Located 11 km East of the sacred city of Anuradhapura is referred by many as the “cradle of Buddhism” in Sri Lanka, as this is the very place where nearly 2,350 years ago, the great disciple of Lord Buddha, Arahath Mahinda Thero preached the Buddhist doctrine to the King “Dewanampiyatissa” of Sri Lanka. From then on the “mountain of Mahinda” is identified throughout the ages as a great monastic city for Buddhism. A flight of stairs consisting of 1840 steps will carry you to the summit of this sacred mountain with a breath taking site of the surrounding area on offer once on top. After the king embraced Buddhism, he declared the area where the saga took place a sanctuary, the first such historically recorded site in the world. The area is dotted with many ruins and caves which archaeologists believe were used to house the priests.