{"id":103356,"date":"2020-06-09T16:24:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T23:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=103356"},"modified":"2020-07-03T15:06:27","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T22:06:27","slug":"ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-7b-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/06\/09\/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-7b-2\/","title":{"rendered":"VEN. ELLAWALA MEDHANANDA Part 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

REVISED 21.6.20<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has shown, through his explorations\nand his writings, that the Eastern Province had a vibrant Buddhist civilization\nin the ancient and medieval period.  He\nhas also shown that it had special features, such as hillside monastic\ncomplexes and a series of \u2018Muhudu Maha vihara\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monastic\ncomplexes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda found evidence of huge monastic complexes\nin the Eastern province. He was one of the first, if not the first, to draw\nattention to the magnificent monastic complex at Rajagala. Medhananda has gone\nthere and done a thorough exploration. No formal examination of Rajagala had\nbeen done, at the time, said Medhananda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rajagala monastery was known as\nGirikibalavi Tisa Mahavihare. The Rajagala hill range, also known as  Rassehela kanda,  is \n1030 feet above sea level. Both north and south slopes have many ruins. All\nover the hills there  are   ruins of stupa.  There is a hermitage to the  north. Many\nstone pillars of various heights and sizes, circular, rectangular, octagonal\nare seen scattered. Stone ponds, one\nhad a sluice. Medhananda noted its\nspecial features such as the two water spouts to fill large stone cisterns.There were decorated urinal stones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were over hundred caves. Brick and stone walls created separate rooms\ninside the caves. One cave had a bed and pillow cut out of rock. Cave walls\nwere plastered and painted, paintings have faded. One cave has a roof carved in\nshape of an umbrella and handle of the umbrella is done in most exquisite\nfashion, said Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rajagala yielded 70 cave\ninscription, 20 slab inscription and rock inscriptions. One huge inscription said\nthat the ashes of Mahinda and Ittiya are enshrined there. Another\ninscription spoke of Saddhatissa and Lanjatissa. (This is not king Lanjatissa) Inscriptions\nspoke of donations of tanks, caves, fields. Inscription also made reference to statues,\ntaxes and coins. One inscription refers to tilling the land with a  golden plough. One Inscription has been\ntampered with, concluded Medhananda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda drew attention to the monastic\ncomplex at Bambaragastalawa in Kumana. This monastery extends to over 450 acres. There was no road access and Medhananda had to\ngo through dense forest which held wild animals. His route was Panama, Salawa\nEliya, Okanda, Tunmulle, Yoda lipa, Manhasara, Sala eliya, Kudumbigala to\nBambaragastalawa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nBambaragastalawa he found over\nten stupa,  on hill tops and flat ground.  He found rock cut\nsteps,   Buddha statues, asanaghara, \npillars, caves, viharas, image houses, chaitya  and  very\nold bricks. There was a stone seat, 15\u2019\nby 5\u20199\u201d, beautifully carved at the edges. This may be an asanaghara, said Medhananda.\nHe also saw a\nstupa 50 ft wide and 23 ft high. He \nfound a rectangular arrangement of six rows of six\ncolumns each.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a huge pilima lena surrounded by\nsmaller lena, said Medhananda.\n In it there was a reclining\nBuddha image, 36 feet in length, built with brick, mud and lime plaster,\nvandalized by treasure hunters. There is a  drip ledge all round the cave. Brick\nwalls were built dividing the cave into many rooms, with the top decorated with\nswan sculptures. The bricks used were excellently  burned ones.  There was a vestibule 16 by 48 ft in front of\ncave. It had  ten square holes  for wooden beams. There was a stone pillar in\nfront, and  stone steps indicating two entrances,  a  wooden door frame and  a wooden pillar, of milla wood, concluded Medhananda.