Maliyadeva was a monk who is said to have lived in
Sri Lanka during the 2nd century BCE and to have attained
nirvana.[1]
According to the
Mahavamsa, part of
Theravādin tradition, Maliyadeva was the last well-known
arhat who had high psychic powers ( Abigngnalabhi:
in Sinhala:අභිඥ්ඥාලාභී අරහතුන් වහන්සේ ) in Sri Lanka[2] and
Buddhism in Sri Lanka declined after this period. A legend says he brought four Buddha statues from India to Sri Lanka.[3]
His meditation chamber may be seen at
Arankale[4][5]
and his dwelling place at Guharamaya.[6] According to folklore, Arahant Maliyadeva is said to have lived in Ravanagoda, Kotmale.
^Gombrich, Richard; Bond, George D. (October–December 1989). "Review: The Buddhist Revival in Sri Lanka: Religious Tradition, Reinterpretation and Response by George D. Bond". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 109 (4). American Oriental Society: 661–664.
doi:
10.2307/604094.
JSTOR604094.
^Richard, Gombrich (1993). "How open is the future?". In Howe, Leo; Wain, Alan (eds.). Predicting the Future: the Darwin College lectures. Cambridge University Press. p. 160.
ISBN978-0-521-41323-7.
^Seneviratna, Anuradha; Benjamin Polk (1992). Buddhist Monastic Architecture in Sri Lanka: The Woodland Shrines. Abhinav Publications. p. 96.
ISBN978-81-7017-281-9.