Use the links above to see more photos.

The previous page contains a dialogue between King Devanampiyatissa and Arahat Mahinda. A riddle of sorts. According to Sri Lankan lore, it took place in the year 247 BC. The King was hunting deer on a mountain top when he met Mahinda, the son of the great Indian Buddhist emperor, Ashoka. The riddle was a test to see if the king was clever enough to become a disciple. Sri Lankans mark this encounter as the beginning of Buddhism on the island.