\n  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nhad  also explored Sembumale monastery,  in \nKuchchaveli,  which covered over hundred\nacres. He  visited the monastic complex\nat Mahapattuwa\nin Veheragoda area. This has not been explored by the Department of Archaeology\nand\nthere\nis no official record of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda went\nto Bovattegala  from Panama, past Kumana\nvillu, through forest, then  north east\nalong a footpath to Bovattegala . There is another route, on Kumbukkan oya, to\nMahagal amuna, to Kumana wewa bund to Bovattegala, observed Medhananda .  Bovattegala\nshowed ruins of a monastery, said Medhananda . \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda drew attention to Omunugala<\/em>\n<\/em>Cave\nMonastery ( \u2018len vihara\u2019 ) at Ampara. The meditation caves at Omunugala extended from the foot of the mountain to a\nlevel little below the summit.  They  were very \nimpressive. Every cave had its   drip ledge inscription ,  Most caves had remains of walls. There\nare ancient  paintings in one cave. One\ncave is startling, said Medhananda .  The\ncave and the rock in front\nhave been combined to make something like a two storey house. Another cave had\nrectangular holes drilled into it probably to support beams to an upper\nstorey.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest cave, a shrine cave, is about 120\u2019\nin length, had walls on three sides and a window. There was a  flight of steps leading to a door frame to\nenter the cave.  It had a makara\nthorana.  There are more\nundiscovered   caves but access was very difficult\n and  I did not climb them, said Medhananda.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Forest\nhermitages<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nvisited the many forest hermitages in the Eastern Province. It is\nMedhananda who drew attention to Kudimbigala. \nThis is acknowledged in the media references to  Kudimbigala. Medhananda said that there\nwere  Buddhist ruins extending over at\nleast    600 acres around\nKudumbigala   with numerous stupas  on the rocks. Kudimbigala\nhas  the only cylindrical stupa known in\nSri Lanka, said Medhananda . inscriptions show that Kudimbigala was established\nby  king Kavantissa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \ncave architecture of Kudimbigala was astounding, said Medhananda . The cave technique is amazing. Cave\nafter cave, placed on top of\neach other for 100 acres or so. He\nhad counted 105 caves. one cave was a Budu madura.   One cave was named Maha Sudarsana , another was Yoda lena. Sita\npokunu lena had paintings of  7th<\/sup>\ncentury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a huge\ncave project at Samangala forest hermitage, Ampara, , said Medhananda .\nThis was a high level hermitage. Inscription \nindicates that this was started by Saddhatissa. One\ncave is 60 feet in height\nand can shelter about 500 people. All caves had drip ledges. There were many inscriptions which have not\nyet been  recorded. No\narchaeological  explorations have been\ndone here. An attempt to\nturn this into a meditation centre, some years ago, failed, said Medhananda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a\nmonastery at present day Namalu chetiya. Namalu chetiya was huge, almost as large as\nRuvanveli. The villagers used to\nworship there. The monastery of 150 acres  occupied flat ground , rock, hill and forest. There were ponds, flights of steps, heaps of\ninscriptions and several stone beds. The monastery ended at Heda oya. This would have been a developed,\nscenic, large monastery, said Medhananda . A\nmonk was living by the stupa in a small \nhut when Medhananda went there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhangala aranya Senasana,  Ampara has 200 acres of ruins,  on  five hills. stone bridges connect one rock to\nthe other. Caves were partitioned into three by walls. Bricks\nwith decorations and inscribed are found in plenty. There was a fine\nsiripatula, circular , 11 feet and well carved. \nIn 1964 Buddhangala was restarted as a hermitage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Piyangala\nvana Senasuna,  Ampara has over 100   meditation caves with and without drip\nledges. Some of the old walls remain. The old badama is there,  this is worth examining, said\nMedhananda.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has also visited Rangiri len\nsenasuna, Hiriyala,  and Seethakanda\naranya senasana, Moneragala. Karambagala senasuna, (Bilivana  vihara) Hambantota had caves all over. One\ncave could accommodate 400. There was a seat in another cave. At \nNimala vana senasuna there is a rock with a stone carved bed, said\nMedhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

