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| A water reservoir. |
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| A sapling from the Sacred Bo Tree at Anuradhapura. |
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| Stairways cut in granite. |
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| A view of the statue of Lord Buddha. |
'Thantrimale' has a recorded history of more than two thousand years. This word can be broken into two separate words - 'Thanthri ' meaning a war Lord ( compare 'Manthri meaning a civilian administrator) and 'Malai' meaning a mountain.
1. It was the place where the procession carrying the branch of the Sacred Bo Tree from Gaya, India, brought by the Ven.Theri Sangamitta, in the Second Century BC, had a nights rest, before proceeding to Anuradhapura to its present site.
2. It was the place where Prince Saliya, the son of King Dutugemunu, found refuge after he married Asoka Mala, the beauty from a lower caste, against the wishes of his father. The Monk here is said to have acted as a peace maker between Prince Saliya and his angry father the King.
3. The artisans, who worked the statues in stone found here of Lord Buddha, fled during foreign invasions. They settled down in various parts of the Island like Polonnoruwa, Aukana, and Maligawila. Their descendants inherited their craftsmanship in stone and subsequently created the masterpieces that we see and admire today.
