The Buddha, in the fifth year of his Supreme Enlightenment, returned to Sri Lanka on a Bak Pura Pasaloswaka Poya Day, his second visit to the island.
According to the Mahavamsa, an epic poem that relates the history of Sri Lanka, the Buddha visited Nagadipa as he wanted to put an end to the feud between two Naga communities and bring peace to the land.
King Mahodara and his nephew, Chulodara, both from the Naga tribe were quarrelling over a gem-studded throne, Manipalaga, which had been given to Chulodara’s mother by her father.
The Buddha intervened as the rivals were about to meet in battle. He managed to settle the dispute and created unity through preaching the Dhamma.
Having brought peace to the island, the warring kings offered the precious throne to the Buddha. After declining the gift, the throne was returned to the Naga Kings and was later enshrined in the Rajayathana stupa at Nagadeepa Rajamaha Viharaya, an ancient Buddhist temple built on the site where the events took place.
Nagadeepa: Second of Sixteen Sacred Places in Sri Lanka
The Supreme Buddha travelled from Jethawana to Nagadeepa in His fifth year of enlightenment in order to end the Naga tribe’s war on the April Thuduswaka Poya Day.
