Aloka
History


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A collection of articles on Buddhist history written by people from through out the world. They explain, question or present new views about Buddhist history.

Aloka History
Aloka History
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H1.01   The glittering history of Mihintale
H1.02   Buddhism in ancient Israel and Arabia
H1.03   A journey through cave temples
H1.04   Buddhism regained - Untiring efforts of Velivita Sri Saranankara
H1.05   The seat of enlightenment
H1.06   The great Tamil Buddhists
H1.07   Unfinished business at Tantrimale
H1.08   Bringing back the glory of Gandhara
H1.09   Tale of two cities from Buddhist Burma
H1.10   Unrolling precious scrolls

H1.11   Flag of faith flies high
H1.12   The birth of the Buddhist flag
H1.13   Buddha Gaya – then and now
H1.14   A visit to Buddhagaya
H1.15   Symbolism in Buddhism
H1.16   Sri Dalada Puja for Vesak Poya - A blessing
H1.17   Kesariya the tallest stupa
H1.18   The four sacred places a devout Buddhist should visit
H1.19   Senanigama at Buddha Gaya where Sujatha lived
H1.20  Senchi, forest retreat of king Vessantara

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H2.01   The mechanics of Buddhism
H2.02   Arahat Mahinda's gift to Sri Lanka
H2.03   Buddha’s visits to Sri Lanka
H2.04   Unduvap Pasalosvaka Poya
H2.05   Sri Maha Bodhi - a living link with the past
H2.06   The historic mission of Ven. Mahinda Thera 2307 years ago
H2.07   How the Vesak Poya was declared a holiday
H2.08   King Wessanthara and the cave he lived in exile
H2.09   From the Footprint of the Buddha
H2.10    The sacred Bo tree was no dwarf Bonsai

H2.11   Major events of Buddhism
H2.12   Bodhgaya to all humankind
H2.13   The existence of Buddhism before the arrival of Arhath Mahinda in Sri Lanka
H2.14   Ancient Buddhist links between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka
H2.15   Kusinara - the sacred site of Maha Parinibbana
H2.16   The interaction between Hellenistic Greece and Buddhism
H2.17   Theravada Buddhism - A Chronology
H2.18   Heritage forgotten: Gandhara civilization
H2.19   Buddhism's 'Dead Sea Scrolls' for sale to Norway
H2.20  In Afghanistan, 900-foot Sleeping Buddha eludes archaeologists

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H3.01   Restoration of Mahiyangana stupa begins
H3.02   Rankoth Vihara: The hallowed Buddhist Shrine of Panadura
H3.03   Historic Tantirimale Viharaya
H3.04   Pillar Edicts of King Asoka
H3.05   The most sacred symbol of Buddhists: Dhammacakka is not a cog-wheel
H3.06   The Compassion of Buddha
H3.07   Awakening a Sleeping Buddha: An Afghan archaeologist
H3.08   Buddhist relics unearthed in Taxila
H3.09   Phases of early Buddhism in South India and Sri Lanka
H3.10   The Kapilavasthu Buddha relics & Sir Alexander Cunningham

H3.11   History of Mihintalava
H3.12   Adam's Peak, the mountain of Sacred Footprint of Sri Lanka
H3.13   Sri Pada: Shrouded in legend and history
H3.14   Nalanda: The world's first university
H3.15   Abhayagiriya: The conservation of an archaeological edifice
H3.16   Tracing the origins of Rankoth Vihara
H3.17   The Buddha’s visit to Sri Lanka
H3.18   Buddha’s second visit to Sri Lanka
H3.19   Did the Buddha visit Sri Lanka? Point of view
H3.20  Buddha's visit to Nagadeepa: Historical records
H3.21   Buddha’s visits to Sri Lanka indisputable

H4.01   The presence of serenity, sanctity and beauty at Bodhgaya
H4.02   Buddhist heritage of Tamil Nadu and its links with Lanka
H4.03   The Karimun inscription of Karimun Island
H4.04   Memorable Journey of an Arahant
H4.05   The history of the Kapilavastupura Relics
H4.06   India rediscovered and the Buddhist Resurgence
H4.07   Portuguese arrival and Lanka’s colonisation
H4.08   The Rift between Theravada and Mahayana
H4.09   A Tale Of Three Buddhas
H4.10    Commemorating Zheng He, the greatest navigator

H4.11   Earliest 'shrine' uncovered at Buddha's birthplace
H4.12   Saga of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree
H4.13   Buddha's first visit to Lankadeepa
H4.14   The day a new civilization was born in Sri Lanka
H4.15   Ancient Buddha statue raises two fingers just like modern day anti-war sign
H4.16   The great betrayal of Theravada Buddhism?
H4.17   Thanthirimale Ancient temple in a valley of scenic beauty
H4.18   Comparison of the Mahindian and post Mahindian eras
H4.19   Maha Seya: The mightiest dagoba
H4.20  The miracle of Sankassa – fact or fable?

