Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c6.8

c6.8

Buddhism introduced Vijaya and his successors were of the Brahman faith, and it was not till 307 B.C. that Buddhism was established in Ceylon as the result of the preaching of Aśoka’s son‡ Mahinda, and later, of his daughter, Saṅghamittā. The King at that time, Dēvānam Piyatissa, the most renowned of the Buddhist kings of Ceylon [307-267 B.C.] was Mahinda’s first convert. Far reaching and many sided were the results of this conversion. A period of immense religious fervour and artistic activity followed. In 288 B.C. Saṅghamittā landed in Ceylon with a branch of the sacred Bō tree beneath which the Buddha had attained enlightenment. We are told that she brought with her eighteen personages of the royal blood, eighteen members of noble families, eight of the Brahman and eight of the seṭṭhi (trading) caste; and eight each of the herdsman, goldsmith and ‘kāliṅga’ castes, as well as of weavers and potters. The branch was planted with great ceremony in the Mahāmēgha garden at