Ancient ruins of a 9th-century hospital at Mihintale, built by King Sena II, with patient rooms, medicinal trough, steam bath, and surgical tools.
Ancient Hospital Complex (Mihintale)
The ruins of an Ancient Hospital Complex (Sinhala: මිහින්තලේ පුරාණ රෝහල) are found on the Mihintale Monastery premises in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. These ruins are considered the oldest archaeological evidence available for a hospital in Sri Lanka or perhaps in the world (Mueller-Dietz, 1996). History It has been identified that this is the hospital mentioned in Mahavamsa that was built by King Sena II (853-887 A.D.) on the premises of Segiriya [(present Mihintale) Gamage & Thilakarathna, 2018; Jayasuriya, 2016; Nicholas, 1963]. An inscribed rectangular stone pillar of King Udaya II (887-898 A.D.) discovered at this site in 1952 mentions certain immunities granted by the king in respect of the land on which the Mihintale hospital ( Segiriya ved-hala ) had been located (Gamage & Thilakarathna, 2018; Ranawella, 2001). Another inscription of King Kassapa IV (909-914 A.D.) that was discovered at this site also enabled scholars to identify this ruined building complex as a h…
