Mount Mihintale

Tiny Mihintale is considered the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. It was here in the 3rd century BC that the first Buddhist monastery appeared and the missionary activity of Mahinda began - in honor of him, Mount Mihintale is also called Mahinda Mountain.

Over time, the monastery grew, gained influence, and until the 13th century was the third largest monastery complex in Sri Lanka. For centuries, stupas have been erected here (there were more than 60 of them), and some are quite large.

Nowadays, Mihintale is rightly considered sacred and is visited by pilgrims. This is a functioning temple: a calm and majestic place, numerous stupas and other ancient structures are casually but perfectly inscribed in the landscape. In one of the oldest stupas are the remains of Mahinda, on the mountain there is also a large statue of Buddha.