.Madama gama Kanda Aranya senasanaya in Hurulu\npalata, Anuradhapura  had a cave with a\nroof built above. The stone beds here are unique. They have been carved out of the\nstone. There are 7 beds near the pool , two more behind , one above and four\nnear the cave mouth. There are beds at Ruhuna Namalu also but not in a row like\nthis. This monastery had a  huge cave 150\nfeet long on a hill which was  300 feet\nup. there was a frightening slope on one side  of this cave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cave shrines.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has drawn attention to the\nexistence of   cave shrines. caves\nconverted to shrine can be seen in  Ruhunu and Pihiti rata he said. The most notable  of the cave shrines explored by\nMedhananda  was   the Karandahela  cave complex, in Hulannuge, Ampara, 633 feet above\nsea level. Karandahela has the biggest cave in Asia. .https:\/\/roar.media\/sinhala\/main\/features\/caves-in-karandahela-sri-lanka\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Padikemgala Medhananda found many caves\nfirst inhabited by monks, then turned to shrines. There were many shrines in\nthese caves, the paintings on the walls could \nstill be seen. One  cave had brick\nwall with many niches and no windows.  \nNeelagiri  pilima lena  had   \ntwo important caves at the top, both are shrines.  The caves had walls, one wall was of stones. The walls \nhad been plastered, the plaster can be seen, also the  paintings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhudu\nMaha viharas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda drew attention to the Muhudu maha viharas.\nMuhudu Maha viharas could be seen in abundance on south, east and northern\ncoastal areas, said Medhananda. These \nshrines were built \nto be seen  from the sea.  Medhananda\nparticularly  focused on the Muhudu Maha viharas\nbuilt along the coast of the Eastern province \n.  Kucceveli Maha vihara was one\nof these muhudu viharas, he said. Magul\nMaha vihara , Kirinda  had rows of caves\nwith walls and  drip ledge. The viharas at Bundala,  Gokanna, Gotha pabbata, Jambulkolaptuna  Kirinda, Lankapatuna,Okanda, Potuvila,\nSangaman kanda, Sastravela, were in existence \nuntil recently, he said. Stupas were also  built at the mouths of the rivers where\nthey  meet the sea, as at Walawe ganga. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ariyakara\nviharas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruhuna has had several Ariyakara vihara where\nvenerated arahats lived and Ariyawansa sutra was preached. <\/em>This was very popular in Ruhuna, there is evidence to prove\nthis., said Medhananda . There was Ariyakara Raja maha vihara   at Kettama village, in the Eastern Province.\n It has steps, siripatul, gal vangediya,\nfaded inscription, naga carvings on rock as well as  carvings of horse and  bahirawa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ariyawansa sutra was  also preached at Mulhitiya Velegoda near\nPulligoda, said Medhananda . this was Pelegama vihara originally. Veheragala,\nat Rajagala, had Ariyawansa preached there. Inscription says Kubira bhikkhu\nstayed there. This inscription is still there. Bovattegala\nInscription  indicates that the  Ariyawansa sutra was preached there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were other\nviharas where the Ariyawansa sutra was preached from a seat set on a hilltop. There\nare such open places with a seat at Molhitiya, Velegala, Mutugalla ,  Panama,\nSastravela,\nsaid Medhananda .  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda thinks\nthat there was also an Ariyakara building at \u2018Punchi Sigiriya\u201d in Digamadulla.\nPunchi Sigiriya is not a rock, it is a cave. With a one  Sigiriya like painting, seen by Paranavitane, which is\nfading away. Medhananda was more interested in a ruined building  on a hill close by, reached by a flight of\nsteps. Medhananda \nthinks  this was for preaching\nAriyawansa sutra.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forgotten\nviharas<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has \ndiscovered  many forgotten\nviharas, specially in the eastern province. In his book, Sangavunu aitihasita\npudabim\u201d ( Dayawansa Jayakody,  2 ed\n2014) he has described  the following\nviharas in detail. Andiya gala Raja Maha Vihara  Vilachchiya \nkorale, Anuradhapura .  Bingoda Raja\nMaha Vihara   Wellassa.  Boralukanda vihara ,Nilaveli.  Budumuttawa Raja Maha Vihara   Nikaveratiya. Gal kandegama Kanda len Vihara,  Vavuniya. Illukpitiya kanda len vihara,\nAmpara. Katupotha kande lena, Mihintale. Kebellena vihara Hiriyala. Naindanava\nvihara. Polpitigama,, Kurunegala. Piyan galle vihara,  Eravur. Rangirimada Raja Maha Vihara   Hiriyala. Sadun giri Magam pura Raja Maha\nVihara,   Kurunegala. Sri Pana Raja Maha\nVihara, Pottuvil. Suduveli Mankada ha gal hira Mankade vihara ,  Moneragala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another of these forgotten vihara is\nKotaveheragala vihara in Yalpota village, Lahugala, the village has just four\nfamilies doing chena cultivation.\nKotaveheragala\nvihara has a cave\nsecond only to that in Karandahele. It has a carved drip ledge. It is divided into four  rooms and the walls are still standing.  there is an \ninscription on the steps, faded which says the steps were donated by a\nmonk.\nIt must have been an image house .  there\nare  lovely\noverflowing ponds on the rock . Lots of bricks all over.  It is possible to go round the rock to the\ncaves on the other side,  but it is dangerous,\nbecause   bears and leopards come there. This\nvihara  has not been seen by the\nDepartment of Archaeology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  has  explored\nSomawathi vihara at Kombanachchiya, near Kiliveddi. It has ruins no one has\nseen before. Malayadikanda vihara  has  27\ncaves and ruined stupa. Niyagunakanda vihara  \nhas caves near it with drip ledge inscription. Site has never been\nexamined. Both viharas  are near\nHingurana sugar factory. In Gal len vihara at Giribawa,\nKurunegala the caves had specific names such as sheeta guhe, two caves were\nmaha lena. Kappangamuyaye Kadurugoda vihara by Namal oya had stupa, columns, and\nmoonstone. There were  ruins in the\nforest around. Ganegama vihara, Ampara\nhad veddha paintings of crocodiles, elephant and other figures . it had a\nsimple sandakada pahana,  and a\ndoratupala with  punkalasa. there were many Veheragalas in the island,\nobserved Medhananda . Medhananda    has also looked at\n<\/strong>Balahudu , Kukuluvagala   and Galaba len vihara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some forgotten viharas catered to small\npopulations. Kirivehera Raja Maha Vihara  \nLahugala,  was in village where a\nfew families were living off     banana plantations.\nIt was reached  by a footpath from\nHulannuge junction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda also commented on  some of the \nobjects found in his explorations. Medhananda took special interest in the bricks<\/strong> that lay in abundance in the\nsites he explored. He\nhad inspected the ancient bricks at Diyahinna.\nAround Verugal ara  near Uppar lagoon there are  hillocks \nfull of old bricks, he said.   At Henangala \nhe found three types of ancient bricks.. At Veheragoda, Ampara ,  in the \u2018Pansal kalla\u2019 section there were\nbricks measuring 2\u20191\u201d and 1\u20192\u201d. Kudagala  had \nbricks some  1\u20194\u2019x8\u201dx 2 \u00bd and\nothers 8\u201dx9\u201dx 2 \u00bd .Buriyakulam kanda ruins would have had  very attractive steps judging by  the decorative \nbricks found there.  Vachinikulam ruins, in Mannar district\nhad  <\/strong>bricks \nwhich were  16\u201d  x 9x 3  , <\/strong>Punyadi had had  ancient bricks of different types. Some had\nrounded edges., Daluggala Raja Maha Vihara  bricks can be dated to 8  century AD, Medhananda concluded. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda found two clay puvaru<\/strong> 14\u201d by 11\u201d by 1 \u00bd at Medagama\nkanda Aranya senasanaya. On one puvaru there was garadi veta carved, resembling\nthe veta at Sanchi. Also an attractive line \nof flowers. The  carvings have\nbeen  done before firing. These\npuvaru  were probably used for decoration\n. