{"id":103353,"date":"2020-06-09T16:21:45","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T23:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=103353"},"modified":"2020-07-03T15:08:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T22:08:34","slug":"ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-7a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/06\/09\/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-7a\/","title":{"rendered":"VEN. ELLAWALA MEDHANANDA Part 7A"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Revised 27.6.20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Ellawala\nMedhananda made a special effort to find and record stone inscriptions from the\narchaeological sites he explored. Medhananda had been very successful in this\nventure. He says he has found over 500 \u2018new\u2019 inscriptions. This can be accepted as\nMedhananda has been engaged in archaeological explorations for over 35 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\nis a self taught epigraphist.  He said he\nlearnt epigraphy from Tennekoon Wimalananda\u2019s \u2018Sellipi Sangrahaya. As far as I\ncan see, Medhananda\u2019s findings and interpretations have not been dismissed by\nacademics.  His findings were first\npublished in newspapers, such as\n‘Divaina’ and ‘Davasa.’ These essays had a good reception. Medhananda received\nmany letters of praise and was asked to compile his writings into books, which\nhe did.His book on the Sinhala Buddhist heritage in the north and east,\u201d\nwon a State Literary Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inscriptions\nfound by Medhananda cover a wide time period.   Lahugala wewa inscriptions are dated from 1\ncentury AD to 6 AD. Udagala\nDagoba (Kalakulam) inscription\nwas 9th century AD.\nThis inscription shows the \u2018pirisindu Sinahla viyavahara of the time,\u2019  said\nMedhananda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has found several important\ninscriptions. They are discussed in the next essay, but here is one unique\nfinding. Medhananda found a cave inscription in Erabadda, in Nivitigala in\nRatnapura district, in brahmi script, dated to 2 century AD. The inscription said\nthat one Revata had donated a cave. This is the only inscription found so far\nin Ratnapura in brahmi script. It shows\nthat Ratnapura was a part of the Sinhala-Buddhist civilization of the time,\nsaid Medhananda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Unlike\nsome epigraphists, Medhananda never disparages Senerat Paranavitana. Medhananda  noted that the Bovattegala inscription  was found by Paranavitana. Medhananda\u2019s   Interpretations are always intended to\nsupport and expand the good work done by Paranavitana.. For instance, at\nDiyahinne, the Department of Archaeology had taken down just one part of an\ninscription. Medhananda stated that Paranavitana had used this defective copy. Medhananda had recorded the full inscription. At Kirimakulgolle Medhananda said he found\nan inscription on the same rock, in addition to the inscription there which\nParanavitana had seen. Medhananda said he had found ten more inscriptions to\nwhat Paranavitana had found at Kudimbigala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda is not so kind towards the\nDepartment of Archaeology. Medhananda complained that the Department does not\nhelp outsiders who engage in archaeological exploration voluntarily. During Paranavitana’s time, if you sent in a\nfinding you got a letter thanking you. Now\nthey do not do even that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda observed\nthat the Department of Archaeology, which was set up in 1890 had collected a\ntotal of 3339 inscription by 2007. That means 30 per year. Medhananda found 86 inscriptions in one month.\nIn Horowopotana area alone Medhananda found 80 \u2018new\u2019 inscriptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda added further factual data to this.\nHenanigala\nhad yielded one column inscription and 22 rock inscriptions. Kongala ruins yielded 14 cave\ninscription and 4\nrock inscriptions. Maragala kanda had an old forest monastery\nwith lots of Inscriptions. There were lots of inscriptions at Uhana too,\nconcluded Medhananda.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda said he had found inscriptions\nwhich the Department of Archaeology had not found.  Here is a selection.  