Spreading across more than two hundred hectares of ancient woodland north of the royal citadel of Anuradhapura, Abhayagiri Vihara was for over a thousand years one of the greatest international monastic universities of the Buddhist world. Rising above the forest canopy stands the massive brick dome of the Abhayagiri Stupa, surrounded by shaded avenues that lead to the world-famous Samadhi Buddha statue, the stepped granite reservoirs of the Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds), and the most exquisitely carved moonstones and Nagaraja guardstones in Sri Lanka.
Founded in 89 BCE by King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya, the monarch who also transformed the rock caverns of Dambulla Cave Temple), Abhayagiri Vihara is revered both as one of the Eight Sacred Places (Atamasthana) of Anuradhapura and as a historic crossroads of Asian civilization. It was here in the early fifth century that the Chinese pilgrim-scholar Faxian spent two years copying sacred manuscripts, and from this cosmopolitan monastic community that Sri Lankan nuns sailed across the seas to Nanjing to transmit the full Bhikkhuni ordination that endures across East Asia and Vietnam today.
IThe Sacred Footprint Beneath the Stupa, Cosmopolitan Scholarship, Faxian's Sojourn, and the East Asian Bhikkhuni Lineage
In his celebrated travelogue A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms (Foguoji), the Chinese monk Faxian, who resided at Anuradhapura for two years from 410 to 412 CE, recorded that the great stupa of Abhayagiri (also called the Uttara Mahacetiya, the Northern Great Stupa) was erected by royal devotion directly over a sacred footprint of the Buddha (forming a northern counterpart to the mountain footprint at Sri Pada / Adam's Peak), while its relic chamber enshrined corporeal relics of the Buddha inside golden bull reliquaries. At the time of Faxian's visit, Abhayagiri Vihara housed 5,000 resident monks, outnumbering the 3,000 monks of the older Mahavihara.
What distinguished the Abhayagiri Nikaya (also known as the Dhammaruci fraternity) throughout its history was its intellectual openness and universality. Whereas the orthodox Mahavihara (centered around Ruwanwelisaya) adhered strictly to the Pali Tipitaka alone, the monks of Abhayagiri upheld the Theravada Vinaya and Pali canon while simultaneously studying, translating, and debating Mahayana (Vetullavada) and Vajrayana scriptures in Sanskrit.
The contemplative heart of Abhayagiri Vihara is embodied in the fourth- to fifth-century Samadhi Buddha Statue seated in the northern woodland of the monastery. Carved from pale dolomitic marble in the half-lotus posture (Virasana) with hands resting gently in the lap in the gesture of deep meditation (Dhyana Mudra), the image achieves a breathtaking equilibrium of outer stillness and inner awakening. Generation after generation of meditators, artists, and global leaders have regarded the Samadhi Buddha of Abhayagiri as the supreme sculptural expression of equanimity (Upekkha) and meditative absorption in world art.
Historical chronicles in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and China attest to Abhayagiri's vast maritime network. During his stay from 410 to 412 CE, Faxian obtained Sanskrit manuscripts of the Dirghagama, Samyuktagama, and the Mahisasaka Vinaya at Abhayagiri that had been lost in northern India. In the eighth century, the great Tantric masters Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra visited Abhayagiri on their sea voyage to Tang-dynasty Chang'an, and a Sanskrit inscription of 792 CE unearthed on the Ratu Boko plateau near Prambanan in Central Java records the founding of a daughter monastery of the Abhayagiri Vihara of the Sinhalese in Indonesia.
