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Kiri Vehera atPolonnaruwa

Sri Lanka has a history that goes back to the times, six centuries before the birth of Christ. Whenthe Greek empire was expanding in the Mediterranean, and other population centers were emergingfrom the late stone age, Sri Lanka was a country with a highly developed civilization. In the north-central region of the island there were well planned cities, like Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa,

linked by an intricate road system. A marvelous irrigation system of man-made reservoirs, linkedwith wide canals, that are still in use today, provided the essential water to cities as well as farms.

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Abhayagiri Dagoba atAnuradhapura

Buddhism played a major role in the developement of these cities. Elaborate palaces andtemples with great "dagobas" were scatterd among these "tanks"( reservoirs). Unfortunatelythough, while ancient cities in Greece, and Rome were built of stone, the cities in ancient SriLanka were mostly built of wood and clay. The only structures that were of brick and stone,

were the structures that were devoted to the Buddha and his disciples. Abhayagiri Dagobashown here was founded as a monastery, about 88 B.C., by Sinhalese King Vattagamini.

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Kiri Vehera atPolonnaruwa

Buddhism played a major role inthe developement of these cities.Elaborate palaces and templeswith great "dagobas" werescatterd among these

"tanks"( reservoirs).Unfortunately though, whileancient cities in Greece, andRome were built of stone, thecities in ancient Sri Lanka weremostly built of wood and clay.

The only structures that were ofbrick and stone, were thestructures that were devoted tothe Buddha and his disciples.Abhayagiri Dagoba shown herewas founded as a monastery,

about 88 B.C., by Sinhalese KingVattagamini.

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Sri Maha Bodhi atAnuradhapura After the fall of Anuradhapura, thekings moved the capital to

Polonnaruwa, and the oncemagnificent city was left to the will ofthe dry zone tropical jungle for about

eight hundred years. During this time,only the sacred "Bo" Tree, startedfrom a sapling of theficus religiosaunder which Siddhartha Gauthamaattained enlightenment, wascontinually cared for. This sacred

"Bo" tree is the oldest historicallydocumented tree on earth

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Sri Maha Bodhi atAnuradhapura The branches of this sacred "Bo"

tree, with a recorded history ofmore than 2,000 years, seemssurprisingly slight and fragile. For

this reason the branches aresupported with iron crutches toprevent any mishaps during heavyrains or strong wind storms. Thetree stands among other youngertrees, on a special platform,protected by a gold plated railing.

It is believed that most of the olderBo trees in Sri Lanka and some inother Buddhist countries aredescendants of this sacred tree.

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Ruwanveli Maha Seya atAnuradhapura

The Ruwanweli Seya, constructed inthe 2nd century B.C. by EmperorDutugamunu, is without a doubt thegreatest of the of the dagobas atAnuradhapura. Of the eight sites inAnuradhapura that are sacred to theSri Lankan Buddhists, RuwanweliSeya ranks second. Only the SriMaha Bodhi is considered moresacred. In popularity however,among the Sri Lankans as well asamong the visiting tourists,Ruwanweli Seya leads the way by aconsiderable margin. The original

stupa was modeled in the shape of apure "water bubble". On the south-west side of the compound there is asmall dagoba that has this shape.This may have been used as a modelfor the greatstupa. The larger-than-

life statue of the dignified man,respectfully watching the dagoba isconsidered to be Dutugmunuhimself. On the west side of thecompound, Basawakkulama tankdates back to the 4th century B.C.and is probably the oldest tank in SriLanka. The ThuparamaDagoba,north of the Ruwanweli Seya isconsidered to be the oldest dagobain Sri Lanka. It is popularly believed

that the collar bone of Lord Buddhais enshrined within this dagoba.

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Avkana Statue (Before the IllFated Canopy) The great statue of Lord

Buddha at Avkana is 42 feet(13 meters) tall. This statue,that dates back to the 5th

century is considered to be themost magnificent and leastdamaged, of all the ancientstatues in the island. Theoriginal statue, carved out ofsolid rock during the reign of

King Dhatusena, is believed tohave been housed within aprotective "image house".Avkana is about 32 miles (51km) south east ofAnuradhapura

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Avkana Statue (Before the IllFated Canopy) In Sinhala the name "Av-kana"

means "sun-eating", and the bestview of the statue is during theearly hours of the morning.

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Avkana Statue (Before the IllFated Canopy) Perhaps because the

original statue was housedinside an "image house"for at least part of the 15

centuries of tropical sun,wind, and rain, this statueis remarkably well

preserved.

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Avkana Statue (With the Canopy)

This somewhat controversial brick structure (image house) waserected over the statue recently, in the hope of protecting it frommodern day perils, like acid rain. The structure is believed to be

similar in design to the original image house.