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rock\ncut  steps<\/strong> at Padi Kemgala ruins are unique. there are \nseveral flights of steps. The first consists of 52 steps   which\nwere  2\u20196\u201d long and 1\u20192\u2019 wide. This was followed by several sets of 7 steps\neach, with a resting stone between, \nending with a set of rounded steps .the resting stone was 10\u201d\nby 5 with three circles in it,  and a\nlotus design in the center. The last step was decorated with a curled\nelephant trunk. I have never been seen such a flight of steps, before exclaimed\nMedhananda . There was also an inscription which said how the steps were\nmade.  That inscription was  decorated with two lotus buds on stems.  Padi Kemgala ruins  also had a moonstone carved  in the \nrock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neelagiri \npilima lena  was probably a very important aramaya.  There is set of steps all the way up the\nhill. there seem to be more than 200 steps. It has breaks in it, for people to\nstop and rest every   50 feet or so, with\narukku gal. There are moon stones at the breaks. the only other flight of steps\nlike this is at Hachchikuchi, said Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda Found\na special siripatul <\/strong>gala at  Konduvattavana\nruins in Inginiyagala. It was a round siripatula gala, and siripatula is\nelevated in the middle of the  sculpture.\nThis is rare. the upper terrace\nof the stupa  at Panama Raja Maha Vihara\nhas siripatula on it.  I have seen this\nonly in twow other places, vehera galkanda and dammina, said Medhananda . At\nBollagama Raja Maha Vihara the  siripatula is  joined to the base of stupa. This is  found in very old stupa.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nearly Buddhism, the  Buddha was depicted\nsymbolically by an empty chair.\nThis was one of the earliest symbols used for the Buddha. These empty chairs\nwere housed in Asanghara.<\/strong> The Asanagara\nfound at  Pulunkunawa is unique, and not\nfound anywhere else in the country, said Medhananda . It was owalankara  in shape. Veheragoda ruins, Ampara     had an \nasanaghara. Medhananda\nsaw a possible asanaghara at Bambaragastalawa too.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diviyagala vihara in Ampara district has a\nbeautiful moonstone and umbrella stone<\/strong>\nin good preservation as well as a complete chatragala, and three\nsiripatul. Tampitiya vihara\nby Tampita wewa, off Pullumalai junction, Batticaloa district,    has a very unique guard stone<\/strong> with 9 snake heads, a person holding a pun kalasa and a\nwoman bending down and collecting water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he was at Ellepola Medhananda  heard that Bambaragala kande in Diyawinna had\narchaeological  remains.  He went from Balangoda, along  Kattota road, Thanjan tenne, turned left  at ancient wewa, through jungle, to Bambaragala\nkande,  where he found  a Punchi\nSigiriya<\/strong>. There were  fading frescos and stone seats  there. Medhananda\nwrote about it  to \u2018Silumina.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda had also found a second <\/strong>Punchi Sigiri\u201d at Kudagala. .One cave\nin this complex had valuable paintings on one whole wall. Villagers say they\nhad seen the drawings.   There were large lotuses brown, red, orange.\nThey were described by Medhananda  in\n1968 in \u2018Davasa\u2019  newspaper. But someone\nhad whitewashed most of it. They have now disappeared said Medhananda in 2003.  ( continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS REVISED 21.6.20 Medhananda has shown, through his explorations and his writings, that the Eastern Province had a vibrant Buddhist civilization in the ancient and medieval period.  He has also shown that it had special features, such as hillside monastic complexes and a series of \u2018Muhudu Maha vihara\u2019. Monastic complexes Medhananda found evidence of […]<\/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-103356","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\/103356","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=103356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}