Of enduring significance for East Asian and Vietnamese Buddhism, Chinese monastic histories (notably Master Baochang's Biographies of Bhikkhunis compiled in 516 CE) record that in 429 CE and 433 CE, during the reign of King Mahanama of Anuradhapura, delegations of Sri Lankan Buddhist nuns led by the senior Bhikkhuni Devasara (Tiesara) sailed from Sri Lanka to the Liu Song capital of Nanjing. At Nanlin Monastery in Nanjing, Devasara and ten fellow Sri Lankan bhikkhunis conferred the first valid dual-Sangha higher ordination upon more than three hundred Chinese nuns, planting the living lineage of fully ordained Bhikkhunis that continues today across China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Because Abhayagiri Vihara studied Mahayana texts and welcomed international scholars, readers sometimes assume it was a purely Mahayana temple separate from Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhism. In reality, Abhayagiri Vihara remained an ordained Sri Lankan monastic fraternity rooted in the Pali Tipitaka and Vinaya, functioning much like the great monastic university of Nalanda in India: a pluralistic center of higher learning where all four major early Buddhist schools alongside Mahayana philosophy, logic, medicine, and sacred art were studied under one monastic roof.
IIKing Valagamba's Gratitude in 89 BCE and a Millennium of Global Monastic Scholarship
The origin of Abhayagiri Vihara is recorded in chapter 33 of the Mahavamsa. In 103 BCE, five months after ascending the throne of Anuradhapura, King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya) was overthrown by invaders from South India. As the defeated king fled northward past the hermitage of a Jain ascetic (Nigantha) named Giri, the ascetic mocked him aloud, crying: The great black Sinhala king is fleeing. The king silently resolved that if he ever recovered his kingdom, he would build a Buddhist monastery upon that very spot.
During fourteen years of exile in the central hills, the monk who stood loyally by King Valagamba, mediating between the king and his alienated generals and bringing alms food to the royal family in hiding, was Venerable Kupikkala Mahatissa Thera. Upon recapturing Anuradhapura in 89 BCE, King Valagamba demolished Giri's hermitage, erected a magnificent stupa and twelve monastic colleges named Abhayagiri Vihara (combining the king's name Abhaya with Giri), and presented the monastery as a personal gift to Elder Mahatissa, inaugurating the independent Abhayagiri Nikaya.
- 89 BCEKing Valagamba founds Abhayagiri Vihara and presents it to Elder Kupikkala MahatissaAfter regaining the throne of Anuradhapura following 14 years in exile, King Valagamba builds the Abhayagiri Stupa and twelve monastic residences in gratitude to his monastic benefactor.
- 114 to 136 CEKing Gajabahu I enlarges the Abhayagiri Stupa to over 106 meters in heightKing Gajabahu I encases and expands the brick stupa to a monumental height of 280 cubits (roughly 106 to 115 meters) and constructs the northern Abhayagiriya reservoir.
- 410 to 412 CEThe Chinese pilgrim Faxian studies at Abhayagiri Vihara for two yearsFaxian documents the 5,000 monks of Abhayagiri, the grand annual procession of the Sacred Tooth Relic to the monastery, and copies rare Sanskrit and Pali scriptures.
- 429 and 433 CESri Lankan Bhikkhuni Devasara sails to Nanjing to transmit the East Asian nuns' ordinationNuns from Anuradhapura travel by merchant ship to Nanjing, conferring full Bhikkhuni ordination at Nanlin Monastery and establishing the East Asian nuns' lineage.
- 6th to 8th century CEConstruction of the Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds, Ratnaprasada, and Java daughter monasteryMaster sculptors carve the Ratnaprasada Nagaraja guardstone, the Mahasen Palace moonstones, and the Twin Ponds; in 792 CE Abhayagiri monks establish a branch monastery at Ratu Boko in Central Java.
- 1165 and 1982 to 2015Twelfth-century restoration by King Parakramabahu I and UNESCO conservationRestored to 140 cubits by King Parakramabahu I in the 12th century, inscribed by UNESCO in 1982 (Ref. 200), and comprehensively conserved by the Central Cultural Fund through 2015.
