{"id":103638,"date":"2020-06-17T15:55:57","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T22:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=103638"},"modified":"2020-06-17T15:55:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-17T22:55:57","slug":"ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-8a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/06\/17\/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-8a\/","title":{"rendered":"VEN. ELLAWALA MEDHANANDA Part 8A"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Ven. Ellawala Medhananda paid special\nattention to the Buddhist archaeological remains in the North and east. He\nexplored as much as he could in these two provinces, using his own resources He\nfound that the north and east had many Buddhist ruins and many explorations\nwere needed, before they could be fully examined and recorded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If one travels north along the sea\ncoast road, starting from Trincomalee town, one can see many Buddhist ruins,\neven at present, he observed. Many ruins can be seen at Ridikanda area in Trincomalee\ndistrict as well. In Batticaloa district, in the deep forest,\nthere is Vasibandagala,   Atubandagala, Iddagala,\nNelugala, and Mavulivala, full of ruins which have not been explored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\nfound that the public did not know that there had been a vibrant Buddhist\ncivilization in the north and east. Nobody had gone and researched there. So,\nfor several years, after each exploration, Medhananda wrote up his findings and\nsent them \u2018Divaina\u2019 newspaper. These writings were very popular.\nThousands of readers have encouraged me by letter and phone calls, after\nreading what I wrote, said Medhananda.  Medhananda\nmade\nparticular mention of Prof Wijaya Dissanayake, then in\nLondon. \n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda was repeatedly   asked to put his writings into one book. The\nresult was, Pacina passsa,\nuttara passa, nagenahira palata ha uturu palate Sinhala Bauddha Urumaya\u201d\n(Dayawansa Jayakody, 2003). The book has gone into five reprints, the last was\nin 2013. It is a substantial text of 536 pages, giving detailed descriptions of\nthe ruined Buddhist viharas and monasteries. This book has been translated into\nEnglish as \u2018The Sinhala Buddhist heritage in the east and north of Sri Lanka\n(Dayawansa Jayakody, 2005) .This is not a very good translation and has many\nomissions. I would therefore advise readers to go direct to the Sinhala\noriginal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\nhas prepared a set of maps which showed the Buddhist ruins found by him, which\nare NOT shown on the map compiled by the Department of Archaeology. The\nmaps   therefore only show the places Medhananda\nhas found, they do not show all the Buddhist ruins found in the Province. This\nshould be kept in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\u2018s\nmaps shows 17 new\nlocations   for Jaffna, including 4 on the smaller islands  and 19 for Vavuniya and Mullaitivu   Mannar has 32 places, of which 15 are lined\nalong the sea coast.  The\nmap of the Eastern province showed Ampara 22 places, many along the coast or\nnear it, Trincomalee   6, and Batticaloa 4.  These maps are found   in the English translation, not in the\nSinhala original. Medhananda says this list is incomplete. \u2018There should be\nmuch more than we found.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda was able to explore the Eastern Province with greater freedom than the north.\u00a0 Medhananda has explored 80 Buddhist sites In the Eastern province. They included Agbo Raja Maha Vihara, \u00a0Ariyakara Raja Maha Vihara, Bollegama Raja Maha Vihara,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Balahandu vihara, Bambaragastalawa vihara, Boralukanda temple, Nilaveli. Bowattegala vihara,\u00a0\u00a0 Buddhangala hermitage,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dighavapi,\u00a0 Diviyagala vihara ,\u00a0\u00a0 Ganegama vihara ,\u00a0 Girikumbara vihara ,\u00a0 Habutala Karandahela vihara ,\u00a0 Harasgala vihara , Henanegala cave temple,\u00a0 Illukpitiya kanda len vihara Ampara. Kalkulam Udagala Dagoba,\u00a0 Kiliveddi bodiya, Kirivehera\u00a0 Raja Maha Vihara,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kombanachhi Ruhunu Somawathi vihara , Kongala natabun vihara ,\u00a0 Kopavela vihara , Kotaveheragala vihara ,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kuchchaveli Maha vihara,\u00a0\u00a0 Kudimbigala\u00a0 hermitage,\u00a0 Kukuluvagala vihara, Lankapatuna Samudragiri vihara , Linemalai Sipavata vihara , Malayadikanda vihara, \u00a0Namalu vihara , Nawinna\u00a0 Raja Maha Vihara ( Ampara),\u00a0 \u00a0Neelagiri\u00a0 vihara and cave,\u00a0 Niyaguna kanda vihara ,\u00a0 Okanda vihara ,\u00a0 Omunugala cave temple,\u00a0 Panama raja maha vihara , Piyangala vihara ,\u00a0 Pulakunava Maha vihara ,\u00a0 Rajagala Maha vihara , Ratgala vihara ,\u00a0 Rugama\u00a0 Piyakalutota vihara,\u00a0 Ruhunu magul maha vihara ,\u00a0 Samangala hermitage, ,Samudragiri,\u00a0 Sastravela vihara , Seruwila vihara ,\u00a0 Sri Pana Raja Maha Vihara, Potuvil, Tilapola pansala, \u00a0\u00a0Tiriyaya, Udayagiri Raja Maha Vihara ,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vedikkinarmalai rock temple,\u00a0 Veheragala cave temple, Veheragama kubira therun vanaya Ampara,\u00a0 Veherakema\u00a0 Mavala vihara , Velatti badda\u00a0\u00a0 aramaya and\u00a0 Velgam vihara.