KAMALIKA PIERIS
When it comes to identifying Buddhist monuments in the north and east, the work of Ellawela Medhananda deserves special recognition. The only bhikkhu who had explored the area successfully for this purpose was Ellawela Medhananda, said the Department of Archaeology research team of 2010. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSdj7YRjbDM)
Ellawela Medhananda single handedly, with very little support or money, explored the Buddhist ruins in the north and east from 2003 to 2013. He made many significant discoveries. His work deserves more attention and publicity than it has received. In order to correct this, I wrote a 10 part series on the work of Ellawela Medhananda. They can be accessed at https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/05/14/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-1/
Ven. Ellawala Medhananda found new sites which are not in the Sirisoma map. He found 17 more locations in Jaffna district, including 4 on the smaller islands. 19 more for Vavuniya and Mullaitivu and 32 for Mannar, of which 15 are lined along the sea coast. In the Eastern province he found 22 sites in Ampara many along the coast or near it, Trincomalee 6, and Batticaloa 4. Medhananda says this list is incomplete. ‘There should be much more than we found.’
Medhananda went into difficult unexplored territory. For instance, there was no road access to Bambaragastalawa and Medhananda had to go through dense forest inhabited by wild animals to reach Bambaragastalawa.
Veherakema, originally known as Mavala vehera is in the middle of the Lahugala forest. Medhananda took four hours to travel the 7 or 8 miles to get there. He was the first to explore Veherakema. He found a huge rock with the ruins of a probable padhanaghara, columns 6 or 7 feet high and a plain moonstone without decoration.
Medhananda found that many Buddhist ruins have been deliberately destroyed. He recorded these in his writings. At Lankapatuna Medhananda Found an unprotected moonstone, the rest have been destroyed. I found 6 inscriptions there. After I told them the Department of Archaeology went and copied the inscriptions.
In his book Pacina passsa, uttara passa, nagenahira palata ha uturu palate Sinhala Bauddha Urumaya” (2003)Medhananda gives a list of Buddhist ruins seen by him . He has provided maps of the sites he visited. Ven. Ellawala Medhananda was not able to explore the North as much as he would have liked, due to LTTE control. Medhananda said he was able to explore the Eastern Province with greater freedom than the north.
Medhananda gives 48 places in Jaffna where he has seen Buddhist ruins.Most are in private lands. He says there are others as well. the places listed are Algiriya, Anai kottai, Analativu,Ariyalai, Atchuveli, Buddhatottam, Buddhawalawwa, Chakaveli, Changanai, Chulipuram, Chunnakam, Delft, Elavativu, Gotamalu watte, Karaitivu,Kodiyavatte Mahiyapiddy, Mallakam, Manipai, Marattamadam,Mavaddipuram, Nagachcha kovil precincts, Nagarkovil, Nainativu,Nallur, Neelavarai, Pinwatte, Ponnalai, Poonaryn, Pukuditivu, Puloli, Puttur,Sambaturai,Tellipilai, Tennavali, Tiruadanilai, Tisamalai, Tunukai, Udupiddy, Uduvil, Uratota,Uraturai, Vadukkodai, Valikamam and Valvettiturai. Medhananda says these ruins show bricks, tiles, statues, potsherds, inscriptions. Most are in private lands, Medhananda observed..
In Mannar Ven. Medhananda has visited Arippu , Cholayan kaddu, Compotukki, Ilukpeyikadachei, Irantivu, Kadappiditti kulam, Kohala wewa, Kunchi kulam, Magana, Malikai kulam, Mannankulam, Mantota, Moderagam ara, Mudalikulam, Mukkarayakulam, Mulliyakkulam, Musali, Na vehera, Olivettikulam, Pachcha addappan wewa, Paniyankulam, Pannankamam, Periyanavakkulam, Pesalai, Puliyankulam, Rajakulama, Rajamaduva,Rakkha vihara, Samadetiya, Talaimannar, Tiruketiswaram, Ttuvavali, Valli vihara Vachinikulam and Vellantarai.