Custodian of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Faxian's eyewitness account. Long before the Sacred Tooth Relic reached the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, it was the monks of Abhayagiri Vihara who held the royal privilege of hosting the annual public exposition of the Tooth Relic in Anuradhapura. Faxian left a vivid eyewitness account from 411 CE: in the middle of the third lunar month, the king lined the royal highway from the palace to Abhayagiri with five hundred painted representations of the Buddha's past lives (Jatakas), placed the Tooth Relic atop a richly caparisoned royal elephant, and escorted it to the Hall of the Buddha at Abhayagiri Vihara, where clergy and laity offered flowers and incense continuously for ninety days.
IIIThe 75-Meter Abhayagiri Stupa, the Samadhi Buddha, the Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds, and the Finest Moonstones
Extending across more than 200 hectares (500 acres), Abhayagiri Vihara was organized as a federated university of four great residential colleges (Mulas: Uttaramula, Kaparamula, Mahanetpamula, and Vahadumula). At the heart of the complex stands the colossal brick Abhayagiri Stupa, resting on a square granite-paved terrace covering more than 3.2 hectares (8 acres) with a basal diameter of 106 meters (348 feet) and a conserved height of approximately 75 meters (246 feet).
Crowning the stupa dome above the square reliquary box (Hatharaskotuwa) is a distinctive cylindrical brick spire ringed with carved stone bands displaying Dharma Wheels (Dharmacakra). Dispersed through the surrounding forest park are architectural and hydraulic monuments of unsurpassed refinement.
Rising 75 meters above its 8-acre stone-paved terrace with a base diameter of 106 meters, the brick stupa features four ornate cardinal frontispieces (Vahalkada) and an ancient stone-ringed spire carved with Dharma wheels.
Carved from dolomitic marble and measuring 2.21 meters (7 feet 3 inches) in height, this world-famous image portrays the Buddha seated in effortless meditative absorption (Dhyana Mudra) at the site of an ancient Bodhighara shrine.
On the eastern edge of the complex lie the Kuttam Pokuna, a pair of stepped granite bathing pools (40 m and 28 m long) with underground silt traps, Punkalasa balustrades, and a five-hooded Naga water inlet; to the southwest lies the vast Eth Pokuna reservoir (159 m by 52.7 m).
The multi-story monastic ordination hall supported by tall granite pillars preserves an 8th-century limestone Muragala guardstone of the seven-hooded serpent king Nagaraja universally acclaimed as the finest guardstone in Sri Lanka.
At the entrance steps of two monastic residences near the Samadhi Buddha (popularly called Mahasen's Palace and the Queen's Pavilion) rest the two most celebrated moonstones in Sri Lanka, carved in deep, lifelike relief with flames, elephants, horses, lions, bulls, geese, and lotus petals.
| Feature | Historical and architectural specification | Verified source |
|---|---|---|
| Founding date and patron | 89 BCE by King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya, r. 89 to 77 BCE) for Elder Kupikkala Mahatissa | Mahavamsa (Chapter 33), UNESCO World Heritage List Ref. 200 |
| Campus scale and population | Over 200 hectares (500 acres), housing 5,000 resident monks in the early 5th century CE | Faxian's Record of Buddhist Kingdoms (410 to 412 CE) and Britannica |
| Stupa dimensions | Original height over 106 m (under King Gajabahu I); conserved height ~75 m (246 ft); base diameter 106 m | Department of Archaeology Sri Lanka and Central Cultural Fund (CCF) |
| Sculptural masterpieces | Samadhi Buddha (2.21 m), Ratnaprasada Nagaraja guardstone, Mahasen moonstones, and Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds | UNESCO Sacred City of Anuradhapura dossier (1982) |
| International Dharma links | Scholarly exchange with Nalanda and Java (792 CE); 429 and 433 CE Bhikkhuni ordination missions to Nanjing | Biographies of Bhikkhunis (516 CE), Abhayagiri Museum, and Wikidata Q320249 |
IVThe Lie of the Land
Anchoring the entire northern expanse of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura (hence its ancient title Uttara Mahacetiya, the Northern Great Stupa), Abhayagiri Vihara integrates forest serenity with a sophisticated network of stone-lined reservoirs. Below is a comparative reading of its terrain, water engineering, and axial orientation through the library's traditional landform framework.
