Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple
A seaside temple marking the ancient port where the nun Sangamitta is said to have landed with the sacred Bodhi sapling, with a serene shrine looking out over the northern sea.
At an ancient port on Jaffna's northern coast, overlooking the Palk Strait, one of the most consequential moments in Sri Lankan Buddhist history is said to have taken place over 2,300 years ago. Following Arahant Mahinda's arrival on the island in 250 BCE bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka for the first time, his sister Theri Sanghamitta, daughter of the great Indian emperor Ashoka, landed at this very port roughly a year later, carrying with her a sacred sapling taken from the original Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment in India.
King Devanampiya Tissa personally traveled to the port to receive her, and built the Samudda-panasala, also known as Jambukola Viharaya, to commemorate the sapling's arrival, later planting one of the tree's first eight shoots at this same location before carrying the primary sapling onward to Anuradhapura, where it grew into the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, today recognized as the oldest human planted tree anywhere in the world with a confirmed planting date. King Vijayabahu I later restored the site in the 11th century, though centuries of conflict and neglect eventually reduced the original vihara, its ancient Buddha footprint stone and vatadage among the losses, to little more than scattered ruins.
The Sri Lanka Navy undertook significant reconstruction of the site in more recent years, rebuilding a stupa in a widely noted 65 day construction effort and planting a new Bo tree in 1998, sourced as a sapling from the same lineage that traces back to Sanghamitta's original gift. Today's Sri Sangamitta Viharaya stands on this same historic coastline, a modern temple built atop genuinely ancient ground, commemorating the exact spot where Buddhism's most sacred living relic first touched Sri Lankan soil.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Free, donation welcomed
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes
- Best time: Late afternoon
Getting there
On the north coast near Keerimalai, about 16km from Jaffna.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple?
- Free, donation welcomed.
- What are the opening hours at Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple?
- Daylight hours.
- How long should I spend at Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple?
- Plan for 30 to 45 minutes.
- When is the best time to visit Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple?
- Late afternoon.
- How do I get to Dambakolapatuna Sri Sangamiththa Buddhist Temple?
- On the north coast near Keerimalai, about 16km from Jaffna.