Assembly Hall of Mihintale (Sannipatha Shawalwa)

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Sannipatha Shalawa of Mihintale Monastery

An essential feature of a Buddhist monastery is the Sannipāta Salāva, or Assembly Hall, where the community of bhikkhus would gather to deliberate on disciplinary matters and administrative concerns. In larger institutions like Mihintale, the senior monk—known from nearby inscriptions as the Nāka Balaṇa Himi (“chief Bhikkhu of the fraternity”)—presided over these meetings. The elevated stone seat positioned at the center of the hall would have been reserved for him.

This hall occupies a strategic position that allowed the monks to gather whenever needed. It was once known as the Bhojana Salāva (the Refectory) by the local priests in the 19th century—and Bell once suggested it served as a Giman Salāva, or resting pavilion partway up the hill (Bell, 1914, pp. 23–24). Today, however, archaeological study has confirmed its true purpose: it is the Sannipāta Salāva, the Assembly Hall where the Mihintale community of bhikkhus convened for discussion and Dhamma discourse.

Architecturally, it is a simple yet elegant square structure, each side measuring approximately 62 feet. Rather than enclosed walls, the hall was defined by rows of sturdy stone pillars—an estimated 64 in total, arranged in an 8×8 grid—which supported the roof. Today these pillars remain, though the wooden or tiled roof itself has vanished. Entrances on all four sides, each reached by a short flight of steps.

Early Excavations

In the 1890s, Bell conducted the first excavations at these ruins. At that time, convicts assigned to the restoration of the Mihintale Maha Seya were housed in a temporary jail erected nearby. As they cleared what Bell called the “Giman Salāva,” they uncovered an inscribed stone slab, a section of the original stone parapet bearing writing, and a pillar inscription dating to the tenth century (Bell, 1904, pp. 5–6).

Pillar Inscription

This pillar inscription was read and published by Muller in 1883.

Hail! His Majesty Siri Sang Bo, in the 12th year of his reign, on the dark poya day of Hibila, ordered : the workmen in the four kingdoms for the wiharas . . . . . . . . . . it is right for the wiharas to give to the workmen, seven kalandas of gold shall be given to the chief writer, one kalanda of gold shall be given to a workman born on the ground of the priesthood, two kalandas of gold to . . . . . . . . . . kalandas in this kingdom to the sweeper, five kalandas of gold in this kingdom to the man who having received this gold divides the shares, three kalandas of gold in this kingdom to the superintendent, two kalandas of gold in this country . . . . . . . . . . shall be given to the workmen for water and fuel, ten kalandas of gold in this country shall be given to the sweeper, two kalandas of gold in this country shall be given to the superintendent, one kalanda of gold in this kingdom shall be given to the chief writer . . . . . . . . . . shall be given to laborers for water and fuel on sluices, [?] channels, and banks of a river, fifteen kalandas of gold in this country shall be given to the accountant of this; two kalandas of gold in this country shall be given to the chief writer of this; two ‘kalandas of gold in this country (shall be given) to the . . . . . . . . . . of this . . . . . . . . . . kalandas [of gold] shall be given to the labourers on . . . . . . . . . . channels and banks, five kalandas of gold in this country shall be given to . . . . . . . . . . two kalandas of gold shall be given to the . . . . . . . . . . on the bank of this channel [five kalandas of gold shall be given to him who [divides] the shares], three kalandas of gold to the overseers on the two banks of the channel: two kalandas of gold shall be given to . . . . . . . . . . on the bank of this channel, one kalanda of gold to him who only . . . . . . . . . . yearly for making a road to the tank, . . . . . . . . . . shall the workmen of the wihara and their children give to the distributor of the priesthood, two kalandas and two paelas of rice to the accountant, and for two statues to the temple . . . . . . . . . .
(Muller, 1883, pp. 113–114)

References

Bell, H. C. P. (1904). Archaeological Survey of Ceylon: North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces—Annual Report 1893. George J. A. Skeen, Government Printer, Ceylon.
Bell, H. C. P. (1914). Archaeological Survey of Ceylon: North-central, Central, North-western, and Western Provinces: Annual Report 1910-1911. H. R. Cottle, Government Printer of Ceylon.
Muller, E. (1883). Ancient inscriptions in Ceylon (1st ed.). Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill.

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Driving Directions to The Assembly Hall of Mihintale

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
Through : Central Expressway – Badagamuwa – Dambulla Distance: 223 km Travel Time: 4.45 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance: 227 km Travel Time: 5.15 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
Route from Kandy to Mihintale	Route from Anuradhapura to Mihintale
Through: Distance: 136 km Travel Time: 3,30 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: A12 Distance: 14 km Travel Time: 25 mins Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.