Examining the northern guardian position and internal water network at coordinates 8.3709 degrees north, 80.3953 degrees east, Abhayagiri Vihara occupies the broad, level woodland belt north of the royal Citadel of Anuradhapura, bounded on the east by the northward-flowing Malwathu Oya river and on the southwest by the Basawakkulama and Bulankulama reservoirs. Within the 200-hectare monastic campus itself, ancient hydrologists created an internal micro-climate by excavating stone-lined ponds at strategic compass points: the immense Eth Pokuna (Elephant Pond, holding over 75,000 cubic meters of water) in the southwest and the paired Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds) aligned north-south in the east. In classical landform reading, distributing tranquil rectangular stone pools around a wooded monastic center exemplifies the principle of gathering water within a wind-sheltered forest, cooling the air and sustaining meditative clarity throughout the dry season.
In terms of cardinal orientation, the square granite terrace of the Abhayagiri Stupa opens toward all four cardinal directions, with the ancient ceremonial avenue (Maha Vidiya) leading from the royal citadel directly into the stupa's Southern gateway. Thus the great stupa sits North and faces South, the classic sovereign orientation looking benignly over the entire capital city of Anuradhapura to the south, while the Samadhi Buddha in the quiet northern grove faces East-Northeast to greet the calm light of dawn filtering through the forest trees.
VAtamasthana Pilgrimages, Samadhi Meditation Gatherings, and Homage by East Asian Bhikkhunis
Following the completion of the multi-decade conservation of the Abhayagiri Stupa in 2015, the ancient northern monastery has once again become a vibrant center of worship within the Eight Sacred Places (Atamasthana). The table below outlines the major annual observances and pilgrim traditions at Abhayagiri Vihara.
| Date | Calendar system | Observance | Liturgical rites and pilgrim activities at Abhayagiri Vihara |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poson Full Moon Poya (June) | Sri Lankan Buddhist Lunar Calendar | Poson Poya Pilgrimage and Illumination of the Abhayagiri Stupa | Tens of thousands of white-clad pilgrims circumambulate the 8-acre granite terrace of the Abhayagiri Stupa, offer lotus flowers, and practice silent meditation before the Samadhi Buddha statue. |
| Vesak Full Moon Poya (May) | Sri Lankan Buddhist Lunar Calendar | Vesak Poya Meditation and Saffron Robe Offerings | Monks and lay practitioners hold all-day meditation sittings in the woodland around the Samadhi Buddha and drape lengths of saffron cloth around the base of the stupa. |
| Esala and Nikini Lunar Months (July to August) | Sri Lankan Buddhist Lunar Calendar | Historical Commemoration of the Ancient Tooth Relic Exposition | Recalling the centuries when the Sacred Tooth Relic was carried in royal procession from the Anuradhapura palace to Abhayagiri Vihara for 90 days of public veneration. |
| Unduvap Full Moon Poya (December) | Sri Lankan Buddhist Lunar Calendar | Bhikkhuni Lineage Commemoration and International Nuns' Pilgrimage | Sri Lankan bhikkhunis and visiting delegations of Mahayana nuns from Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, and China gather at Abhayagiri to honor Bhikkhuni Devasara's 429 and 433 CE ordination missions. |
| Daily (Early Morning to Late Afternoon) | Year-round Pilgrim and Heritage Schedule | Veneration at the Samadhi Buddha, Kuttam Pokuna, and Faxian Museum | Pilgrims and scholars meditate before the Samadhi Buddha, admire the Ratnaprasada guardstone and Mahasen moonstones, and visit the Abhayagiri (Faxian Memorial) Museum. |
A homecoming of gratitude across the ocean. Among the most touching sights at Abhayagiri Vihara today is the arrival of pilgrimages of fully ordained Buddhist nuns (Bhikkhunis) from Vietnam and East Asia bowing in unison before the Abhayagiri Stupa and the Samadhi Buddha. Remembering how Sri Lankan nuns braved the treacherous seas in 429 and 433 CE to plant the Bhikkhuni ordination lineage in Nanjing, these modern pilgrims bridge fifteen centuries of shared monastic sisterhood beneath the ancient trees of Anuradhapura.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Abhayagiri Monastic Complex, Sacred City of Anuradhapura, 50000 North Central Province, Sri Lanka
- Getting there
- Abhayagiri Vihara is located in the northern archaeological zone of the Sacred City of Anuradhapura, roughly 2 kilometers north of Ruwanwelisaya along the outer circular road (Watawandana Road / Sanghamitta Mawatha) and 4.5 kilometers northwest of Anuradhapura Railway Station. Tuk-tuks and bicycles from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi or Jetavanaramaya reach the southern gate of the Abhayagiri Stupa in 5 to 10 minutes.
