THE BUDDHA'S VISITS TO SRI LANKA
Ven. Dhammalokka

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The Buddha visited Sri Lanka on three different occasions. His first visit was to Mahiyangana; the second to Nagadipa, and the third was to Kalyani (Kelani). On these three occasions he stayed at sixteen specific locations and meditated by himself or with his disciple monks. For that reason, those places have come to be regarded as highly sacred.

In six hundred BC the ascetic Gotama attained enlightenment (Buddhahood). He traveled far and wide preaching the Dhamma out of compassion for all beings and he counseled his disciple monks to do so too. The only country he visited outside of Jambudipa (Greater India) was Sri Lanka, for the Buddha knew that this was a place where his doctrine would shine in glory in the future. Blessed by the visit of the Buddha, the Sinhalese protected the Dhamma, risking their lives, practicing themselves and teaching others. Four hundred fifty three years after the passing away
of the Buddha it was they who documented the Tripitaka (the three baskets of Dhamma) for the benefit of future generations. Had they not done so, the Buddha's pure doctrine would not exist today. So, among the great services rendered by the Sinhalese nation for Buddhism taking steps to preserve the Tripitaka is the most remarkable. In this way they have done much to protect and promote Buddha's dispensation, considering it the bound duty of a nation that had received the blessings of a living Buddha. The nation was so devoted to the doctrine that it followed its tenets in all its activities; its rulers governed the country according to Dhamma. Sri Lanka earned the world's greatest tribute when it was called Dhammadipa (the island of the Doctrine).

The First Visit

In the ninth month of his Buddhahood, on the full moon day of Phussa, the Exalted One set forth for the island of Sri Lanka. On that day at a place called Mahiyangana in central Sri Lanka, there was a great gathering of the Yakkha tribe that lived on the island. The Blessed One entered that assembly and sat down at the spot where the Mahiyangan stupa (a structure containing religious relics) now stands. Observing Buddha's miraculous powers and supernatural qualities, the Yakkhas shunned their former attributes of harshness, cruelty and wickedness and became his pious devotees.
After that devas and other divine beings assembled there, while the Master preached the doctrine to them. Millions of living beings turned from their former beliefs to embrace the three refuges and take the precepts. The prince of devas, Mahasumana of the Samantakuta mountain, entered into the path of salvation (Sotapanna state) and requested the Blessed One to afford them something to enable them to worship. The Buddha, who had blue/black locks of hair, passing his hand over his own head, bestowed upon the prince a handful of hair which he received in a splendid golden urn. Then the Buddha departed for Uruvela. Prince Mahasumana then deposited the hair upon a heap of multi-colored gems at the place where the Master had sat, covered them with a stupa seven cubits in circumference and adorned it with sapphires.

When the Buddha passed away, Venerable Sarabhu Thero, a disciple of Venerable Sariputta Thero, by dint of his miraculous powers, received the collarbone of the Exalted One direct from the Buddha's funeral pyre and brought it to Sri Lanka. With monks surrounding him, he laid it in that same stupa, covered it over with gold?colored stones and made the stupa twelve cubits high. The son of King Devampiyatissa's brother Uddhaculabhaya covered it over again and raised it thirty cubits high. The king Dutthagamini built a stupa over it eighty cubits high. Over the centuries this same stupa was reconstructed a number of times. During the period of British rule it fell into a dilapidated state. Although it was restored in 1851 and again in 1871 under the direction of venerable monks it fell into dereliction. The stupa that can be seen today completed its reconstruction in 1961.

The Second Visit

When the Buddha was dwelling at Jetavana in the fifth year of his Buddhahood, he saw that a war was imminent between the Nagas Mahodara and Culodara, uncle and nephew, for a gem?set throne. With compassion for the Nagas, he took his sacred alms?bowl and robes and proceeded to Nagadipa in the north of Sri Lanka. When they saw the Blessed One, they joyfully worshipped at the feet of the Master. He counseled them in the way of the doctrine and both Nagas gladly gave up their claims to the throne and instead offered it to the Buddha. The Buddha however returned the throne to the Nagas as a memorial requesting that they pay homage to it. On this second visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka, many millions of Nagas established themselves in the three refuges (Buddha, Dhamma & Sangha) and in the moral precepts. Today they consider an islet named Nainathiu as the sacred place the Buddha so visited. (But, according to history, they had earlier considered the whole of the Jaffna peninsula and most of other parts of northern Sri Lanka as Nagadipa, and that the ancient Nagadipa temple was in what is presently Kandarode.)

