Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai
An ancient stupa on a forested hill north of Trincomalee, believed by many to be the very first stupa in Sri Lanka, built by two merchant brothers who met the Buddha.
In the small hamlet of Thiriyai, about 45 km north of Trincomalee along the coastal road toward Pulmoddai, a stupa sits atop a rocky hill claiming a genuinely extraordinary distinction, tradition holds it to be the very first Buddhist stupa ever built anywhere in the world. According to the 13th century Sinhalese text Pujavaliya, two seafaring merchant brothers, Tapassu and Bhalluka, offered the Buddha his first meal following his enlightenment and received hair relics from him in gratitude, later placing the sacred relic casket atop this rock during their travels, only to find it mysteriously embedded in the stone when they returned, unable to move it. Taking this as a sign, they covered the casket with a mound of stones and built a small vehera to enshrine it, said to have been completed just 75 days after the Buddha's own enlightenment.
Whatever the truth behind the legend, a genuine 8th century Sanskrit rock inscription found near the site, containing eleven stanzas of devotional verse to Girihandu Seya, stands as solid archaeological evidence of the temple's real antiquity, naming the merchant guilds as Trapassuka and Vallika and crediting King Girikandisiva and later King Aggabodhi VI with constructing the circular vatadage that still crowns the summit today. That vatadage, a stone temple encircling the stupa with concentric rings of pillars, ranks among the best preserved examples of its kind anywhere in Sri Lanka, its outer wall even better preserved than the far more famous vatadage at Polonnaruwa despite being some 400 years older.
Below the summit, the jungle has slowly reclaimed scattered ruins of an old monastery, stone pillars, ponds, flights of steps and the remains of an ancient stone bridge, evidence of a once substantial religious complex that suffered damage during the 13th century Kalinga Magha invasion before later renovation under King Vijayabahu. Genuinely quiet, rarely crowded, and set on a hill that rewards the climb with sweeping coastal views, Girihandu Seya offers travelers willing to make the trip north a rare, contemplative encounter with what may be Buddhism's oldest surviving monument anywhere on earth.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Free, donation welcomed
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours
- Best time: Morning, before the heat
Getting there
At Thiriyai, about 45km north of Trincomalee.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai?
- Free, donation welcomed.
- What are the opening hours at Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai?
- Daylight hours.
- How long should I spend at Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai?
- Plan for 1 to 1.5 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai?
- Morning, before the heat.
- How do I get to Girihandu Seya | Thiriyai?
- At Thiriyai, about 45km north of Trincomalee.