Abhayagiri Temple (Sri Lanka)
The Abhayagiri Temple is an institution in Anuradhapura in today's Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and was built by King Vattagamani Abhaya in the early 1st century BC , according to tradition, as thanks for the support in a serious domestic political crisis by the monk Mahatissa . . Chr founded. Mahatissa was a representative of Mahayana Buddhism, in this cult the religious worship of statues and an extensive cult of relics had gained considerably in importance. Therefore Mahatissa had been expelled from the monastic order of Maha Vihatissa - to which he originally belonged. The temple enjoyed royal protection and thus became an attraction for followers of Mahatissa. An Indian monk by the name of Dhammarucci was appointed abbot of the new monastery, which in the first few years quickly numbered over 500 monks and in its heyday, in the 3rd century AD, was populated with up to 5,000 monks, who preferred scientific monks Studies, art and philosophy were concerned. The monastery existed until the last days in the village of Anuradhapura. Already under King Gajabahu (114-136) the stupa of the temple was built, which reaches the enormous height of 84 meters. In the 5th century , the Chinese monk Faxian visited the complex and described a standing Buddha statue made of jade six meters high.
literature
- Jochen Siemens: Really traveling “Sri Lanka” . Ed .: Dumont. Dumont, Ostfildern 1985, ISBN 3-7701-1596-1 , pp. 90 .
- Charles Higham : Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations . New York: Facts on Files 2004. ISBN 0-8160-4640-9 .
Web links
Coordinates: 8 ° 22 ′ 15.4 " N , 80 ° 23 ′ 42.9" E