Polonnaruwa - Sri Lanka

Polonnaruwa – Sri Lanka: 

Polonnaruwa – Sri Lanka The history of early Sri Lanka was very carefully recorded and written down by monks. The Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle) records the earlier period of the Sri Lankan history, and Chulavamsa (lesser Chronicle), gives an accurate picture of the 'Polonnaruwa' period. In 1070 AD the Sinhala King Vijayabahu I liberated the country by defeating the Cholas, and kept Polonnaruwa as his capital. Vijayabahu succeeded in repairing much of the irrigation system in the island, encouraged trade and brought some prosperity back to the country. King Parakramabahu I (1153-86) raised Polonnaruwa to its heights. He erected huge buildings, drained swamps and planted vast areas with crops, planned beautiful parks, created wildlife sanctuaries, restored earlier monuments & even undertook military expeditions against Burma and India. However his crowning achievements were the creation of the 2400 hectare tank (about 15 Km2), so large it was named the Parakrama Samudra (Sea of Parakrama); and the unification of the three orders of monks, the Maha vihara, Jetavana and Abhayagiri into one Sangha or 'Supreme Order of Monks'. The greatness of his achievement was to ensure the survival of Buddhism in the dark centuries ahead. Parakramabahu was the last great king of Sri Lanka.

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Contents Parakrama Samudura (Lake) Palace & the Council Chamber of Parakramabahu Statue of King Parakramabahu the great Nissankamalla Palace Potgul Vihara The Quadrangle Rankoth Vihara Lankathilaka Lotus Pond Tivanka – Patamaghara Gal Vihara (The rock shrine) Somawathi Chaithyaya

1. Parakrama Samudura (Lake): 

1. Parakrama Samudura (Lake) Lake Parakrama forms one of the larger reservoirs of an ancient, intricate and sophisticated water storage system for the irrigation of rice fields in Sri Lanka, during the twelfth century A. D. It is situated in Pollonaruwa and in a densely populated area. Judging from the extensive ruins of a magnificent civilization, Parakrama Samudra is the crowning glory of Parakramabahu’s reign, with a storage area of more than 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) for the irrigation of 18,000 acres (7,300 hectares). Sri Lankan history reveals that King Parakramabahu had made an immense contribution towards the agricultural industry in the country. He constructed 165 dams, 2736 canals and 3910 small scale constructions. Parakrama Samudura was his greatest ever contribution to the people of Sri Lanka. King Parakramabahu's famous quote on water conservation and utilisation "Do not release even a drop of rain water to the sea without using it ". The objective was to make the country self-sufficient in rice and also created the island as the granary of the East. The country was then called the 'Rice bowl of Asia'

2. Palace & the Council Chamber of Parakramabahu: 

2. Palace & the Council Chamber of Parakramabahu In the center of the complex are the ruins of the Royal Palace, built by King Parakramabahu the great (1164-1196 AD). It was a massive wood and stone structure seven storey in height, with a floor plan of 31m by13m (100ft by 43ft).The upper floors were of wood, and only the massive, 3m (10ft) thick lower walls survive. Entering the palace from the south you come to a great hall which was probably an audience hall. Its roof was held up by wooden columns, the socket for which can be seen in their stone base. The central room is supported on massively thick walls, in which recess show where the beam support the next storey. The palace was designed so that large wooden pillars provided a strong load-bearing framework to the ground floor. These pillars were surrounded by brickwork which was sometimes moulded, and the walls were finally plastered and painted. Within walking distance from the King Parakramabahu's palace, is his Council Chamber and Audience Hall. The wooden roof is long gone, but we can still see its elegantly carved pillars under which the great king used to seat and hold council. At the entrance are two flights of steps with moonstones - note that unlike the moonstone of Anuradhapura, those in Polonnaruwa do not represent the bull, out of respect for Hindus. Franking them are makaras , mythical dragon-like beasts, giving it an appearance resembling a Maya or Aztec pyramid. The acoustic of the council chamber is said to be so good that the king can hear his ministers even those standing at the far end of the chamber.

3. Statue of King Parakramabahu the great : 

3. Statue of King Parakramabahu the great

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4. Nissankamalla Palace Standing close to the shore of the great man-made lake, the ruins of the palace of King Parakramabahu the great's successor, King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 AD), are less well preserved than those of the Royal Palace, but are attractively located. This palace group includes a royal bathing pool just south of the palace, and the King's Council Chamber, where the names of the king's ministers can be seen carved into the pillars which supported the chamber roof.