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda has also\nlooked at ruins. These are generally of monasteries or vihara, but some were\nsettlements. Medhananda found ruinsat\nAnanda kulam ,  Agbo Raja Maha\nVihara  , Allai, Arantawala \nBalagala, Bandaraduva\n,Buriyakulam kanda , Dighavapi,    Etha bandi wewa, Galkanda\n,  Hingurana sugar factory (ruins near\nit).  Ichchalanpattai, Kadolupotana kanda  Kandikudichchi aru, Kondavattavana,   Koravanvadu, Kantalai  track 6 and track 13 ruins,   Kivulevatta ,  Kulankullimalai  , Kunchinamalai, Mulgama kanda. Moraha\nPokuna, Mundikulam\nmalai   Narakamulla, Nuwaralagala,  Padi kemgala, Pallewela, Paragahakele,  Pulmoddai ,  Punyadi  , \nRidikanda  Ranankaduwa,  Sembumalai\nSerupitiya, Seruwila, Sunetra wewa, Taravakulam,   Tirumangala, Toppigala , Valmandiyagala  Veheragala, Veheragoda , \nVeherakema, Veheratenna, and \nVilankulam.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\nhas also looked at ancient wewas in the Eastern Province.  He found 115 ancient  wewa in Ampara district, 64 in Batticaloa\ndistrict  and 300 in Trincomalee\ndistrict.  In  Batticaloa and Trincomalee most of the  wewa were known a \u2018kulam\u2019. Medhananda has also\nlisted  66 ancient wewas mentioned\nin  inscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nmade it a point to record the ancient names of the places he explored. Mahakaccakodiya vihara in Vavuniya was\nTittavalkada, . Kuchchaveli maha vihara was Samudradevi\nvihara.  Verugal was originally Veheragala. Kottiyar\npattu was Kotthasara.   Panama  \nwas known as Vajana rata  in 7th century.  A Gama donated to an aramaya become ‘aramagam’\nwhich became ‘Arugam’. Rugam is the Tamilisation of this, said Medhananda .  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  commented on the ruins he saw. The Yan Oya\nvalley is studded with many stupas and other buildings, he said.   Inscriptions show that there were\nBuddhist settlements there. At Lankapatuna Medhananda Found  an unprotected  moonstone, the rest have been destroyed. I found 6 inscriptions  there. After I told them the Department of\nArchaeology went and copied the  inscriptions.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most number of ruins were found at Ampara. One and a half miles to the east of the\npreset Devalahinda school, Ampara, there are many ruins of stupas, ponds, Buddha\nfoot prints, and asanagharas. there is a wall fortification 7\u2019 wide, stretching\nfor a distance of about 600 feet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sembumale\nmonastery complex spreads over an area of more than hundred acres. Somawathi\nvihara, Kombanachchiya had ruins no one has seen before. Places like Diviyagala, Damana and\nTimbirigolle in the vicinity also have inscriptions and ruins. Budu patum kande\nis  \u2018full of ruins\u2019. Medhananda  found a sandaka pahana there, also interesting  bricks.  \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veherakema, \noriginally known as  Mavala\nvehera   is in the middle of the Lahugala\nforest. Medhananda took four hours to travel \nthe 7 or 8 miles to get there. he was the first to explore  Veherakema. He found a huge rock with the\nruins  of a probable padhanaghara,\ncolumns  6 or 7  feet high and a plain moonstone without\ndecoration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nRajagala.  Veheragoda wewa  had a \nkalugal sorrowwa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Karandahela, 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\ndeep  with circumference of  7\u2019 2\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Veheragalkanda, Medhananda   saw a foundation , 50\u2019 x50\u2019 with stone door\nframe facing the east 9\u20198\u201d in height There was another structure,  18\u20198\u2019  by 14 \u20181\u201d \nwith ten pillars in the middle, this\ncould be a  gigantic doorway, said\nMedhananda . When I first visited  the\nplace  there was a torso of a statue\nlying  there but \u2018now it is not to be\nseen\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambaragastalawa\nhas  acres of  ruins, many, many stupa on hill tops and flat\nground,  also remains of viharas,  image houses, as well as steps, pillars\nand   caves. There was no  road access to Bambaragastalawa. Medhananda\nhad to go through dense forest inhabited by wild animals.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nsaid that many of the places he saw have not been looked at by the  Department of Archaeology. There are far more\nBuddhist ruins in Trincomalee district than the 54 given  by the Department, Medhananda said. In our\nexploration at Digamadulla, too we found many inscription and ruins never seen\nbefore. The ruins around Dighavapi have not been explored, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  \nhad explored Bambaragastalawa,     \nLenama, Budubava, Nalitta,   and\nfound ruins which the Department of Archaeology had not found. There are no reports in the Department of\nArchaeology as to the ruins at Mahapattuva , 8 km from Timbirigolla Vidyalaya.  