At Vehera, The Inner Temple
At Vehera, The Inner Temple
The highest point of the Mihintale mountain range is the At Vehera Kanda. Though generally known as At Vehera Kanda to mean Elephant Dagaba peak, the word at stands for atul meaning inner.
Therefore, the Stupa on the top is a part of the Inner Temple. The phrase at Vehera therefore means Inner Temple. In the Pali language this place is referred to as Anto Vihara (Inner Temple).
However, this is not the old name of this monument but a new one. A long flight of some six hundred steps are to be climbed from the Naga Pokuna. The Stupa on the top is comparatively small, and also not as impressive as the Maha Saya.
In an inscription found on a slab of stone on the way to At Vehera a reference is made to a grant to this vihara by King Naka, identified as Mahadathika Mahanaga. This inscription refers to this Stupa as Paribada Ceta. It is Paribhanda Cetiya in the Pali language.
The Mihintale Slab Inscription of Mahinda IV refers to it as Kiriband pau dagaba. The word paribhanda pabbata means accompanying mountains.
There is no proof whatsoever regarding the origin of this Stupa or the person responsible for erecting it. It is quite possible that with so many Stupas built on the summit of the early Missaka mountain the site’s old name was changed to Cetiya pabbata, meaning mountain of Stupas.
It is also quite possible that King Devanampiya Tissa re-named Missaka as Cetiya pabbata on account of Mahinda Mahathera’s birth place at Vidisa – as a mark of respect to his mother – also a place where several early Stupas were built by the mother of the Mahathera.
The birth place of Elder Mahinda too was called Cetiyagiri. Though twenty three centuries have elapsed since the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka on this mountain the name Cetiyapabbata or mountain of Stupas still suits this range of mountains at Mihintale, owing to the number of these monuments found there.
Rajagirilena Kanda, The Royal Rock Cave Hill
Among the boulders on the summit of this low hill of the mountain range of Mihintale are found some interesting caves about 100 feet above the ground under a spur of the hill.
These no doubt represent the first dwellings of the Bhikkhus of the earliest period of Sri Lanka’s history of Buddhism. and hoo cry of the adjacent yet wholly distinct monasteries at Mihintale and Anai-kutti kanda, they command from their peaceful secluded elevation an unimpeded restful view across many miles of dark green forest and silvery tanks.
A considerable number of the cave inscriptions of the earliest period occur here. Some of them read as follows :
1. Parumaka-Sena-puta badakarika-parumaka Senaha lene sagasa. The cave of the chief Sena, the treasurer, son of the chief Sena, is given to the Sangha.
2. Damaguta-teraha lene agata anagata Catu disa sagasa. The cave of the thera Dhammagutta is given to the Sangha of the four quarters, present and absent.
3. Uvasaka Cuda Honaha lene The cave of the lay devotee Cuda Hona (Culla-Sona) Among the later records are some Sanskrit Mahayana inscriptions dating from the 9th century.
There are also some remains of a monastery at the foot of the mountain. However, Rajagirilena Kanda too fell under the influence of Mahayana during the course of its history at Mihintale.
