Mahiyangana: First of Sixteen Sacred Places in Sri Lanka

The Blessed One came to Mahiyangana on a Duruthu Poya day and sent away the fierce devils in our country to another island by showing various Miracles so that the Gautama Buddha’s Dispensation can flourish in the future.

Significance of Mahiyangana

After attaining Enlightenment and spending seven weeks, the Blessed one arrived at the city of Baranasi.
And after spending the rains retreat and sending off the enlightened monks on tour for Dhamma propagation, the Supreme Buddha went over to the “Uruwela” Village to tame Uruwela Kassapa, Nadee Kassapa and Gaya Kassapa. While residing here (the village of Uruwela) which was nine months after the enlightenment, on a Duruthu Full moon poya day the Supreme Buddha visited Sri Lanka to chase away the demons.
Including God Sumana Saman millions of devas attained stages of enlightenment by learning the Dhamma on that day. The Buddha then gave away his unsoiled hair relics so that they can pay homage.
This stupa was 7 cubits high ( 1 and a half feet) and was made out of Blue Gems by God Sumana.
When the sacred body of the Buddha was burning, Arahant Sarabu, a student of Arahant Sariputta, took the back neck bone through his psychic powers and arrived at Mahiyanganaya.
After enshrining the back neck bone relics inside the stupa and covering it with yellow precious stones the stupa’s height was extended to 12 cubits
King Mutaseeva’s son, King Uddhachulabhaya increased the height of the Stupa to 30 cubits.
King Dutugamunu, after seeing the miraculous powers of the stupa, increased the height of the Stupa to 80 cubits.

Special places to worship in Mahiyangana

worship the dethis pala maha bodhi wahanse
Worship the stupa which is a place where the hair relics are enshrined, a place where the sacred back neck bone is enshrined, and sacred Stupa which was built by the psychic powers of the Great Arahants, Devas and also the Kings.
May our homage be to the Mahiyanagana Great Stupa!

Stanzas to worship Mahiyangana

ලංකාය යත්ථ පඨමං භගවා නිසජ්ජ
යක්ඛේ දමේසි කතමිද්ධි තස්මිං
ගීවට්ටිධාතූ නිහිතඤ්චථ කේසධාතුං
වන්දාමි සාධු මහියංගන ථූපරාජ
Laṅkāya yattha paṭhamaṃ bhagavā nisajja
Yakkhe damesi katamiddhi tasmiṃ
Gīvaṭṭidhātū nihitañcatha kesadhātuṃ
Vandāmi sādhu mahiyaṅgana thūparājaṃ