Maliyadeva

Maliyadeva was a monk who is said to have lived in Sri Lanka during the 2nd century BCE and to have attained nirvana.[1]

According to the Mahavamsa, part of Theravādin tradition, Maliyadeva was the last well-known arhat who had high psychic powers ( Abigngnalabhi: in Sinhala:අභිඥ්ඥාලාභී අරහතුන් වහන්සේ ) in Sri Lanka[2] and Buddhism in Sri Lanka declined after this period. A legend says he brought four Buddha statues from India to Sri Lanka.[3]

His meditation chamber may be seen at Arankale[4][5] and his dwelling place at Guharamaya.[6]

See also

References
  1. Gombrich, Richard; Bond, George D. (October–December 1989). "Review: The Buddhist Revival in Sri Lanka: Religious Tradition, Reinterpretation and Response by George D. Bond". Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 109 (4): 661–664. doi:10.2307/604094. JSTOR 604094.
  2. Richard, Gombrich (1993). "How open is the future?". In Howe, Leo; Wain, Alan (eds.). Predicting the Future: the Darwin College lectures. Cambridge University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-521-41323-7.
  3. Seneviratna, Anuradha; Benjamin Polk (1992). Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines. Abhinav Publications. p. 96. ISBN 978-81-7017-281-9.
  4. The Arankale monastery
  5. Pathiravitana, S (21 May 2005). "Arahat Maliyadeva's cave". Upali Group of Companies. The Island. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. Guharamaya: a cave of stone age man


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