Built by King Dutugemunu in the second century BC, the Mirisawetiya Vihara, lies on the shores of the Tissa Wewa, within the sacred city of Anuradhapura. The story behind its construction is an interesting one which states that King Dutugemunu had gone bathing in the Tissa Wewa, leaving his sepulcher which contained relics of the Buddha, secreted on the banks. When he returned to retrieve the sepulcher however, he found he could not remove it from its position and thus deemed this sacred ground, set about enshrining the sepulcher within the stupa that stands today.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass