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Mahiyanganaya, Uva Province · 7.3221°, 80.9908°
One of the principal Buddhist pilgrimage sites of Sri Lanka, whose stupa is held to enshrine hair relics of the Buddha and was successively enlarged by rulers from Devanampiya Tissa and Dutthagamani through Vijayabahu I to Kirti Sri Rajasinha. The present casing over the older stupa was built between 1953 and 1980.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
The Buddha is said to have come here in the ninth month after his enlightenment, subduing the yakshas who then inhabited the island and giving Saman a handful of his hair, which Saman enshrined in the first small stupa.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Anuradhapura to Kandyan kings; modern rebuild
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