Binara Poya falls on the full moon day of September

Full moon day of the sixth month in Sri Lankan calendar, known as Binara Pura Pasalosvaka Poya. It generally falls in September in the Western calendar. On Binara Poya day, Sri Lankan Buddhists celebrate the establishment of the Bhikkhuni Sāsana or the female Buddhist monastic order. The first Bhikkhuni was Mahāprajāpatī Gotamī, who was the sister of Queen Mahāmāyā, the mother of the Buddha. After the Buddha’s birth, the queen passed away a week later, and the infant was cared for by Mahāprajāpatī Gotamī, who later married King Suddhodana, and became his stepmother. During the month of Binara, the rainy season (wet season) continues, so nuns remain in their monasteries engaged in meditation. A prominent event on Binara Poya is the procession held in Mahiyangana. The indigenous people of Sri Lanka are part of this procession and present their own dance to commemorate the Poya. The Mahiyangana Stupa was constructed to mark the site of the Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka.