Abhayagiri Monastery

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The monastery was founded in 88 BC by King Valagamba (Vattagamani Abhaya) of Anuradhapura, in fulfillment of a vow that he had made to regain his throne when his country was invaded by the Tamils. It is a magical spot, and the visitor is sure to be enchanted while wandering through the park-like forest with its attractively rebuilt foundations (the wooden superstructures have long since decayed).

Abhayagiri is the earliest heterodox Buddhist monastery in Sri Lanka; its doctrines included various Mahayana and esoteric concepts that were regarded as non-orthodox, and even heretical, by its Theravada rivals.