Dambakola Patuna, also called Jambukola or Sambilithurai, is a quiet stretch of north-coast shoreline about 20 km from Jaffna where one of Buddhism's defining moments in Sri Lanka unfolded. Here, in the third century BCE, Sangamitta Theri — daughter of Emperor Ashoka — landed with a sapling of the sacred Bodhi tree, a year after her brother Mahinda brought Buddhism to the island.
King Devanampiya Tissa received the sapling, later planted at Anuradhapura as the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, and built the Samudda-pannasala temple at the port; one of the Bodhi tree's first shoots was planted here as well. The ancient remains have vanished, but a modern temple — the Sri Sangamitta Viharaya, built and maintained by the Sri Lanka Navy — now marks the spot beside a calm beach.
Good to know
- Pairs naturally with Keerimalai and the KKS coast on a northern loop
- The beach beside the temple is calm and good for a quiet pause
- A place of pilgrimage — keep beachwear for the beach, not the shrine
- Little shade; mornings are most comfortable