Mihintale Maha Seya (මිහින්තලේ මහා සෑය)

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From whichever road you are travelling to Mihintale your first sight is almost always the Mihintale Maha seya, the largest and the most conspicuous stupa built halfway up the Mihintale mountain. It will allure you from afar like a white bubble dazzling brilliant under the sun. On the Trincomalee road in particular you sight it across the vast Mahakandara wewa – a sight too rich to be contained by your camera. On a moonlit, star-strung night it glows milky white. And if it does rain, it appears even lovelier through a rosy mist. As such the Maha seya will never disappoint you, whether by day or night, sun or rain mystifying and beckoning you to the hallowed precincts of Missakapabbata.

The story of the Maha Seya built by King Mahadathika Mahanaga (7-19 AC) is given in the great chronicle Mahavamsa as follows.

“The lord of the earth had the great Ambasthala Cetiya constructed. When the masonry work did not hold, he recalled the virtues of the sage (Buddha) and, risking his own life, lay down there; having made the masonry work hold there, he had the Cetiya completed. At the four gates, he arranged to be erected four gem-set arches, well executed by artists and dazzling with various precious stones. He fastened on the Cetiya a red woolen covering and fixed thereon golden balls and strings of pearls”.

What is understood by the above description is that the king realized that the limited space on the summit with its steep inclines on all sides of the mountain would not bear the heavy weight of the stupa and made a firm determination to hold it on.

Sunset at Mihintale
Sunset at Mihintale
licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 by Valerio Manassero

According to popular belief, the urnaroma of the Lord Buddha is enshrined in this stupa. The thirteenth century Sinhalese literary work Pujavaliya and the slab inscription of Mahinda. IV at Mihintale refer to this stupa as Ambulu dagaba.

Today the Mahaseya has a diameter of 136′ at the base, a height estimated at about 45′, and is very much the symbol of Mihintale. It is also a photographer’s challenge and prized picture. The picture produced here was taken two years back on a December evening when we were climbing the Mihintale rock (Aradhana gala) around six in the evening.

The skyscraper over the Maha Seya blazed in unbelievable hues. So glorious were the cloud formations and the orange colors that fired it – for quite a few seconds we could only stop and stare. Then I had the presence of mind to take a photograph. But the glory of heavenly designs can never be satisfactorily captured by a mere man-made contraption.

by Kishanie S. Fernando
Daily Mirror

Also See

Map of the Mihintale Maha Seya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

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Driving Directions to Mihintale Maha Seya

Mihintale can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and through Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttalam you will pass the scenic Wilpattu area. From Kurunegala, there are two main routes to Mihintale. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is through Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the most commonly used is the Kurunegala – Dambulla route (Route 2).

Route 01 from Colombo to Mihintale (A3)Route 02 from Colombo to Mihintale
Though : Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam
Distance :231 km
Travel Time : 5.15 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Through : Central Expressway – Badagamuwa – Dambulla
Distance : 223 km
Travel Time : 4.45 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google maps
Route 03 from Colombo to Mihintale Route from Anuradhapura to Mihintale
Though : Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Padeniya – Thambuthegama
Distance : 232 km
Travel Time : 5 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Distance :15 km
Travel Time : 30 minutes
Driving Directions : see on Google map

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