5. Potgul Vihara: 

5. Potgul Vihara Potgul Vihara Monastery is a unique monastery. It is believed, that this was built by King Parakramabahu, as mentioned in the chronicle, " for listening to the birth stories of the Great Sage, which were related by a teacher" . Today, if you enter the round room, which is plastered, the acoustics are still excellent, even though the roof has collapsed

6. The Quadrangle: 

6. The Quadrangle The Quadrangle stands within its own rectangle of walls, guarding the richest collection of ancient buildings in any of Sri Lanka's ruined capitals. In the southeast corner of the Quadrangle stands the Vatadage (reliquary), a circular building some 18m (59ft) in diameter, with four entrances leading to a central dagoba (shrine) which houses four seated Buddha images. The Gal Pota (Stone Book), immediately east of the vatadage, is a colossal stone representation of an palm leaf book used to record Buddhist texts and royal genealogies. It measures nearly 9m long by 1.5m wide, and is from 40cm to 66cm thick. The inscription on it is the longest such stone inscription in Sri Lanka. West of the Vatadage is the Lata Mandapaya, a miniature dagoba encircled by stone columns topped with carved lotus buds, and surrounded by a carved stone trellis. Beyond this is the Atadage, the ruin of a tooth relic shrine built during the reign of Vijayabahu the 1st. Next to it is a cluster of small Hindu shrines Clockwise around this building, from the southwest corner of the Quadrangle, is the Thuparama, a fine example of the gedige style of temple architecture which flourished at Polonnaruwa, and the only one to survive with its roof still in place. West of the Vatadage is the Lata Mandapaya, a miniature dagoba encircled by stone columns topped with carved lotus buds, and surrounded by a carved stone trellis. Be Immediately north of the Vatadage is the Hatadage, another tooth reliquary building which was constructed in the reign of King Nissankamalla.

7. Rankoth Vihara: 

7. Rankoth Vihara By the entrance gate of the path that gives access to the dagaba we find a stone seat inscription of Nissankamalla recording that the king sat on the seat and witnessed the construction of the dagaba. This is the largest completed dagabe in Polonnaruwa. It was originally called Ruvanveli Dagaba. The dagaba stands on a large platform, the retaining wall of which is faced with brick and plastered. The upper part of parapet wall has mouldings, and water spouts have been set to drain the rain water from the platform. Around the dagoba there are numerous image houses interspersed with lower altars.

8. Lankathilaka: 

8. Lankathilaka Flights of steps leads to a massive brick building , with two gigantic columns marking its entrance. This is the great image house, the Lankatilaka, the ornament of Lanka, built by King Parakramabahu 1.The vast standing Buddha inside the shrine was originally about 41 ft with its base but sadly only its torso now stands. The chronical describes it as “a charming image-house of five storeys adorned with ornaments of flowers and creepers and with figures of gods and Brahmas and embellished with buildings, turrets, grottoes, apartments and halls”. This refers to the outside of the building, decorated with stucco figures and architectural models, and painted with the flowers and creepers that can be seen under the northern door and a projection on the north wall. The brick work of the building is of extraordinary variety, from the massive bricks which support the weight of the building to the tiny, delicately moulded bricks of the architectural details. The remains of the wall soar to a height of 55 ft ( 7 meters), but the vaulted dome above inner sanctum has collapsed. The building must have been immense, and even today it is the most impressive ruin of the ancient city.

9. Lotus Pond: 

9. Lotus Pond The lotus pond is a small stone bath of completely unique design. It is built in tiers, of eight petal led lotus flowers, which probably provide seating for the monks, while they were having their baths.

10. Tivanka – Patamaghara (Image house): 

10. Tivanka – Patamaghara (Image house)

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11. Gal Vihara (The rock shrine) Gal Vihara is a group of beautiful Buddha images that probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock carving. They are part of Parakramabahu's northern monastery. The Gal Vihara consists of four separate images, all cut from one long slab of granite. At one time each was enshrined within a separate enclosure. You can clearly see the sockets cut into the rock behind the standing image, into which wooden beams would have been inserted. The standing Buddha is 7m tall and is said to be the finest of the series. The unusual position of the arms and sorrowful facial expression led to the theory that it was an image of the Buddha's disciple Ananda, grieving for his master's departure for nirvana, since the reclining image is next to it. The fact that it had its own separate enclosure, and the later discovery of other images with the same arm position, has discredited this theory and it is now accepted that all the images are of the Buddha. The great reclining image of the Buddha entering nirvana is 14m long, and the beautiful grain of the stone of the image's face is the most impressive aspect of the Gal Vihara group for many people. Notice the subtle depression in the pillow under the head and the sun-wheel symbol on the pillow end. The other two images are both of the seated Buddha. The outskirt of Gal Vihara is inhabited by Rilawa (Temple Monkey) a reddish-brown coloured, “old World” monkey endemic to both Sri Lanka and southern tip of India .

