{"id":104041,"date":"2020-06-28T15:32:17","date_gmt":"2020-06-28T22:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=104041"},"modified":"2020-06-28T15:32:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-28T22:32:17","slug":"ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/06\/28\/ven-ellawala-medhananda-part-10\/","title":{"rendered":"VEN. ELLAWALA MEDHANANDA Part 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Ven. Ellawala Medhananda has spent decades exploring the forgotten temples and monasteries in the Eastern province. His explorations have shown that there was an extensive spread of Buddhist monasteries and forest hermitages in the east in the ancient and medieval periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\u00a0Medhananda discovered hitherto unknown monasteries, forest hermitages, temples, caves, and inscriptions. The Buddhist ruins at Nilaveli are Mahayana, he said.\u00a0 TheSembumalai ruins included a standing Buddha statue in limestone and a lotus pedestal, he recorded. Many ancient buildings went under machinery when the Mahaweli scheme started, he observed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\u2018s explorations have enlarged our knowledge of the Buddhist civilization of the east.\u00a0 Medhananda found that Nelumpath Pokuna in Kumana was known in ancient times as Gosagala Maha vihara. At Nelumpath he found ruins of a stupa, a Padam gala, plenty of bricks and remains of walls and an inscription by\u00a0 Kanittha Tissa, (167-86 AD). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda also found an inscription behind the Kondavattavana army camp, which said the area was Arama gama and\u00a0 the monastery as Ahali Araba. Digamadulla has been administered by its Dandanayake, a person named\u00a0 Sangwe Rakus,.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda\n\u2018s major contribution to the political history of Sri Lanka ,was his\nfindings  on the Magama  kingdom of Ruhuna, (3rd<\/sup> century\nBC). Medhananda \nhad found much information on the Magama kings and the Kavantissa  dynasty in the inscriptions he  discovered. He put it all together and came\nup with a full history of the Magama kingdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  first \nessay on the Magama kings, published in 1950 was praised in ‘Lankadipa’. Encouraged, he published Magama Rajadhaniya\u201d  in 1970, revised in 2012. In 2017, Ven. Medhananda  was invited to  speak at the Archaeological Society of Sri\nLanka, in Colombo. He gave  an excellent,\nwell received   talk on the  Magama kingdom.. I attended this talk.  It is available at https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pxeictgo8cg<\/strong><\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Medhananda views on \u2018Magama Rajadhaniya\u2019 have not been challenged\n, but they have not been recognized either. Sirimal\nRanwella\u2019s History of Ruhuna\u201d   (\nMemoirs of the Archaeological Survey vol XI, 2011) ignores the views of\nMedhananda . Medhananda   is not\nmentioned in the bibliography either. \nHowever, Rajitha Weerakoon  in one of her\nessays on the history of Sri Lanka , \nstated that Gotabhaya and Yatalalatissa were brothers. This was one of\nthe discoveries of Medhananda . http:\/\/archives.dailynews.lk\/2006\/02\/02\/fea02.htm<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  said that term ‘Devanam\nPiyatissa\u201d  was used only  \nfor a king ruling at Anuradhapura , not \nfor those ruling  in Ruhuna. ‘Devanam Piyatissa ‘had been used by\nmore than 18 Sinhalese kings, he added.  \u2018Gamini\u2019\nand \u2018 Aya\u2019   were   used only for the reigning king.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nalso  spoke of the early\nsettlements  in Ruhuna.  He said that initially  there were three settlements, Anurajagama,\nRohana gama and Digayu gama .Medhananda \nhad found inscriptions \u2018everywhere\u2019 \nabout the leaders of these settlements and their parampara. He even  found an inscription at Hambantota where\nAnurajagama is mentioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then arose two parallel kingdoms, the\nKataragama kingdom ruled by the Kataragama clan,   and \nthe Anurajagama kingdom, ruled by the Chandana grama. The Kataragama\ngroup  was later absorbed into the Magama\nkingdom, but the Chandana grama group, \nit appears was not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda found references to Chandana grama\nin his explorations. Chandana grama had ruled \nin the  Kirimakul area. Kirimakul\ninscription  gave the first generations\nof rulers of Chandana grama. Medhananda\nspeculated that  Chandana were  also ruling in the Walawe Ganga region.  