- Coordinates
- 8.3709, 80.3953
Because the Abhayagiri monastic complex covers more than 200 hectares of woodland, renting a bicycle or hiring a tuk-tuk is the best way to visit all its scattered masterpieces: the Abhayagiri Stupa (and the adjacent Abhayagiri Museum), the Ratnaprasada ordination hall, the Samadhi Buddha statue, the two Mahasen Palace moonstones, the Eth Pokuna elephant pond, and the Kuttam Pokuna Twin Ponds. Modest clothing covering shoulders and knees is required throughout the sacred zone, and shoes and hats must be removed before stepping onto the granite terrace of the Abhayagiri Stupa and the enclosure of the Samadhi Buddha.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Abhayagiri Vihara
Master Ưng Khiêm welcomes the community to enrich this page: a photograph taken on site, a historical detail not yet noted, or a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first.
?Quick Questions
Who founded Abhayagiri Vihara, and what is the origin of its name?
Abhayagiri Vihara was founded in 89 BCE by King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya) after he regained the throne of Anuradhapura following fourteen years in exile, and was gifted to his loyal monastic supporter Elder Kupikkala Mahatissa Thera. The name Abhayagiri combines the king's name (Abhaya) with the name of the Jain ascetic Giri whose hermitage previously stood on the site.
Why is Abhayagiri Vihara historically important to East Asian and Vietnamese Buddhism?
At its height, Abhayagiri was an international Buddhist university of 5,000 monks studying Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana teachings. The Chinese pilgrim Faxian studied here for two years (410 to 412 CE), and in 429 and 433 CE delegations of Sri Lankan nuns led by Bhikkhuni Devasara sailed from Anuradhapura to Nanjing to confer the first dual-Sangha Bhikkhuni ordination in China, establishing the nuns' lineage preserved today in Vietnam and East Asia.
What makes the Samadhi Buddha statue at Abhayagiri Vihara world-famous?
Carved from dolomitic marble in the 4th or 5th century CE, the 2.21-meter Samadhi Buddha portrays Sakyamuni Buddha seated in the half-lotus posture with hands resting in the Dhyana Mudra of deep meditation. Its serene facial expression and geometric poise are celebrated worldwide as a supreme masterpiece of contemplative art.
How did the hydraulic system of the Kuttam Pokuna (Twin Ponds) work?
Built between the 6th and 8th centuries CE as bathing pools for the monastery's monks, the Kuttam Pokuna consist of two stepped granite basins (40 meters and 28 meters long) aligned north-south. Water was channeled underground into a stone filtration chamber to trap silt before flowing through a carved five-hooded Naga spout into the smaller pool, overflowing into the larger pool, and draining through subterranean conduits.
Where are the finest moonstones and guardstone in Sri Lanka located?
Both are preserved within the grounds of Abhayagiri Vihara: the two finest semicircular moonstones (Sandakada Pahana) in Sri Lanka lie at the entrance steps of the Mahasen Pavilion complex near the Samadhi Buddha, while the island's most exquisite seven-hooded Nagaraja guardstone (Muragala) stands at the Ratnaprasada ordination hall.