In Vavuniya and Mullaitivu Medhananda has explored the following places: Ariyamadu,Atambagaskada, Bogaswewa, Buddha kovil, Bumaya, Chelliyar villu, Chenkal veddi kulam,Chenmadu, Dollar farm, Eeratperiyakulam, Erupothana, , Iluppu kulam, Iranai illupun kulam, Iranamadu, Irasattiram kulam,Iruvil,Kachchilamadu, Kallaru, Kalnattan kulam, Kalukundammaduwa, Kanagarayam kulam, Kanchiramuddai, Karadikulam, Karavil kulam, Karidikkulam, Kokkavelliya, Kongaraya kulam, Kontaka karnakulam, Kovil puliyan kulam,Kumbakarna malai,Kurum puliyan kulam, Madukanda, Mahakachchkodiya, Mahamailan kulam, Mamaduwa Manikai, Maniyar kulam,Mankalkeni,Mannan kadal,Manthri vihara, Maradamadu,Maratamadu, Menik farm, Mohonnan kulam, Molliyavela, Mudaliyakulam,Namban kulam, Navagama Kirivehera, Nayaru,Nedunkerni, Nelukkulam, Nochchiya moddai,Oddusuddan, Odiyamalai, Olumaduva, Omandan, Paddikudiirippu, Padivettukulam, Palamoddai, Panaiyan kulam,Panangama, Patta kattuveli, Pavattakulam, Periyakulam, Periyamar iluppai,Periyauttukai, Pokkaravanni tunukai, Pudukudi iruppukulam,Puleliya, Pumaduva, Puravasan kulam, Puvarasankulam, Ruvanmadu, Samalankulama,Sirappanmaduva,Tachcankulam,Tadikkulam, Tambankulama,Tapassavellliya, Tiranamadu, Tiraviyamalai,Tonigala,Tukkumarattadi, Tuntimuruppu wewa, Udavelikulam, Ulakkulam,Unjaral kaddi, Vadamarachhci, Variyakuddiuru, Veherabanda wewa, Vettilkulam, Vettiyakulam and Yakumadu yaya.
Medhananda has explored 80 Buddhist sites In the Eastern province. They included Agbo Raja Maha Vihara, Ariyakara Raja Maha Vihara, Bollegama Raja Maha Vihara, Balahandu vihara, Bambaragastalawa vihara, Boralukanda temple, Nilaveli. . Bowattegala vihara, Buddhangala hermitage, Dighavapi, Diviyagala vihara , Ganegama vihara , Girikumbara vihara , Habutala Karandahela vihara , Harasgala vihara , Henanegala cave temple, Illukpitiya kanda len vihara Ampara. Kalkulam Udagala Dagoba, Kiliveddi bodiya, Kirivehera Raja Maha Vihara, Kombanachhi Ruhunu Somawathi vihara , Kongala natabun vihara , Kopavela vihara , Kotaveheragala vihara , Kuchchaveli Maha vihara, Kudimbigala hermitage, Kukuluvagala vihara, Lankapatuna Samudragiri vihara , Linemalai Sipavata vihara , Malayadikanda vihara, Namalu vihara , Nawinna Raja Maha Vihara ( Ampara), Neelagiri vihara and cave, Niyaguna kanda vihara , Okanda vihara , Omunugala cave temple, Panama raja maha vihara , Piyangala vihara , Pulakunava Maha vihara , Rajagala Maha vihara , Ratgala vihara , Rugama Piyakalutota vihara, Ruhunu magul maha vihara , Samangala hermitage, ,Samudragiri, Sastravela vihara , Seruwila vihara , Sri Pana Raja Maha Vihara, Potuvil, Tilapola pansala, Tiriyaya, Udayagiri Raja Maha Vihara , Vedikkinarmalai rock temple, Veheragala cave temple, Veheragama kubira therun vanaya Ampara, Veherakema Mavala vihara , Velatti badda aramaya and Velgam vihara.