Walawe Ganga had ancient settlements said\nMedhananda , there are plenty of ruins to prove it, nobody has explored there. Medhananda \nhad   explored  Videi yaya and Veediya pitiya  in the Walawe forest. He saw ruins and a huge\nancient  road which ended at  the Walawe Ganga. At this point there is  a bridge, said Medhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chandana grama  base was Handagiriya said Medhananda . Medhananda\u2019s booklet, Handagiriya hevat\nSandangana Nuwara\u201d had attracted much attention. It had gone into many\nreprints, and  another revision is\nplanned.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven Ellawala Medhananda  has gone deep into  dense forests and looked at Buddhist\narchaeological  remains  which \nhave not been explored by the \nArchaeological Department. In his writings Medhananda  lists the many areas containing Buddhist\narchaeological remains, which  are not\nunder  the Department of archaeology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have carried\nout these explorations for 40 years, under great difficulty, he said.  He  has\ngone into inaccessible areas. To\nreach Madanakanda, he went to Bokkabadda, then across Kosgaha dola, through a\nchena to Madanakanda. for some\nexplorations he received the support of the army. Medhananda  had \nheard of an inscription in Sampath Nuwara ,Weli oya. It was on top of a\nrock. Army made a ladder  and\nMedhananda  climbed up with difficulty.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He   did\nnot go blindly into unexplored jungle territory, he first made inquiries about\nBuddhist ruins from the people living in the area. Ven.  Kithalagama Seelalankara of Dimbulagala had directed Medhananda to\nseveral historical sites, such as Keteragala, Sorivila, Duvegala, Omunugala,\nKandegama kanda, Siripalana and  \nMutugalle.  Samel, living in Uhana\nhad directed Medhananda to Samangala forest hermitage and to Madanakanda\nlen arama,  to an inscription  he had seen there. The inscription turned out\nto be a valuable one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members of the public also informed him\nof  places they knew of. Jayanti\nLiyanage, living in Mangala oya, Ampara had written to Medhananda giving the\nlocation of ruins in the area she lived in. Medhananda went there and Jayanti\u2019s\nmother and brother had helped him.  He\nfound an ancient wewa, old vihara and an old irrigation system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda had received a letter from a girl\nliving in Arantalawa, telling him that \nthere were  Buddhist ruins there.\nShe had read of his explorations in the papers. She had studied history for her\nA levels. She was presently unemployed and engaged in paddy farming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruins\nin Maha oya in Ampara are  disappearing ,\nshe wrote. Archaeological \nDepartment  is not interested.\nThere was a rock with 4 large stone elephants around it.  but that is \nonly one place.  I have picked up\na piece of clay from the stupa and am keeping it safely. Send me a letter to\nreach me on Wednesday as that is the day we go to the pola, she concluded.\nMedhananda went there and looked at the ruins. Area  has been thickly populated earlier.  He found ruins of irrigation channels.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did not simply explore, I helped the\nimpoverished villages  there.\u201d, said\nMedhananda . He provided  money, food\nclothes, medicines ,books and bank deposits \nfor children in these villages. He  \nhelped  impoverished temples with sivuru\n,pirikara,  and money. I was given a\ngiven a gift of   20 lakhs. its\ninterest  was used to give Rs 2500\nmonthly to   10 temples, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When exploring Henannegala len vihara,  Medhananda had gone in the  evening, past Omuna Nai pen Ella to the cell\nof Seelalankara himi. This was a cave with a coconut thatch roof.  This was a dangerous journey.  Couldn\u2019t take provisions either, it was too\ndifficult. Instead of sugar, they  crushed chilies and drank coffee or tea with\nit.  In the  morning Medhananda  ate     \niringu which was  roasted over\nthe  fire and  was given hot water to drink. \u2018This is to show\nyou the sad  life these monks in these\nareas were leading,\u2019  said Medhananda\n.