Rajagirilena (Mihintale)
Monastic ruins at Rajagirilena (Photo credit: Google Street View) Rajagirilena or Rajagiri cave mountain/ Rajagirilenakanda (Sinhala: මිහින්තලේ රාජගිරිලෙන) is a site with a ruined Buddhist cave temple located near Mihintale Monastery in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. History Chronicles reveal that during the reign of King Saddhatissa (137-119 B.C.), the Rajagirilena cave had been used by Kala Buddha Rakkhita Thera as an abode of living (Nicholas, 1963). The kings are said to have visited this site frequently for the observance of the higher precepts and to listen to the Buddhist preaching. Brahmi Inscriptions that have been discovered from the site indicate that during the initial stages the site was inhabited by the monks of the Theravada tradition. However, it became an institute of the Mahayana Buddhist sect in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D. (Dhammaratana, 2000). The ruins of an image house constructed during the Kandyan Period have been identified on this premises. The site was d…