Department of Archaeology had\nfound 20 inscriptions at Bambaragastalawa, I found 14 more, said Medhananda. Medhananda\nhad found three more to\nthe 14 already known at Pulakunawa kande, Ampara. At Ritigala, Medhananda had\nfound one inscription which the Department had not seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has gone to sites which the Department of Archaeology had\nnot explored and found \u2018new\u2019 inscriptions. At Katupotakande (close to Mihintale) Medhananda\nhad found 4 inscriptions. Department had not explored there, said Medhananda. The inscriptions at Diviyagala vihara in Ampara\ndistrict also had not been read by the Department. Sipavata vihara at Linemalai has inscriptions\nwhich have not been examined before. They indicate that this area was once a Sinhala\nBuddhist agricultural area.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda is definite that he has found\ninscriptions which had not been seen before. That can be accepted. Medhananda\nhas deliberately gone to difficult, inaccessible places which have not been visited\nbefore. Once he got there, he surveyed the site as fully as he could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 At Gal\nlen vihara, Giribawa, Kurunegala, Medhananda had found 14 inscriptions, some\nwere carved under the drip ledge, others on cave wall or the rock.  At Nimala vana senasuna, Kirinda  Medhananda had found 14 inscriptions, cave 14,\nrock 7. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nfound 17 inscriptions at Samangala, one in Karosthi script. No\none  knew these inscriptions existed,\nsaid Medhananda.  Medhananda had found 19 inscriptions at Magul\nMaha vihara, Kirinda. They were first copied and published  by me, he said. At Namalu vihara  Medhananda found 12 inscriptions, not listed\nbefore. At Akasa chetiya,\nHambantota, he found 2 cave and I rock inscription. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Sastravela \n Medhananda had found  three brahmi inscriptions,  two rock inscriptions and  one cave inscription dated to 1 century  AD. Medhananda had  found 15 inscriptions at Malayadikanda,\nhaving gone there several times.  He\npublished his findings in 1968 and 1984. \u2018Till then nobody knew about them\u2019\nsaid Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda provides\nthe original names for many temples, wewa and villages. Perilya kulam was\nknown as Manavatu tank.\nUruwela is known as Arippu today. Arugam bay was formerly \u2018Rugama\u2019 derived from Aramagama. Kodavattuvana tank is the  Tamilised version of \u2018Kandewattavana\u2019. Verugal\nAru is Veheragala . Ilukpiti vihara was Malayagikanda. Eravur was\nErahulu.. Bambaragastalawa had Viyolaka vihara. The vihara  at Sastravela was originally Bodigiri naga\npabbata vihara.\u2019 Linemalai  had a\nmonastery called Sipavata ( Sinha parvata). “Vav\nniyava” became Vavuniya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda did not\nfail to record the pictures and decorations in the inscriptions he found. there\nis   an  \ninscription with wrestlers carved on it in the second Henannegala cave,\nhe said. Duvegala vihara Tamamkaduva inscription had a\nsailing ship carved on it. Halbe Raja Maha Vihara pillar inscription dated to Kassapa\nIV, had carving of    snake,     sickle, dog and crow and a large Sri at\nthe top of the inscription.  The\ninscription at Padikemgala ruins had two lotus flower bouquets on either side\nof the inscription. Samangala forest hermitage had an inscription with a sketch of a stupa\nresembling the Sanchi stupa.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda did not explore sites blindly, he\nmade inquiries first.  At Diyahinna, a\nchena farmer directed them to the inscriptions there.  One Samel, living in Uhana had directed\nMedhananda to the inscriptions in Samangala. He had seen them when he went\nthere. Samel also directed Medhananda to the Piyangala inscriptions <\/strong>and\ntold Medhananda how to get to Madanakanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some inscriptions\nwere found by accident. On the way to Halambagala, Medhananda got caught to the\nrain and took shelter under a rock, with a sandy floor. Then they found that there\nwas an inscription under the sand. They photographed it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\nhas been very determined when it came to copying inscriptions. At Samangala Medhananda\nsaw an inscription about 60 feet above the ketarama. There was a tree about the\nsame height close by. \u2018I climbed the tree and copied the inscription,\u2019 he said.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda visited Kirimakulgolle six times to\ngather inscriptions. One the fifth visit, the inscription he was aiming at was\ndifficult to get close to. Medhananda undaunted, climbed on to a ledge with aid\nof trees and bushes. Then he decided to cut a tree and climb up further using\nit.  The tree was cut but it did not stay\nin place. Medhananda and tree fell down. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Medhananda went again, for the sixth time. This\ntime they took axes and ropes. They lifted up the tree they had cut earlier and\nput cross pieces on it, like a ladder. As Medhananda climbed up, the tree turned\nover, he clung to it and both came down, for a second time. Then the team re-fixed\nthe trunk onto the tree stump, wedging it firmly this time, and Medhananda climbed\nagain, \u2018risking his life\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maragala kanda\nhad an old forest monastery with lots of inscriptions.  On an instinct, Medhananda put his hand   under a low lying rock. This was a dangerous\nthing to do, since he could be bitten, but instead he felt an inscription. He\nhad to dig to get at it.  He found a\nsharp pointed piece of wood and scraped with it. The soil was very hard as it was\ndry season. Then he lay on his back with his head knocking on the ketarama and\ncopied what he could, since most of it had faded. (Continued) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appendix \n1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Medhananda\nhad explored Bambaragastalawa,     \nLenama, Budubava,  Nalitta,   and found ruins which the Department of\narchaeology had not found. . <\/li>
  • Niyagunakanda\nvihara close to Hingurana sugar factory has caves near it with drip ledge\ninscriptions. This site has never been examined before. <\/li>
  • Saman\ngala forest hermitage on Ampara Mahaoya road has inscriptions which have not\nyet been  recorded. There is a cave 60\nfeet in height which can shelter about 500 people.<\/li>
  • After\nthe Eelam war ended, Medhananda  went to\nVakarai, Mavil aru, Sampur. He found 25\narchaeological  sites which had not been\nlisted before.  He also found 6\ninscriptions.  Till I found  these inscriptions with the assistance\nof  the army, no one knew about them.\nthey are historically important. After I told them  the Archaeological  Department went and copied inscriptions from\nKalladi. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Appendix \n2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Medhananda found four inscription  close to Mihintale and was openly surprised\nthat the Archaeological Department had not seen them.<\/li>
    • Medhananda discovered an important\ninscription on Devanampiyatissa  in  Kegalle\ndistrict ,  covered in soil. Department\nof Archaeological had not  seen it. <\/li>
    • Medhananda\nhad seen over 200 unrecorded inscriptions at Weli oya Sampath nuwara. They are\nnot recorded in any Archaeological Department register, said Medhananda.  <\/li>
    • Medhananda\nfound 22 broken chaitya at Sastravela, Ampara. There was no record of these in\nthe Department. Medhananda discovered \none rock and two cave inscriptions. \n<\/li>
    • Viharagal kanda at Trikonmadu has\nruins for 10 acres. These have not been explored before. Medhananda found\nStupa, walls, caves, asanaghara and an old wewa. He also found a cave\ninscription dated to 1 century AD.  <\/li>
    • There\nare no reports in the archeological depts. as to the ruins at Mahapattuva. Mahapattuva\nis about 8 km from Timbirigolla Vidyalaya aside the Ampara Ambalan oya road.<\/li>
    • Toppigala\nhad not been examined \u2018properly\u2019 by the Department of archaeology. Not one\nplace in Toppigala had been looked at, said Medhananda. <\/li>
    • After\nthe Eelam war ended Medhananda went to Vakarai and Mavil Aru in Batticaloa and\nSampur in Trincomalee. He found 25 archaeological\nsites which had not been listed before.  \nHe also found five archaeological ruins at Kadavat maduva near\nBatticaloa   railway station. No one had\nlooked there before. There is very useful archaeological evidence there, said Medhananda. <\/li>
    • C.\nW Nicholas had found the cave inscription at Karandahela. Medhananda had found,\nand publicized, the cave inscriptions  \nthere. <\/li>
    • Serupitiya\nruins had not been examined till Medhananda got there. <\/li>
    • Six important inscriptions were found\nby Medhananda at Punyadi ruins.<\/li>
    • Ruins at Pillumalai, Kopavali, and\nTamketiya in Ampara have never been investigated, till I did so, said Medhananda. The same with the ruins around Dighavapi.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      KAMALIKA PIERIS Revised 27.6.20 Ven. Ellawala Medhananda made a special effort to find and record stone inscriptions from the archaeological sites he explored. Medhananda had been very successful in this venture. He says he has found over 500 \u2018new\u2019 inscriptions. This can be accepted as Medhananda has been engaged in archaeological explorations for over 35 years. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}