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda  befriended monks in the remote places he found\nthem in. Medhananda heard that\nLTTE had attacked Piyangala hermitage, Piyangala chief priest was shot\ndead  and the other priests were chased\naway.   Medhananda knew that beyond\nPiyangala there were no settlements till Mangala oya. So the monks would be\nstarving.  Medhananda decided to take dry\nrations to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda prepared three large sackfuls of provisions.\nTold his assistant to bring the sacks by bus from Avissawella to Balangoda. He\nwould meet him there after a sermon at Pathakada. He was planning to  go to \nfrom   Akkaraipattu to Siyambalanduwa, then take  bus to Ampara but the Ampara bus did not\ncome. They set off in another bus which broke down. They paid a passing lorry\nand got to Ampara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CTB depot there  tried to help. They stopped a passing bus and\nasked whether he would take the mail and Medhananda to their destinations. The\nbus driver, a Muslim, said forget the mail bags, I will somehow take the monk\nto Piyangala and drop him there. He  took\nMedhananda , stopped by Piyangala dana sala, \nhelped  unload the bags ,\nworshipped the monk and went away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \nhermitage was deserted, the  monks\nstarving.  They had survived on the leafy\nvegetables available in the forest. Not even a monk of our  sect came to see us. You are the first to\ncome to see us, they told Medhananda . I gave them some money and left, said\nMedhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Ellawala\nMedhananda has spent decades exploring the forgotten temples and monasteries in\nthe Eastern province and to a   lesser\nextent in the north and north western provinces. All three are coastal\nprovinces where the Sinhala Buddhist heritage was getting  systematically displaced by  Tamil and Muslim separatists.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sinhala names are going out of use, it is\nno longer  Kusalana kanda\u201d, and it is\nnow Kunchanamalai\u201d, observed Medhananda . Wilpattu is now coming under Muslim control.\nMuslims have said that there are no Buddhist ruins in Wilpattu and therefore\nMuslim settlements can be permitted. Medhananda has shown that Wilpattu was originally  Buddhist . President Sirisena had used one of\nMedhananda  letter to prove that Wilpattu\nhad Buddhist settlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda was openly anti-LTTE .LTTE had\ndestroyed many ruins said Medhananda . LTTE had bulldozed the standing Buddha\nstatue Paravankandam and destroyed its head completely. The  rest was rescued and  sent\nto Ampara museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kopavela vihara area is going under the LTTE.\nIt  has caves inscription, columns,\nmoonstones,   siripatula, jatra gala, gal\noru,. There is an inscription on Welgaha kandiya wewa bund too. There\nwas a monk,  he was a  teacher at Serankada Vidyalaya. he has\nleft.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Kumbakarna\nmalai, LTTE have built bunkers using the bricks taken from the stupa on the\nrock. LTTE had built a communication tower \nat Lankapatuna. We had visited Girikumbara vihara\nAmpara earlier but  when we went again in\n1986 to see what had happened, no one wanted to drive us there, said Medhananda\n.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda \nhimself had several encounterswith\nthe LTTE.  There was a rock inscription   at Mundikulam malai site, Ampara. Medhananda\nhad missed this on his 1964 visit.He saw it in 1999  but could not take it down as LTTE was lurking\nthere. It was a LTTE base. Medhananda \nsaid he had  first visited\nMundikulammalai ruins in 1964  it was\nfear of wild animals. In 1999 the fear was of the LTTE.   We needed the support of the army and police\nto go there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE had caused much destruction to the stupa\nat Veheragalkanda,  Pulunkunawa. Bricks\nhave been taken to build huts and there was manioc cultivation among the ruins.\nWhen I  went in 1982 they had established\nan Eelam kingdom there. On all hilltops there was the Eelam  symbol drawn in colour.  There was a house built on top of stupa and\nthe owner glared at me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Kahabiliyawa Eramadu Medhananda and his\ngroup faced a mortar attack from LTTE . At\nWalatapitiya   (near Sammanthurai) they\nwere surrounded by LTTE cadres   and kept\nprisoner for several hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda had videoed a partially destroyed\ninscription at Walatapitiya   and got\ninto their vehicle,   when an LTTE\ncadres, a girl about 14 or 15 years, came and put her knee to the front bumper.