12. Somawathi Chaithyaya: 

12. Somawathi Chaithyaya Somawathiya was built in 2 nd century BC and this stupa is said to enshrine the right tooth relic of Lord Buddha. According to chronicles, prince Giri-aba and princess Somawathi (sister of King Kavanthissa) lived on a small community called "Somapura" on the beds of Mahaveli River. King Kavantissa is the father of the warrior king Dutugamunu, who defeated the Tamil King Elara in battle. Prince Giriaba constructed Somawathi Chaithyaya on the request of his wife who wanted to engage in religious activities. Upon completion of the Stupa, the prince requested a monk named Mahinda for some "dathu" to be kept in the relic chamber of the stupa. Maha Thera Mahinda gave him the right tooth relic of Lord Buddha. Upon completion of the stupa and five viharas the prince and princess handed over the temple to Mahinda maha thero and sixty other monks. Thereafter many kings have contributed to this centre in many ways. The site was rediscovered in 1940's, and in '48 renovations were started by group of enthusiasts. In 1964 archaeologists started excavating the site. While excavating the main stupa, a smaller stupa at a depth of 5 feet 5 inches into the main stupa was found. It is believed this smaller stupa was the original Somawathi Chaithyaya build by prince Giriaba in the 2 nd century BC and the latter stupa build around the original was the work of King Kanittha Tissa in 164 AC.

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Archaeologists also found four moonstones and flower pedestals after excavating the earth for 5 ½ feet around the stupa. They also unearthed six 3 ½ feet long "siripa gal" (rocks carved with the bottom of the feet of Buddha). In addition to these many buildings has been unearthed including a wall surrounding the stupa. Nine stone inscriptions have been found around this site and the most popular is the four inscriptions found on the Eric Swan rock. This rock can be seen few metres away from the gravel road, about 100 metres before the main entrance to the temple. This rock got its name because a photographer called Eric Swan, who was killed by a wild elephant near this rock. Eric Swan who took a shot at the massive reclining Buddha statue carved into the rock, was killed by one of the wild elephants, who were disturbed by the sound of the gunshot. Elephants used to rub their backs on a nearby rock outcrop. Today Somawathi is popular for three main reasons. Somawathi holds one of the only two tooth relics of Lord Buddha existing in the world. The other tooth relic is kept at the "Dalada Maligawa" in Kandy. Incredible unnatural phenomena which has been accruing around the stupa .These have been witnessed by thousands of pilgrims The remoteness of the location. This site is located deep inside the jungle infested with elephants and other wild animals.

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LTTE Terrorist Attack on Somawathi in 1987 In 1987 a group of LTTE terrorists attacked this holy grounds hacking to death a Buddhist monk and seven civilians who were residing in a close by temple. Learning this news from a Muslim civilian the pilgrims and the monks in Somawathi went in to hiding in the jungle and after several days walked to a temple in a residential area. Few days after, on 15 th of December 1987, these terrorists came to the Somawathi and found it deserted. They took the "Chuda Manikya" (the large gem stone placed at the very top of the stupa) and the dug a hole of about 1 ½ feet deep in to the stupa in search of valuable relics. Then they marched in to a Sinhalese village nearby where a man called S. Dissanayake lived. He was the caretaker of the holy site since 1966. The (LTTE) terrorists hacked to death 10 civilians in this village including S. Dissanayake and his four children. On the same day the leader of this terror group died at the stupa by mistakenly firing his own weapon. For some strange reason they also didn’t take the "Chuda Manikya" which was later found by the archaeological department. After these brutal murders, this site was left unattended due to fear of further terrorist attacks and was in this state for the next 15 years. After the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE and the government, the gravel roads were reconstructed and open to the pilgrims in 2002.

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Unexplained phenomena on this holy ground When it was revealed that the Sacred Right Tooth Relic of Buddha was enshrined in the relic chamber of this stupa, Diyawadane Nilame (Appointed Guardian of the other existing tooth relic) of Dalada Maligawa (The holy temple of tooth). launched a search for the lost stupa. The misdirected intention of him was to secure the custody of the right tooth relic & to deposit it alongside the left tooth relic at Holy Temple of Tooth at Kandy. It is said that the guide lost his sight on the day the team reached the stupa. During the excavation cobras surfaced & a swarm of wasps attacked the team. While fleeing from the wasps the Guardian of The Holy Temple of Tooth was injured. He later died of the wound. The story rings a bell. Death of Howard Carter & others following the excavation of tomb of Tutankhamen. In recent times thousands of pilgrims have seen beams of lights originating from the stupa going towards the sky and colour of whole sky changing to a yellowish colour making all the white cloths worn by the pilgrims appearing yellow. One significant difference of these unusual occurrences in this site is that most of these happen on special ceremonial days where there are thousands of pilgrims at the site to witness these events. It is also said that the sounds of drum beats originating from the belly of the stupa can be heard on some days. These unexplained occurrences has made the Somawathi Chaithyaya even more mystic and holy to the Buddhists who flock to the site specially on Poya days.

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