Sanghamitra
Sanghamitra, d. 203 B.C. Buddhist nun and missionary. Daughter of, but according to some, the sister of, Emperor Asoka (d. 232 B.C.) she along with her brother, Mahendra, or Mahinda, led the mission sent by Asoka to Sri Lanka in about 250 B.C., on the invitation of King Tissa of Sri Lanka. She worked amongst Singhalese women, and through the untiring labours of both sister and brother, entire Sri Lanka was converted to Buddhism. She and her brother, both, died there. Sanghamitra (`Friend of the Sangha’) is only the title by which she is famous, and her real name is not known. She is also known as Ayupati, the name given to her when she became a nun before leading the mission.
