Mahiyanganaya City

Mahiyanganaya is a town situated close to the Mahaweli River in Badulla District, Uva Province of Sri Lanka. It is said that Gautama Buddha visited Mahiyanganaya on the Duruthu full moon poya day in order to settle a dispute arose between Yakkas and Nagas (two tribes which then inhabited the area) and this was his first ever visit to Sri Lanka. Then the Buddha preached Dhamma to Sumana Saman, a leader in this area, to whom the Buddha gave a handful of his hair relic so that people could worship. After that Sumana Saman (now the god Sumana Saman) built a golden chethiya in which the sacred hair relic was deposited. Later on about seven chethiyas were built over the original golden chethiya from time to time, the last one being built by the King Dutugemunu. As such, this historic town is a very sacred place for Buddhists.

Mahaweli River through Mahiyangana

Sri Lanka’s longest river Mahaweli flows through Mahiyangana, of which the climate is determined by the north east monsoon of the island. In the mid-20th century Mahaweli River irrigation projects provided farmlands for the inhabitants of Mahiyangana. Today, the landscape of Mahiyangana features Savannah like grasslands beyond the paddy cultivation.

Mahiyangana Stupa

The ancient Mahiyangana Stupa is located 1km south of the city center. The gleaming great white Stupa built in the shape of a bell, sits pretty atop a massive platform. The sculptures of elephant heads built onto the platform stand proudly as if to guard the Stupa.

The ancient Mahiyangana Stupa is one of the sixteen most venerated Buddhist Stupas of Sri Lanka. It is believed Buddha’s hair relic is enshrined within the ancient Mahiyangana Stupa.

Sri Lanka’s greatest historical chronicle, Mahawamsa reveals that nine monks since the supreme enlightenment of Buddha, having foreseen that the island of Sri Lanka is destined to have the Buddhism established and remain so for 5000 years, visited the island to preach the doctrine to the pre-historic inhabitants belonging to the tribes of Yaksha, Naga and deva. Prince Saman of Deva tribe, having attained the first spiritual plane of Buddhism called Sovan, begged Buddha for a token of presence that could be held high in reverence: he was granted a curl of hair off Buddha’s head. Prince Saman had the ancient Mahiyangana Stupa built enshrining the hair relic, which was secured in a golden reliquary. Thus Mahiyangana became the first ever Stupa to be built in Sri Lanka.

The Stupa was enlarged by the Buddhist monk Arahat Sarabhu to a height of 12 cubits after receiving and enshrining the collar bone relic of the Buddha taken from the funeral pyre. For the greater protection of the shrine, King Devanampiyatissa’s brother, Prince Uddhaya Culabhaya covered it over and made it 30 cubits high. Mahiyangana Stupa was adored by the ancient kings. King Dutugemunu (161-137 BC) saddened by the rui