More steps to climb at Mihintale

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading

Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama

You might think that the place where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka would be among its most visited sites, but Mihintale seems to be off the radar for most tourists. Hence we found it surprisingly quiet and peaceful even visiting mid-afternoon.

Mihintale means Mahinda’s Mountain. This is a significant site for Sri Lanka’s Buddhists, as it is said that here the monk Mahinda from India met Tissa, King of Anuradhapura. As a result of this meeting the king, his family and his subordinates converted to Buddhism.

Our ‘guide’ Champi again proved to be more driver than guide as he simply bought our tickets then left us to explore alone. There were few signs in English apart from in one area, and it was frustrating to see other tourists listening to their informative guides. But we enjoyed taking photos and exploring as best we could. And I’ve since been able to do some research to interpret what we saw here and to take you on a virtual Monday Walk.

Monastic ruins

Ancient stupas

Near the car park is a cluster of ruins and ancient stupas. The ruins include the Assembly Hall or Convocation Hall, where the monks held their daily gatherings. In the centre of this is a dais which served as the seat of the chief monk. The building originally had a wooden roof held up by the stone pillars that still remain and was open at the sides.

Another significant building here was the refectory, known as the Alms Hall. The name refers to the Buddhist practice of giving food to monks as alms. Not far from this are two stone tablets, dating from the 10^th century, which are engraved with rules for the administration of the monastic order. Modern signs next to them helpfully translate the engravings into English, so this was one sight here that I was able to understand without a guide!

Alms Hall and stone tablet

The many rules included:

• The monks shall rise early morning, meditate, cleanse the teeth and shall put on robes as described in the Sikha karani
• Thereafter they shall go to the cafeteria at Eth Vehera chanting pirith and receive food
• The sick monks who are unable to attend shall receive food as recommended by the physicians
• The monks residing in Chetiyagiri shall not possess any properties
• The monks who infringe the above regulations shall not live in Chetiyagiri

And very many more!

Ambastale Terrace

From here a long flight of stone steps (I have read 800, though I didn’t count them myself) led up to the main structures of Mihintale. These steps once served as a meditation path for the monks as well as a route for visiting pilgrims.

At the top we had to remove our shoes and continue barefoot or just in socks. Immediately in front of us was an open space known as Ambastale Terrace, with a central stupa, and I contented myself with exploring here.

Ambasthala Dagoba

I later read that I was standing in one of the most sacred parts of the complex, said to be one of the ten places on the island to have been visited by the Buddha himself. Its central white stupa is the Ambastale Dagoba (dagoba is the Sri Lankan word for stupa) or the Sela Chethiya. It marks the spot where Mahinda met the king and is also believed to be the monk’s burial place.

The stone pillars surrounding the stupa once held a wooden roof which protected pilgrims circumambulating it from the elements. Nearby on this plateau I was taken with several interesting-looking stone carvings. These include a statue of King Devanampiya Tissa, he who was first converted to Buddhism here. There are others about which I haven’t been able to find any information, although I gather some are gifts from other nations.

The statue of King Devanampiya Tissa and another carving

Mihintale’s high points

Meanwhile Chris climbed further to two larger and much higher stupas. He’s kindly permitted me to share a few of the photos he took up there.

Chris climbing higher, plus three of the photos he took there

Chris also captured this photo of Kantaka Chethiya. This is considered one of Sri Lanka’s most architecturally significant stupas. It dates back to at least the 2nd century BCE and was partially restored during the 1930s. This is where we really lost out by not having a good guide, as it would have been great to have had a closer look at this stupa, especially the carvings which include representations of various mythical dwarf-like beings. But I was unaware of its existence at the time and only realised what this was after doing more research on our return. And yes, I could and should have done that research in advance, but I rarely bother when I expect to have a guide as I like to come to places fresh and to hear about them from an informed local!

Also overlooking the Ambastale Terrace is Aradhana Gala or Invitation Rock. It is said that it was from this spot that the monk Mahinda called to the king, inviting him to engage in the conversation that would lead to his conversion.

Aradhana Gala or Invitation Rock, and a modern seated Buddha

Another large rock had a gleaming white Buddha, a relatively new addition to the site. The climb looked too daunting to tackle, especially without shoes! With bare feet the rocks are unpleasantly hot, while with socks they become very slippery. And while there is a handrail in places, this is metal and therefore also very hot. So we both passed on that.

***

I’ve since realised that there are many other things to see here, most involving a degree of step climbing. With better guiding, or more thorough reading before our visit, I might have got more out of our time and attempted some of those climbs. On the other hand, sometimes it can be rewarding simply to wander around and soak up the atmosphere. And it’s always possible to read more after your visit, as I did!

Note: after this visit I contacted our tour company, Selective Asia, about Champi’s lack of knowledge about the sights we had been visiting. They very helpfully liaised with the local company to provide extra guiding at several places later in our itinerary. Meanwhile we opted to retain Champi as driver, an arrangement that seemed to please him as much as it did us.

I visited Sri Lanka in February 2026