Each time I went to Vavuniya and Mullaitivu I found new ruins, said Medhananda.There are hundreds of Buddhist ruins in Vavuniya ,there are three sets of ruins in a straight line, at Mahakachca kodiya, Erupotana, and Periyapuliyam kulam malai in Vavuniya Medhananda explored Buddanehela Raja Maha Vihara, Vavuniya . Ruins are fast deteriorating he said. From Jaffna to Wilpattu, all along the ocean strip, one sees ruins. These sites were never examined carefully, other than presenting a random report.
Buddhist sites were found in several places in Mannar as well said Medhananda .Maligapitti had lots of ruins with a stupa mound. Place is surrounded by houses. A Buddha statue was found near Murungan, also a stupa in a banana plantation. Buddhist ruins were found near Murungan hospital including a siripatula, an inscription and stone columns. The inscription and siripatula were used for patients to sit on.
Ven. Medhananda found many interesting archaeological items in his explorations. One and a half miles to the east of the preset Devalahinda school, Ampara, there is a wall fortification 7’ wide, stretching for a distance of about 600 feet. In the Veheragoda ruins at Ampara, there is a stupa which shows the earlier style of stupa building. this style is also seen at Buddhangala and Rajagala. Veheragoda wewa had a kalugal sorrowwa.
At Veheragalkanda, (NCP) Medhananda saw a foundation , 50’ x50’ with stone door frame facing the east 9’8” in height There was another structure, 18’8’ by 14 ‘1” with ten pillars in the middle, this could be a gigantic doorway, said Medhananda . When I first visited the place there was a torso of a statue lying there but ‘now it is not to be seen’.
At Karandahela, ( Eastern province) Medhananda found a lotus petal moonstone, very old bricks, a huge cave, 512 feet long, 30 ft wide, and 82 feet height and a rock carved gal vangediya, one foot deep with circumference of 7’ 2”.
Medhananda said that many of the places he saw have not been looked at by the Department of Archaeology. There are far more Buddhist ruins in Trincomalee district than the 54 given by the Department, Medhananda said.
Toppigala has not been properly explored by the Department of Archaeology . Medhananda found 150 archaeological sites in Toppigala. All hillsides around Toppigala such as Motagala, Vesibandagala, Atubandagala, Varakamulla, Kunchinamalai, Devinigala, Kavinigala, had vihara on it. Every hill side around Thoppigala has a ruin of an aramaya. There were inscriptions too. I spend 8 days exploring in Toppigala jungles, said Medhananda .
There are Buddhist ruins at Perillaveli in Eravur pattu, Batticaloa district. These are in dense forest and have not been seen by the Department of archaeology. The area north of Badulla –Eravur has not been explored when Medhananda wrote about it. Lots of Buddhist sites there in the forests, also ruins of irrigation schemes. I found very fine archaeological ruins at Kadavat maduva near Batticaloa railway station. No one had looked there, he said.
Viharagalkanda at Trikonamadu has ruins extending for 10 acres. These have not been explored before. The ruins of stupa, walls, caves, asanaghara could be seen. There is an ancient wewa near ruins. The archaeological sites at Vasi bandagala, Aatubandagala, Iddagala, Nelugala, Mavulivala, have not been explored before. There are lots of ruins . Siripalena, Siluminiseya, Devagala in Maduruoya valley also have unseen ruins.
Medhananda had explored Bambaragastalawa, Lenama, Budubava, Nalitta,in the Eastern province, and found ruins which the Department of Archaeology had not found. The ruins around Dighavapi have not been explored, either.
There are no reports in the Department of Archaeology as to the ruins at Mahapattuva , 8 km from Timbirigolla Vidyalaya in the North westsern province. Somawathi vihara, Kombanachchiya had ruins no one has seen before. In our exploration at Digamadulla, too we found many inscription and ruins never seen before said Medhananda. ( continued)
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