Un̆duvap Full Moon (Pōya) Day & Saṅghamittā Day

Sri Lankan Buddhists celebrate the Un̆duvap Full Moon Day in December as the day of arrival of Theri Saṅghamittā in Laṅkā with a sapling of the Śrī Mahābodhi in the third century BCE. Theri Saṅghamittā’s visit also marked the beginning of the female order of the saṅgha in Laṅkā. Over centuries, the Śrī Mahābodhi has become a tree of historical records unparalleled in world history. Anurādhapura, the capital of ancient Laṅkā until 993 CE flourishing for 1,300 years, became the site for well-known eight pilgrimage sites. Rediscovered by the British colonial archaeological expeditions, UNESCO recognized Anurādhapura as World Heritage Site in 1982