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Upāsikā-vihāra

A nunnery in Anurādhapura, built by Devānampiyatissa, for the accommodation of Anulā and her followers, pending the arrival of Saṅghamittā (Mhv.xviii.12). Later, Saṅghamittā took up her residence there and it was enlarged by the addition of twelve buildings, three of which gained peculiar sanctity because in these were set up the mast, the rudder and the helm of the ship that had brought the Bodhi-tree to Sri Lanka, and these buildings were called, respectively, the Kupayatthithapita-ghara, the Piyathapita-ghara and the Arittathapita-ghara. Even when other sects arose, these twelve buildings were occupied by the Hatthālhaka (or orthodox) nuns. Mhv.xix.68 ff; the Ṭikā (p.408) says the houses were originally called Cūḷaganā-gāra, Mahāganāgāra and Sirivaddhāgāra.