Mihinthale the forest clad mountain, sacred to the Buddhist, where the great bhikshu (monk) Mahinda, preached the first sermon on Buddhism to the then King of Aunurhapura in the 3rd. century BC. Dedicated to this memorable event are shrines and monuments built on this sacred mountain - with a remarkable stairway leading up - made of 1840 granite slabs - arranged in four flights - now popularly known as 'the stairways to heaven'