Thanthirimale

  

Thanthirimale (also spelled as Tantirimale) is an old village in the Anuradhapura District of Sri Lanka. It is located approximately 40 km north west of the Anuradhapura city. The village is known for the ancient Buddhist temple Thanthirimale Raja Maha Vihara, situated in a nearby rock covered area.

The temple and the junction appears to be most important centre in the village. This temple, which was built in the third century BC has a historical value. When the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi was brought from India to Sri Lanka, one night along the way to Anuradhapura, the pot containing the sapling was kept at Thanthirimale. It is believed that there was one branch separately grew from the pot, was planted at that village to remember the incident. Hence, some believe that this may be the first Sri Maha Bhodi plant in Sri Lanka. The Bo Tree is placed on top of large stony layer which may protect the tree up to now.

This place was unidentified till the beginning of the 19th century, and in the 1960s the temple was reestablished by Buddhist monks. The temple and surrounding area are full of ruins, including two stone statues and several stone ponds. There is an archaeological museum at Thanthirimale.

About Anuradhapura District

Anuradhapura is belongs to the North Central Province in to Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization. The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka.

In the sacred city of Anuradhapura and in the vicinity are a large number of ruins. The ruins consist of three classes of buildings, dagobas, monastic buildings, and pokuna (ponds). The city had some of the most complex irrigation systems of the ancient world, situated in the dry zone of the country the administration built many tanks to irrigate the land. Most of the civilians are Sinhala, while Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors live in the district.