Mahinda (Buddhist monk)

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Arahat Mahinda
මිහිඳු මහ රහතන් වහන්සේ
An Arhat Mahinda Statue at a Monastery
Personal
Born	Prince Mahinda Maurya (Pali) 285 BC Ujjeni, Ashokan Period, India
Died	205 BC (aged c. 79  – 80) Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Cause of death	Senescence
Resting place	Sri Lanka
Religion	Buddhism
Nationality	Indian
Parent(s)	Ashoka (father) Devi (mother)
Sect	Theravada
Education	Buddhist religion
Known for	Establishing Theravāda Buddhism in Sri Lanka

Mahinda (Sinhala: මිහිඳු මහරහතන් වහන්සේ) (285 BCE – 205 BCE) was an Indian Buddhist monk depicted in Buddhist sources as bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka.^[1] He was a Mauryan prince and the first-born son of Emperor Ashoka from his first wife and Empress Devi, and the older brother of Princess Sanghamitra.

Mahinda was sent as a Buddhist missionary to the Anuradhapura Kingdom in Sri Lanka. Mahinda attained arhatship and resided at Mihintale. He played an important role in proliferating Buddhism throughout the Indian subcontinent.