Mihintale near Anuradhapura is known as the birthplace of Buddhism in Sri Lanka as it was where Arahat Mahinda, Lord Buddha’s most trusted disciple met and converted King Devanampiyatissa while he was hunting. Arahat Mahinda remained in this area together with around 3,000 monks and lived in the surrounding caves of the Mihintale rock, around which gradually emerged a temple complex. The Sela Cetiya is one of numerous stupas in the vicinity of the rock and is a part of the Solosmasthana, or sixteen places of veneration as it is believed to enshrine a sacred hair relic from between the Buddha’s eyebrows.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass