Mihintale – The cradle of Buddhism – මිහින්තලාව

Photo By : Kenta Adachi
In the 3rd century BC, area of Mihintale (mihinthalaya) was a thick jungle area inhibited by wild animals and was a hunting ground reserved for the royals. All this changed in 250 BC when the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka, Mahinda Maha Thero arrived at the Missaka Pauwa to meet king Devamnampiyatissa for the first time and asked the famous questions to decide whether he is intelligent enough to understand the philosophy of the Buddha. Initially Mahinda Maha Thero’s residence, but later Mihintale (mihinthalaya) became a main center for Theravada Buddhism and is considered the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
Mihinthale is a collection of four mountains each about 1000 feet in height.
They are
- Mihinthalawa
- Ath Vehera mountain
- Anaikutti mountain
- Rajagiri Lena mountain
Mihinthalawa is the main mountain and where the Aradhana gala (The rock of invitation) and the main Mahaseya stupa is situated.
alternate names : mihinthalawa, Mihinthalaya, mihinthale
Places of archeological interest in Mihintale
Map of Mihinlale
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
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Driving Directions to Mihintale
Mihinthalawa can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttlam (Puttalama) and though Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttlam you will pass scenic Wilpattu area. the From Kurunegala there are two main routes to Mihintale. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is though Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the commonly used is the Kurunegala – Dambulla route (Route 2).
Route 01 from Colombo to Mihintale (A3) | Route 02 from Colombo to Mihintale |
Though : Negambo – Chillaw – Puthlam distance from colombo :211 km Travel time : 3.5 hours Driving directions : see on google map | Through : Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Dambulla distance from Colombo : 213 km Travel time : 3.5 hours Driving Directions : see on google maps |
Route 03 from Colombo to Mihintale | Route from Anuradhapura to Mihintale |
Though : Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Padeniya – Thambuthegama distance from colombo :220 km Travel time : 3.45 hours Driving directions : see on google map | distance from colombo :15 km Travel time : 40 minutes Driving directions : see on google map |