• Mahātittha

1. Mahātittha. A brahmin village in Magadha, the birthplace of Mahā-Kassapa. ThagA.ii.141; AA.i.99; SA.ii.143.

2. Mahātittha. The name of Mahāmeghavana in the time of Kakusandha Buddha. It was presented to the Buddha by king Abhaya, who planted in it a branch of the Bodhi tree brought by Rucānandā. Mhv.xv. 58, 73f., 83.

A landing place on the west coast of Ceylon. The wives brought from Madhurā for Vijaya and his companions landed there, hence the name (Mhv.vii.58; see Mhv.Trs.60, n.1). There landed also in later times Bhalluka, from South India (Mhv.Xxv.79), the Tamils and others who invaded Ceylon (Mhv.Xxxiii.39; Cv.lviii.14; Cv.xi.37; Cv.lxxxviii.63). It was probably the chief port f or vessels plying between South India and Ceylon. Thus, it was from there that Sakkasenāpati embarked for the Pandu country (Cv.lii.73), and there that the Pandu king landed from Cola (Cv.liii.5). The expeditionary force of Vijayabāhu I. embarked there for Cola (Cv.lx.34), as did the forces of Parakkamabāhu I. under Lankāpura (Cv.lxxvi.83).

It was a convenient place for preparations to be made before advancing on the capital, or merely journeying thither (thus Cv.lxviii.81; Cv.li.28). It was a place of strategic importance, and when Māgha and Jayabāhu invaded Ceylon, they set up fortifications there. Cv.lxxxiii.16.