Thissa Maha Viharaya & Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya: Eighth of Sixteen Sacred Places in Sri Lanka

Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara is an ancient temple which is among the Solosmasthana. The Seya is where the Supreme Buddha’s forehead relic is enshrined.

Significance of Seruwila Viharaya

At that time our Great Teacher the Supreme Buddha was residing in Jetavana Monastery because of King Mani Akkitha’s invitation to visit Sri Lanka for the third time, the Supreme Buddha decided to visit Sri Lanka on a Vesak full moon poya day.
Along with Samiddhi Sumana Na King holding a Sapu tree over the Supreme Buddha as as an umbrella and 500 Arahants the Supreme Buddha came to Sri Lanka
After visiting Kelaniya, Sri Pada, Divaguhawa, Deegavapi and Muthiyangana Supreme Buddha along with 500 Arahants visited Seruwila.
The Supreme Buddha came from the sky and visited Seruwila.
The Supreme Buddha sat down and recalled the past. The Supreme Buddha saw that the relics of Kakusada the Buddha, Konagamana the Buddha, Kassapa the Buddha were enshrined here.
The Supreme Buddha along with 500 great Arahants arose to the state of concentration at that moment, the Earth shook.
The Supreme Buddha emerged from the state of concentration, and the Samidhi Sumana King took a bunch of Sapu flowers and offered it to the Buddha.
The Supreme Buddha took the flowers and offered it to Seruwila at that moment the Earth shook even more.
Samadhi Sumana Na King asked the Supreme Buddha, “Oh great sage, what should I do now?” the Blessed One replied saying “Samiddhi Sumana, you must stay here and protect this place.”
“Oh Great Sage, how can I stay in this place while in Jetavana I can accumulate a lot of merit by worshiping the Supreme Buddha, listening to the Noble Dhamma and assisting the Maha Sangha. Oh Great Lord, I don’t like to be away from the Supreme Buddha”
The Buddha replies saying “Samidhdhi Sumana don’t say like that, during the Kakusadha Buddha’s time you were a Great Naga King named Varanidhdha and protected this place where the relics of Kakusada Buddha were enshrined and also during the Konagamana Buddha’s era you were born as a deva named Jayasena and protected this place, you were born as a Naga named Deegasala and protected this place during the Kassapa Buddha’s time. You protected the Relic Seya’s of the previous Buddha’s for a long time and in the Gautama Buddha Dispensation you will protect the forehead bone relic. A great Seya will be built like the moon, to protect this land and to protect the Seya in which the forehead bone will be enshrined. Samidhdhi Sumana you must stay here.”
The Na King Samidhdhi Sumana worshiped the Blessed one wholeheartedly and asked for permission to stay in Seruwawila.
To protect the land where the Forehead bone will be enshrined the Supreme Buddha walked 3 times around the land and another three times around the place where the Pagoda will be built and rose to the sky.
After when the Blessed One attained Parinibbana the forehead bone, four teeth and two collar bones altogether seven Buddha’s relics were not broken into small pieces.
The forehead relic was brought to Sri Lanka by Arahants. The forehead relic was taken to noble places like Varanasi, Vaishali, and Sarnath and worshiped by Arahants.
Our Supreme Buddha’s hair relics were enshrined in this stupa.
There is a golden statue (the same size as our Supreme Buddha) inside this stupa and the forehead relic was deposited in the golden statue.

Places to Visit

Seruwila New Bodhi Gharaya
Sanghawasa
Seruwawila Dagaba
Seruwawila Nava vihara mandiraya

Stanzas to worship Seruwila

Laṁkāvadhū piyapati sirikākavaṇṇa
tissavhayēna muṇirāja ḷalāṭa dhātuṁ
gabbhēnidhāpiya sunimmita cārurūpaṁ
vandāmi maṅgalamahaṁ thulathūpa rājaṁ

Sri Lanka is like the wife of King Kavantissa who enshrined the Buddha’s frontal forehead relic in a golden Buddha statue, beautifully completed and placed inside the stupa. I venerate that sacred Mangala Maha Stupa.

Sērunāma sarāsannē sārathīsaraṭhānagaṁ
vandē kārita tissēna ḷalāṭa dhātu cētiyaṁ

I worship the great stupa built by King Kavantissa near the pond Seru, in a beautiful land where the forehead relic is enshrined.