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Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 by ajith
Climbing up the 1,840 steps of the ancient monastery of Mihintale, this is the first relic which comes to view once you reach the upper terrace of Mihintale Complex. Ambastala Dagaba (also called Sela Chethiya) believed to be built by by King Mahadatika Mahanaga (09-21 AC) on the exact place where the great Mahinda Thero met the King Devanampiyatissa.
The place where the Sela Chethiya would be built in future is the last place mentioned in Mahawansa which the Buddha visited on his 3rd visit to Sri Lanka and is in the 15th place of the Solosmasthana. According to the chronicles this stupa was built enshrining the Buddhas hair relic between the eye brows ( called Urna Roma).
This stupa has been converted to a Vatadage style stupa in the 2nd or 3rd century and most of the pillars where the wooden roof stood upon.
A detail description of the overall “Stupaghara” or “Chethiyaghara” architecture including vatadages of Sri Lanka can be found here.
Also See
- Mihintale – The Cradle of Buddhism
- Anuradhapura – The city of the God Kings
- Solosmasthana – The Sixteen Buddhist Sacred Sites hollowed by Buddha
Map of the Ambastala Dagaba and the Vatadage
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 Ambastala Dagaba and the Vatadage
Mihintale can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and though Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttalam 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 : 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 |
