The Buddha, Sri Lanka (2)

 

Reflecting serenity and universal peace , the images of the Buddha are found all over Sri Lanka. Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka in  250 BCE   and became the national religion of the Sinhalese from that date.

Buddhism was brought from India  in the 3rd BCE, where it had been established by Siddhartha Gautama three centuries earlier. The powerful Indian monarch, Asoka, patronised  the religio-philosophical system  that Buddhism  presented. Asoka’s empire, which extended over most of India, supported one of the most vigorous missionary enterprises in history.

The Buddhist tradition of chronicling events has aided the verification of historical figures. One of most important of these figures was King Devanampiya Tissa (250-c. 207 B.C.). According to the Mahavamsa, Asoka’s son and emissary to Sri Lanka, Mahinda, introduced the monarch to Buddhism. Devanampiya Tissa became a powerful patron of Buddhism and established the monastery of Mahavihara, which became the historic centre of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

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