The Naga king, Maniakkhika o Kalyani, who had come there to take part in the battle, became established in the refuges and moral duties. He respectfully invited the Buddha to visit the part of the country where he held sway. When the Buddha accepted it in silence, the King planted the Rajayatana tree on that very spot. The Rajayatana tree was carried as a parasol over the Buddha by the deva named Samiddhi Sumana when the Buddha was traveling from Jetavana to Nagadipa. In this way the compassionate One completed his second visit to Sri Lanka and returned to Jetavana.

The Third Visit

In the eighth year following his attainment of Buddhahood Buddha, accompanied by five hundred disciple monks, proceeded to King Maniakkhika's dwelling city of Kelaniya in the west of Sri Lanka on the Vesak full moon day. He stayed there temporarily together with the monks under a canopy decked with gems, upon a precious throne?patterned seat. The Naga king and his followers treated the Buddha and disciples with great delight. The compassionate One preached the Dhamma there. The Kelani cetiya (stupa) was later built on this site.

From there he proceeded to the Sumanakuta (Sripada) mountains in the middle of the country. The footprint he left there is highly venerated and is still protected. It is called "Sripada " meaning the noble footprint, and `Sumanakuta " because it was the dwelling of the deva Sumana and also called "Samantakuta " because of its height.

He spent the day with the monks in a cave called Divaguha at the foot of this mountain. This sacred place is still not recovered.

Then he left for Dighavapi. There is a reservoir by the name of Dighavapi. Legend has it that that the Buddha seated himself with the brotherhood on its brim and meditated. A stupa was built on this site later by King Saddhatissa. That stupa was also named Dighavapi: other names for it include Diga nakha, Dighnakha, nakha, etc. The ruins of the Dighvapi temple can be seen around an area over five hundred acres.

From Dighavapi Buddha journeyed to a park located south of the capital Anuradhapura. Later it was presented by King Devanampiyatissa who ruled the country during the period B.C.247-207, to the order of monks for a monastery.

That park came to be known as Mahameghavana. Buddha sat down here and meditated with his disciples. This is the place where a sapling, sent by Emperor Asoka, through his daughter the Arahat Sanghamitta, of the sacred bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, would later be planted. This bodhi tree is historically the oldest tree in the world today.

The Buddha next meditated in a place where the great stupa known as "Suvannamali maha cetiya" was built by King Dutugamunu (Dutthagamanee) who ruled the country during the period of BC 101-77.

From there he went and meditated at a place where presently the stupa of Stuparama stands. This is the first stupa built after the arrival of the most venerable Maha Mahinda. It was built by King Devanampiyatissa.

The next place he went is where the Silacetiya or the Stone cetiya was built later by King Lajjitissa who ruled the country 59-50 BC.

According to the chronicle Mahavamsa, after visiting and meditating these places, the Buddha delivered an exhortation to an assembly of devas and returned to Jetavana.

Sri Lankans, however, believe that the Buddha visited and meditated briefly at six other places, too. All of them are of historical importance and therefore have remained immensely venerated places during the past two thousand years. They are referred to in Chronicles as follows:

Mutiyangana stupa is located at Badulla. This stupa was built by King Devanampiyatissa and rebuilt and enlarged by King Jetthatissa.

Tissamaharvihara, a temple located at Tissamaharamaya in the south of Sri Lanka. It was built by King Kakavannatissa.

Maricavatti or Mirisavati stupa is in Anuradhapura. This is the first stupa King Dutthagamani built after waging war to unify the country.

Jetavana stupa is the largest among all the stupas in Sri Lanka. This was built by King Mahasena who ruled the country from 325-352 AD.

Abhayagri stupa was constructed by king Vattagamani Abhaya who ruled the country from 44 BC. During the Anuradhapura era there was an internationally recognized educational institute and a monastery built here for monks.

At Kataragama, there is a stupa called Kirivihara or Kataragama (Kataragama). This stupa was built by King Parakkramabahu at the request of his queen Subhadra.

According to historical records, legend and peoples beliefs, these sixteen places were visited by the Buddha and used as retreats for meditation. Following the arrival of the most venerable Maha Mahinda all these sacred places were covered with stupas by the kings mentioned above for people to venerate. Of these sixteen places, only Mahiyangana stupa was built while the Buddha was living. (The Sri Lankan Sinhalese were the only people to build stupas to venerate the Buddha while he was living.) The relics of the Buddha were placed inside the stupas. For more than two thousand three hundred years these places have been worshipped and venerated; they have helped millions of people develop good moral and spiritual qualities, and to practice meditation. These sacred places have been helping to make the Sri Lanka an ideal place for people who are bent on wholesome thoughts and a peaceful world.

MAY ALL BEINGS BE WELL AND HAPPY!