers.

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  Hall of relics (the Relic House, Da Ge). (on the map) slightly above the refectory is the Hall of relics. Two surviving plates contain inscriptions on the categories of employees, rules of conduct and duties of local residents. And there were many. After all, in addition to the monks themselves, the staff serving them also lived here, performing various kinds of work, and the monastic lot included only prayer and meditation. In front of the entrance to the Hall of relics, you can see carved in stone containers for washing your feet. Built by King Mahinda IV (Mahinda IV, PR. 975-991).

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  Meeting place (Sannipata Sala, Sannipata Salava, Assembly Hall). (on the map) next to the Hall of relics, there is a meeting place for monks, where all important issues at Medamaluwa monastery were discussed and sermons were delivered. On the dais in the center was the senior monk. Of the 64 columns previously supporting the roof, very few remain.
  Just beyond the ruins of the Assembly Hall to the east begins a staircase leading to the Mango plateau (Ambasthala).

Cave Of Mahinda (Mihindu Guhava, Mihindu Cave)

Following the path between Ambastala Stupa and invitation Rock, a narrow path will lead to Mahinda Cave (the cave on the map) where he lived and meditated. Here you can see the so – called Mahinda bed-a flat rock slab.

Stairway

The long staircase leading from the lower parking lot to the top of Mount Mihintale (on the Mango Plateau) has a total of 1840 steps, and it is not continuous. Halfway along the road, it passes into the area with the Kantaka Chetya Stupa, then continues to the ruins of the Medamaluva Monastery and ends on the Mango plateau. Throughout the ascent, the staircase is protected by huge evergreen trees, which in some way smooths the impression of a difficult climb in a pleasant way.

Stupa Kantaka Chetiya (Kantaka Chetiya)

Kantaka Chetya on the map

The first flight of stairs ends with a landing with unknown stupas, to the right a narrow staircase leads to the Kantaka Chetya Stupa. You can get to it from the upper parking lot. It was built in the II century BC and is one of the oldest structures. The stupa has a three-stage shape and four rectangular walls on each side of the world. These walls are decorated with a frieze of dwarfs, geese, plants, Lions and elephants. In the preserved form, the stupa has a base of about 40 m in diameter, a height of about 12 M (was not less than 30 m). The walls on the East and south sides are much better preserved.

Kantaka Chetya was built near the monastic caves where the monks lived.

Caves

Caves on the map

To the south-west of Kantak, the Chetyas are heaps of huge boulders, behind them stretches a ridge of 68 caves. They were built by King Devanampiya Tissa for the prayers and meditations of the monks who lived in the Mihintale complex.

Hospital Veda Sala

Hospital on the map

The ruins of an ancient hospital for monks are at the foot of the mountain. It was built by King Sena II and consisted of several rooms, including a sauna, medical offices, a pharmacy, rooms for patients, a stone bathroom. Today there are only ruins and there seems to be nothing to see, but the place is historically significant.

Cobra Pond (Naga Pokuna)

Pond on the map

To the west of the Maha Seya Stupa down the stairs is the Cobra pond, which is a natural body of water filled with rainwater during the rainy season. The edges of the pond around the perimeter are lined with stones, and on the Rock is carved the image of a five-headed cobra with an open hood. According to an ancient legend, Mahinda bathed here. However, the purpose of the reservoir is not only in this. Its main value lies in a well-thought-out irrigation system for the entire Mihintale complex. Through long stone troughs, water from the Naga Pokuna pond entered the lower tiers of Mount Mihintale, in particular, into the Refectory and to Singha Pokuna.

Mihintale Museum

Pond on the map

After about a hundred meters, at the intersection on the opposite side of the road, the Mihintale Museum is visible. From it, a little further to the southeast, there are ruins with five buildings arranged in a staggered order, possibly a monastery.

ETH Vehera Hill (Anaikutti)

Pond on the map

ET Vehera is considered the highest hill of Mihintale. It is located southwest of Naga Pokuna pond and contains the ruins of ET Vehera monastery (elephant Stupa). From the height of the hill offers a stunning view of the district. However, it will be necessary to overcome a difficult climb to the top, which for a tired tourist is a dubious pleasure.

Royal Hill (Rajagiri Kanda)

Pond on the map

In the western part of Mihintale on the other side of the Kandy-Jaffna road there is a small hill called Royal. At its top are the remains of a former monastery, considered the first Buddhist settlement of monks. Numerous rocky formations on the hill at one time were monastic cells.

Black water pond (Kaludiya Pokuna)

Pond on the map

Across the road from the Royal Hill is an artificial pond. The origin of its name – the pond of black water, is associated with a legend according to which one monk continuously and diligently prayed for 24 hours, sitting under a black tree growing near the pond. The ritual turned the pond black. This is especially noticeable when the sun has not yet risen very high.

The black water pond is surrounded by several ruins: monastic buildings, a meeting hall, stupas, a small temple on an island, caves for meditation (and today monks come here for prayers). The construction dates from the reign of King Mahinda IV (PR. 975-991).

Indikatu Seya Monastery

Pond on the map

The remains of a monastery with a pair of dagobahs framed in a circle of basalt rock are located to the west of Kandy-Jaffna and are clearly visible from the road.

How to get to Mihintale

Mihintale is located 14 kilometers east of Anuradhapura, on the road to Trincomalee, so the best way to get here is from Anuradhapura. Mihintale is almost never visited in isolation from Anuradhapura. From the new Anuradhapura bus station, local buses run constantly during the daytime. The cost is about 30 rupees, the journey time is 20 minutes. From other cities in Sri Lanka, Mihintale will also have to be reached via Anuradhapura. Also here is the railway station Mihintale (not to be confused with Mihintale Junction), which can be reached from Anuradhapura by train, but the train runs only on Saturdays and Sundays, costs from 15 rupees, 30 minutes on the way.

By taxi to Mihintale from Anuradhapura (round trip) can be reached for 2400 rupees, tuk tuk about 2000 rupees.

Photo of Mihintale