Mihintale Mountain

Mihintale Mountain

Mahinda's mountain, a few miles out of Anuradhapura, is the place where Buddhism first took hold in Sri Lanka.  It was here in 247BC that the missionary Prince Mahinda converted King Devampiyatissa.  The Ambasthala Dagoba marks the place where the encounter took place, whilst the Rock of Convocation is the spot from where Mahinda preached his first sermon.  Nearby a path leads off to the Mahaseya Dagoba, a large stupa which enshrines a single hair relic of the Buddha. In many respects the stupas are like Egyptian Pyramids.  They contain priceless relics, but they are completely inaccessible.  The whole complex on the summit of the mountain is approached by a grand staircase cut from the rock of 1,840 steps.  It is a place of pilgrimage, and devotees are always climbing the steps, sometimes on their knees.

Whilst I scrambled to the top of the Rock of Convocation, Anni wisely stayed behind to watch.  It was a precipitous climb with only a rusty handrail for support, although this did not deter hundreds of locals from making the same ascent.  At times we resembled a human conga as we helped each other up and down the bare rock face, all the time laughing and smiling. There is nothing like a shared challenge to break down language barriers.  At the top a father and son insisted I took their photograph to everyone's great amusement.  Perhaps I should not have been surprised when returning to Anni to find she had been joined by the extended family all with their mobile phones poised to have their photo taken with us!