5. The Complete Emancipation of the Elders

In the final years of King Devānaṃpiyatissa, Saṅghamittā Therī and Mahinda Thera continued their work in Laṅkā until their passing. Mahinda Thera entered Parinibbāna in his eightieth year, followed a year later by Saṅghamittā Therī at age seventy-nine. King Uttiya honored them with magnificent state funerals, building thūpas over their remains to commemorate their roles in establishing the Buddha’s Dispensation and the Bhikkhunī order on the island.