Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka at Mihintale in 247 B.C. King Devanampiyatissa of Sri Lanka, who was on a hunting expedition, became a disciple of Buddha after the Buddhist missionary Mahinda preached a sermon. He was followed by his queen, his ministers, officials and the people. Mihintale thus became historically and religiously significant, and ever since it annually attracts pilgrims during the June full moon to commemorate the official introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. To accommodate the lay and scholarly interest in Mihintale, both the sacred area and the town have undergone several phases of development, includ­ing a site museum. A rock inscription records the finest description of the running of a monastery in the 9th century A.D. It refers to the 200 or more serfs who assisted the religious congregation of 2,000. It also records the salaries paid to the physi­cian, the surgeons, the teachers, potters, cooks and other workers. The lay assistants were instructed to submit the list of expenditures once a week, a sum­mary of accounts at the end of each lunar month, and a balance sheet at the end of each year.

Refectory hall (left), stone inscriptions (above) and the relic chamber (below) at Mihintale where Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka by Prince Mahinda, the son of Indian Emperor Ashoka, in 247 B.C.