The mirisawatiya

King Duttha Gamini celebrated the seventh day after his victory with a water festival at the Tissa tank. Nearby on the shore he planted his spear (the King’s spear, generally containing a Relic of the Buddha, was the royal standard in battle) and laid his clothes.

Here he built his first Dagaba, enshrining in it his spear with its Relic—in expiation, as he himself explained, of his impiety in having once eaten a relish (miris) “without a thought of the Brotherhood”. The Vahalkadas (frontispieces) are particularly striking.

Major archaeological research, conservation and excavations are being conducted in Anuradhapura by the Archaeological Department and UNESCO in a project known as the ‘Cultural Triangle’.