Tantirimale a sacred area on Poson Poya day

The Tantirimale area with its Rajamahavihara will be declared a sacred area on Poson poya day. All arrangements for this event have been drawn up by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena according to the Viharadhipathi Ven. Tantirimale Chandarathana Thera.

Tantirimale is located about 36 kms from Anuradhapura and is a place full of archaeological interest and historic value. It is chronicled that the delegation that brought the sacred Bo tree to Anuradhapura had settled for the night in the rocky plain found here.

With the decline of the Anuradhapura era the region went to ruin till around 1960 when the area was cleared for resettlement in the region. This resettlement was the brain child of the late Ven. Vimalagnana Thera who pioneered the construction of the Tantirimale Rajamahavihara. In an area that covers some 200 acres, we find the Maha Seya, the Ashtavila Bodhiya, the Vihara Mandiraya and other pre-historic items of cultural value. According to the Viharadhipathi the region did not gain prominence till it was brought to the notice of Minister Gunawardena.

Come Poson, the area will be declared sacred with a stone laying ceremony to erect a sanghavasa taking place on the same day.

The minister is scheduled to declare open the museum too on the same day. The Wijeya Group of Newspapers will light up Tantirimale’s sacred city area on June 30 and July 1 under the Lankadeepa Poson pooja programme.