Poson Poya festival in Sri Lanka

12 Jun 2025

Why in the News?

Sri Lanka is celebrating Poson Poya festival which commemorates the arrival of Buddhism over 2,000 years ago.

Overview: Poson Poya is the second most important Buddhist festival in Sri Lanka, following Vesak in religious significance.
Date of Observance: It is celebrated on the full moon day of June, which corresponds to the seventh month of the Sinhalese calendar.
Historical Commemoration: The festival marks the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka in 236 BCE, when Arahat Mahinda, son of Emperor Ashoka, met King Devanampiyatissa at Mihintale.
Key Locations: Celebrations are held across the island, with the most sacred observances taking place at Mihintale and Anuradhapura.
Ritual Activities: Devotees engage in temple visits, meditation, offerings, and acts of charity (Dana) as part of spiritual practice.
Cultural Expressions: Communities organize free food stalls (Dansalas), decorate homes and streets with lanterns, and display illuminated panels of Buddhist stories.

Following the Third Buddhist Council (held in 250 BC in Pataliputra) during Ashoka’s reign, it was decided to send missionaries to various regions, including Sri Lanka, to spread Buddhism.
The mission to Sri Lanka was led by Mahinda (Mahendra), Ashoka’s son, who converted King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura to Buddhism.
After several royal ladies expressed interest in joining the Buddhist monastic order, Mahinda sent for his sister, Sanghamitra, to initiate them.
- Both siblings lived in Anuradhapura for the rest of their lives.
She played a pivotal role in establishing the Order of Nuns (Bhikkhuni Sangha or Meheini Sasna) in Sri Lanka, which later spread to other Theravada Buddhist countries like Burma, China, and Thailand.

[UPSC 2024] Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on:

Options: (a) Prajnaparamita Sutra (b) Visuddhimagga (c) Sarvastivada Vinaya * (d) Lalitavistra

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