Anula Devi Cetiya (Sinhala: අනුලා දේවී චෛත්යය) is a ruined Buddhist place of worship situated near Mihintale in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka.
History
The history of this site runs back to the early Anuradhapura Period. Queen Viharamahadevi, the mother of King Dutugemunu (161-137 B.C.) is said to have built this temple in the 2nd century B.C. It is also believed that Queen Anula got ordained as the first Buddhist nun in Sri Lanka and resided together with her fellow nuns at this monastery.
The ruins of a large Stupa belonging to the early Anuradhapura period, potsherds, beads, terracotta figurines, inscriptions, and remnants of building materials have been discovered at this site.
A protected site
The Stupa (Dagoba) known as Diggala Anula Saya situated in the Grama Niladhari Division No. 586-Puvarasankulama, in Mihintale Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 6 June 2008.
References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1553. 6 June 2008. p.524.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 28 May 2022
