First Santuary in the World - Mihintale Wild Life Santuary Sri Lanka

There are thousands of wildlife reserve/sanctuaries in the present day earth to save special species and nature. It is one of the greatest initiatives of human civilization towards protecting the nature. But this is not an effort from the modern day mankind, but started around 2,500 years ago in the small island of Sri Lanka, Asia.

Mihintale, situated 13 km east of the ruins of the great city, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 247 BC by king Devanampiya Tissa. One day king Devanampiya Tissa was hunting deer in Mihintale which was sighted by India’s emperor Ashoka’s son Arahath Mahinda. Mahinda was a Buddhist missionary monk and he stopped the king in the track and preached to him that all mammals, birds and other creatures enjoy an equal right to live in this land, wherever they may want. The land belongs to all the people and animals. The king is only the ruler and not the owner of this land. The monk’s words really impressed the king and he not only took Budhdhism as his religion also renounced the pleasure of animal hunting.  Mahinda also advised King Devanampiya Tissa to designate Mihintale and the surrounding jungle areas as a sanctuary for wildlife. This is how the first wildlife sanctuary in earth got established.

Mihintale is still a wildife sanctuary under Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation with history over two thousand years old. Apart from the wildlife sanctuary, King Devanampiya Tissa also built the first Buddhist temple of Sri Lanka in Mihintale. He also built a Vihar and 68 caves for the monks to reside in. At the foot hill of Mihintale, there are still ruins of ancient hospitals, medical baths. It is also believed to be one of the oldest hospitals in the world.

However, legal protection for this sanctuary was granted only on May 27, 1938. It’s on this day that the Anuradhapura Wildlife Sanctuary and Mihintale Sanctuary was gazette by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The Anuradhapura sanctuary comprises 3,500.7 hectares or 8,750 acres. The Mahamevna Uyana, the sacred city, Atamasthana and Western part of Isurumuniya all came within this compound.

However, today, this area has been urbanised and many buildings have come up within the premises. Even the Mahamevna Uyana, where a few trees are still left, is also facing many threats.

The environmental pollution caused to this area, especially during the Poson season, is enormous. The Mahamevna Uyana, which consists of many trees such as palu, weera, mara and esathu bo, is today the kingdom of cattle and monkeys. Its conservation cannot be carried out only by the Wildlife Conservation Department or the Forest Department. A special task force with government backing is necessary in this regard.

The Mihintale Sanctuary is also a part of the area demarcated as the first sanctuary during the third century BC. It comprises 999.6 hectares or 2,500 acres. All the mountains and hills of Mihintale, the Kaludiya Pokuna, Mihindu Guhava, Ambasthala area and the Amba Vanaya, which belong to the Forest Department, come within this sanctuary.

The biodiversity of this area is high, according to a study conducted by Wildlife Conservation Department.

It comprises trees such as palu, weera, burutha(teak), ebony and milla and mammals such as elephants, deer, sambhur and bears. Although the area is legally protected, due to various reasons, such protective measures are not properly enforced. There aren’t even boards designating these two areas as the first sanctuary.

The protection granted today to the Anuradhapura and Mihintale sanctuaries is very low. Within these areas, unauthorized constructions and illegal land grabbing are very high. Hunting of deer and sambhur is especially high in the Mihintale sanctuary, say residents.