• Upāsikā Vihāra

A nunnery in Anurādhapura, built by Devānampiyatissa, for the accommodation of Anulā and her followers, pending the arrival of Sanghamittā (Mhv.Xviii.12). Later, Sanghamittā took up her residence there and it was enlarged by the addition of twelve buildings, three of which gained peculiar sanctity because in these were set up the mast, the rudder and the helm of the ship that had brought the Bodhi-tree to Ceylon, and these buildings were called, respectively, the Kupayatthithapita-ghara, the Piyathapita-ghara and the Arittathapita-ghara. Even when other sects arose, these twelve buildings were occupied by the Hatthālhaka (or orthodox) nuns. Mhv.Xix.68ff; the Tikā (p.408) says the houses were originally called Cūlaganā-gāra, Mahāganāgāra and Sirivaddhāgāra.