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H5.01   The hidden history of Buddhism in the West
H5.02   A long lost friend?
H5.03   Spreading the Buddha’s word
H5.04   A legacy both religious and cultural
H5.05   When the Tripitika was first written
H5.06   When the Tripitika was first written
H5.07   The city John Marshall wrote about
H5.08   On the History of Vesak
H5.09   Buddhist cartography, a lost tradition
H5.10   Deur Kothar, the earliest evidence of Buddhism

H5.11   Visiting the cradle of Buddhism
H5.12   When the message of Poson lights up Thanthirimale
H5.13   King Asoka’s Amazing Engineers
H5.14   The Lotus - Buddhism’s Favorate Flower
H5.15   The Sakyans and Kapilavatthu
H5.16   Sacred Relics: from Britain to then Ceylon
H5.17   The arrival of Anubudu Mihindu Himi or the Light of Lanka
H5.18   So close yet so far: The broken link between Odisha and Sri Lanka
H5.19   The dawn of Poson and the significance of Thanthirimale
H5.20   Sinhala Buddhagama - Dr. P. G. Punchihewa’s essay

Aloka history page 6

H6.01   Poson Brings 'Hope, the Only Thing Stronger than Fear'
H6.02   A road less travelled - Top 15 sites that one can visit
H6.03   Bharhut Stupa; Majesty and Mystery 
H6.04   How new finds are changing Buddhist history
H6.05   Did Buddha die of mesenteric infarction?
H6.06   A century-old tradition
H6.07   Origins of spiritual diplomacy?
H6.08   Buddhism spread wider, longer and more influential
H6.09   900-year-old Buddhist monastery discovered in India
H6.10   How the Buddha became a Christian saint

H6.11   Remnants of Tenth-Century Buddhist Monastery Found in India
H6.12   The Aftermath of Empire - Reappraisal and Reconciliation
H6.13   The Glorious Flourish of Buddhism in India
H6.14   Restoring Afghanistan’s Largest Stupa
H6.15   Was the Buddha Born in Sri Lanka?
H6.16   Cultural Relationship between Indonesia and Sri Lanka
H6.17   Arahath Mahinda and Ven. Buddhagosa
H6.18   Some reflections on Poson
H6.19   High level diplomacy before Buddhism came to Sri Lanka
H6.20  Saga of Poson and Arhant Maha Mahendra

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H7.01  The 12-year famine that nearly destroyed Buddhism
H7.02  The last days of Moggallana
H7.03  Sri Vajiraramaya I remember
H7.04  Some erudite Monks at Vajiraramaya
H7.05  Buddha Relics
H7.06  What Did the Buddha Look Like?
H7.07  How the Buddha Spoke
H7.08  Roots and routes of Buddhist diplomacy
H7.09  Kindness without borders
H7.10  Some reflections on the origins of Buddhism

H7.11  Archaeologists Unearth China’s Earliest Bronze Buddha Statues
H7.12  Kuragala - A Sacred Buddhist site with a resplendent history
H7.13  Arrival of the Treasured Tree
H7.14  The Sanghamitta Day
H7.15  Significance of Ill Poya: Arahant Sariputta’s last debt
H7.16  Most Incredible Buddhist Stupas in India
H7.17  The celestial allure of Nelligala Temple
H7.18  Worthy Ones of a Great Assembly
H7.19  Embekke Devalaya: Sublime edifice of wood carvings
H7.20  The Glory of Gadaladeniya & Lankathilaka Temples

H8.01   Vijayarama: the Ancient Monastery of Anuradhapura
H8.02   Pakistan holds conference on Buddhism
H8.03   The ancient historic monument at Kurundumale
H8.04   Diplomacy through Compassion
H8.05   The Ancient Glory of Abhayagiri Viharaya
H8.06   Isinbassagala - The Rock of Sages
H8.07   The Rise and Decline of Tamil Buddhism
H8.08   Some reflections on the temples of the South
H8.09   Some Thoughts on Kusinara
H8.10   Lumbini – Birth and Rebirth

H8.11   Where Mahakassapa – Waiting for Maitreya
H8.12   Kanheri caves: An ancient tale left untold
H8.13   Somawathiya the Buddhist Oasis of Polonnaruwa
H8.14   Spiritual Grandeur of Ruwanweli Maha Seya
H8.15   Remembering Pakistan’s Buddhist past
H8.16   Buddhists in Ancient Egypt?
H8.17   Blessed Odyssey
H8.18   Rediscovering Lumbini: Birth place of Prince Siduhath
H8.19   The Life of Gautama Buddha
H8.20   The Avukana Buddha – a masterpiece of Buddhist art

“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.”

Buddha

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