\n25  boys and girls on bicycles came and surrounded\nthe vehicle and did not let it leave. they said this was Eelam area and Medhananda\n had come without permission of the LTTE\n.They started  scolding in Tamil , and\nbecame aggressive. \u2018They\nwere getting ready to  physically attack\nus. Our lives were in danger   but  about  \n6 pm the girl by the car moved away\u2019 and the  driver on a signal from Medhananda  drove away fast.  \u2018 Some were hit by the   van. Also some bicycles were run over,\u2019 said\nMedhananda . <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group had threatened Medhananda with death\nif he ever came back to inspect the site. Medhananda however, wanted  to return to Walatapitiya to finish his exploration. He went again with Sihala Urumaya, led by\nTilak Karunaratne. The SU  had decided to\naccept the LTTE challenge and take the monk back to the site. The special Task\nForce and the Police were on duty to provide security. But the inscription had\nbeen destroyed . LTTE leader of that area, Vishu ,came on bicycle and watched\nthem, but  we did a thorough exploration. Medhananda  also took the delegation to a place close by\nwhere a kovil was being constructed with the backing of the LTTE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven Ellawala Medhananda  has his own ideas about the ownership of\nBuddhist sites. Over 90 % of the archaeological \nsites are Buddhist   sites, he observed.\nBuddhist places of worship, including Buddhist \nmonastic ruins are the  property\nof the Sangha. They are sites that have been \noffered to the Sangha.  They are\ntherefore the property of the Sangha, not \nthe property of the Department of Archaeology. It is sanghika property.\nThese sites must be removed from the Archaeology  Department and brought under the supervision\nof a special band of monks. At\npresent  if a bhikhhu takes up residence\nin  a temple which is under Archaeology  Department, he is  obstructed. Buddhist monks have a right to be\nthere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medhananda practiced what he preached. In the\n1970s,  bhikkhu Kehelpannala Sugata vansa wanted Medhananda\u2019s  help to set up an aranya in Ritigala. Medhananda\n agreed. \n Ven. Sugata went  ahead to Ritigala and cleared out caves at Andiyakanda. Medhananda   recalled that he went there alone, through\ndense forest with wild elephant and wild buffalo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The route was \nKekirawa- Ganewalpola- footpath through \nGalapitagala junction to Gala pitagala wewa- along its bund to\nAndiyakanda. This was a dangerous journey.\nI now realize this looking back. But I have gone on that road alone, with\nmy  bag, ten or twelve times. But never\nwas  attacked, Medhananda recalled. Medhananda \nthought it was due to his Buddhist beliefs. \u2018Mama yanne budu guna\nsihikaragena\u2019. Medhananda wore a suitable robe and helped  Ven, Sugata construct the kuti at Ritigala. We faced a dharanipata rain. This helped to\nobtain clay ,he said optimistically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude,\nVen Ellawala Medhananda is a courageous, oustspoken bhikkhu. His range of\nactivities is very wide,  possibly more\nthat any other bhikkhu, and he has been effective in all the sectors he has\nworked in . He deserves more recognition than he has received so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition\nto the sources given in the essays, I have also used the biography , Ellawela\nMedhananda hamuduruwo\u201d by Lakshman Kahatapitiya, pub. Dayawansa Jayakody, 2008.\n( CONCLUDED) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Ven. Ellawala Medhananda has spent decades exploring the forgotten temples and monasteries in the Eastern province. His explorations have shown that there was an extensive spread of Buddhist monasteries and forest hermitages in the east in the ancient and medieval periods. \u00a0Medhananda discovered hitherto unknown monasteries, forest hermitages, temples, caves, and inscriptions. The […]<\/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-104041","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\/104041","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=104041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}