I found very fine archaeological  ruins at Kadavat maduva near Batticaloa  railway station.  No\none had looked there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toppigala has not  been properly explored by the Department  of Archaeology .   Medhananda found 150 archaeological sites in\nToppigala. All hillsides around Toppigala \nsuch as Motagala, Vesibandagala, \nAtubandagala, Varakamulla, \nKunchinamalai,  Devinigala,  Kavinigala, had vihara on it. Every\nhill side  around Thoppigala has a ruin\nof  an aramaya. There were inscriptions too. I spend 8 days\nexploring in Toppigala jungles, said Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viharagal kanda\nat Trikonamadu  has ruins extending for\n10 acres. These have not been explored before. The  ruins of \nstupa, walls, caves,  asanaghara\ncould be seen. There is an ancient wewa near ruins. The archaeological sites   at Vasi\nbandagala,  Atubandagala, Iddagala, Nelugala,  Mavulivala, have not been explored before. There\nare lots of ruins . Siripalena, Siluminiseya, Devagala in Maduruoya  valley also \nhave unseen ruins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area north of\nBadulla \u2013Eravur has not been  explored.\nLots of  Buddhist      sites there in the forests, also ruins of\nirrigation schemes. There are Buddhist ruins also at Perillaveli\nin Eravur pattu, Batticaloa district. These are in dense forest and have not\nbeen seen by the  Department of\narchaeology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  \nfound  that many areas, now thick\nforest,  had been populated in ancient times.\nThe whole Thottama area was \npopulated.  A part was at\nDigamadulla under Ruhuna, a part was under Wellassa. Irrigation\nchannels at Valmandiyagala showed\nthat this was a large settlement. Periyakulam is\nactually Manamatta wewa and is part of the Sinhala irrigation  schemes.  Kannimaduwa inscription  refers to Salapavu vehera and its villages,\nsaid Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  found 114 wewas at Dimbulagala  as well as an area which had held paddy fields\nin the  ancient  period.\n.<\/em> <\/em>Harasgala and\nSerankada vihara  near Maha oya were\nprosperous in ancient times said Medhananda. Veherapokuna\nin Maduru oya valley was an important \nstopping place between Magama and Jaffna.  Ruins at Velatti\nbadda       aramaya in Uhana, shows that\nthis was a very developed aramaya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The north and the east were a part of the  ancient Raja Rata, explained Medhananda .\nThe Raja rata was\ndivided into uttara passa (\nnorth) dakkhina, ( south)  pacina, (east) and  pajjima (west) .  Each\ndivision was ruled by officer appointed by king, said Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\u2019s explorations confirmed that the\nEastern province was originally Sinhala  Buddhist. Medhananda found\nthat in  the east, Kumbukkan oya had Kamboja\ngama, Heda oya bank had Mayvelesa gama,   Gal\noya had Dighavapi.\nBatticaloa  had  Kasaba\nnagara,  Giritisa gama,Karaginitisa gama,\nVilagama,  Malu gama.  Vihara gala ara,(  Verugal aru \ntoday)   had  Dahadiya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 At Pulukunava \nthere are ruins all over the place. You see caves all over the hillside,\nwith and without drip ledge and inscription. There are about 70 caves of\ndifferent sizes.    This whole area has\nbeen a developed Sinhala Buddhist area, said Medhananda . Sipavata vihara at Linemalai on Potuvil\n\u2013Akkaraipattu road, Ampara, has inscriptions which have not been examined. They\nindicate that this area was once a \nBuddhist agricultural area.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panam pattu,  today has Helawa Eliya, a Sinhala gama. Tilapola\npansala near Kallar,  \u2018also has a Sinhala gama  today,\u2019\nsaid Medhananda .  In 1806, the AGA  had found 7  Sinhala villages,  Halava, Okanda,  Kumana, Potana, Yala, Buttuwa, Palatupana  in Panama. Today there are just two villages\nleft, Panama and Kumana and they are destitute, said\nMedhananda.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inscriptions in Mahaweli region  indicate  that\nthere were many \nsettlements there.\nThese\nareas were suitable for agriculture.\nThere was flat land and water.  At least 25,000 settlements would have been\nthere, said Medhananda\n. There were two\nancient towns, Seru and Soma between Veheragala \naru and Mahaweli.\n(\ncontinued) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Ven. Ellawala Medhananda paid special attention to the Buddhist archaeological remains in the North and east. He explored as much as he could in these two provinces, using his own resources He found that the north and east had many Buddhist ruins and many explorations were needed, before they could be fully examined […]<\/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-103638","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\/103638","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=103638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103638\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}