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The historic Avukana Buddhastatue is now open again forpublic veneration after theremoval of its canopy by theArchaeological Department forsafety reasons. The canopy whichis a brick structure was put up (inthe late seventies / early eighties)at a cost of Rs. 1.35 million. Thecanopy was removed for fear thatthe seepage of water mixed with

chemicals used in making thebrick and mortar for the canopy,would damage the serene Buddhastatue.

Avkana Statue With theCanopy

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Royal Baths atPolonnaruwa A little north of Polonnaruwa Gal

Vihare complex, is the late 12thcentury Lotus Bath. This uniquestone bath is built to represent aneight petaled lotus with four tiers.It is believed to be a part of theJetavana Monastary complex,which consisted of some fivehundred buildings at its peak

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Dambulla Cave Temple

Of all the cave temples in Sri Lanka, the five caves that form theRaja Maha Vihara at the village ofDambulla, by far is the most impressive. Dambulla is about 12 miles south west of Sigiriya, on theMatale-Anuradhapura Road. The largest cave carries some 48 statues of Lord Buddha alone, withstatues of some Hindu gods, (Vishnu and Saman). The statues of the Hindu gods date back to the12th century, when Hinduism took root in Sri Lanka and started influencing the arts. The history ofthe caves themselves dates back to the 2nd or 1st century B.C., whenKing Valagam Bahu who wasescaping the invading army that drove him out of Anuradhapura, took refuge in these caves.

d

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Guardstone atLankatilleke

Guardstones are always found inpairs, guarding the entrances totemples, dagobas, palaces or otherimportant buildings. The guardstoneshown here is at the entrance to the

Lankatilleke image house inAnuradhapura. Another popularguardstone pair can be found at theentrance to the Thuparama complex,also in Anuradhapura

I i R k T l

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Isurumuniya Rock Temple

I i

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IsurumuniyaLovers Isurumuniya was built in the 3rd

century B.C. as a part of a monasticcomplex. At the southern end of theRoyal Pleasure Gardens, thatcomprises some 400 acres on theshores of Tissa Weva, sits thefamous Isurumuniya Rock temple.Built around two enormous rocks,this temple complex is the home ofthe most famous rock carving in theregion. The carving itself, popularly

known as "the Lovers" dates back tothe 6th century, and the style is ofIndian origin. The figures depictedare believed to be that of Saliya, theson of King Dutugamunu, and thelow caste maiden whom he loved.

G d St i t Mihi t l

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Grand Stairway at Mihintale

About 7 miles (11 km) east of Anuradhapura, the rocky hill of Mihintale is the cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. For, in the year 247 B.C.it was here that King Devanampiyatissa had his encounter with Mahinda, the first Buddhist missionary, and was converted to the newreligion. Mihintale, the Hill of Mahinda, soon became a center of Buddhist learning. To get to the summit of this, slightly over 1000 foothill, pilgrim and visitor must climb over 1800 shallow steps. The staircase, now flanked by flowering frangipani trees, dates back to the

reign of King Bhathika Abhaya (22 B.C. to 7 A.D.). During thePoson, full moon in May / June the hill and the stairway gets transformedinto a mass of white, as the Buddhists from all over the country make a pilgrimage to Mihintale.

M t At

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Moonstone AtAnuradhapura

Moonstones and Guardstones are generally found at entrances or at the bottom of stairwaysto temples, shrines, dagobas, and other important buildings. These are considered to be themost characteristic forms of classical Sinhala sculpture. Moonstone is a semi-circular slabof stone with richly carved bands of animals, lion, bull, elephant and horse in particular. Aclose inspection of these bands will reveal that each pose of each animal is slightlydifferent to the previous pose, almost like the adjoining "cels" in a Disney cartoon.

R li i B ddh t

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Reclining Buddha atPolonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa was the capital of Sri Lanka from the 11th to the 13th century, with only a dozen rulers.(Anuradhapura was the capital for 1,400 years with 123 kings). The ruins of Polonnaruwa, therefore,are in much better state of preservation.Anuradhapura, the capital, fell to the invading Cholas (from India) in the 11th century who set up their

capital in Polonnaruwa. Late 11th century, King Vijayabahu I, captured the city from the invaders andset up his capital there. The remainder of his regime he spent developing the city and its surroundings.

"Th S " (P k b h I) t

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"The Sage" (Parakramabahu I) atPolonnaruwa

A King or a Sage ?. This larger-than-life size statue on the shores ofParakrama Samudra in Polonnaruwa is believed to be that of the great kingParakramabahu I, by a large number of scholars. But there is another schoolof thought that believe it to be that of a Buddhist sage holding a stack of

manuscripts written on ola (cured palm) leaves

The Image Ho se of

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The Image House ofLankaTillake atPolonnaruwa

This massive brick structure in

Polonnaruwa is part of theAlahana Pirivena, a 12th century

monastic complex. The buildingstands about 170 feet long, 60

feet wide, and about 60 feet high.The interior walls of the building

still has traces of murals thatonce decorated them. A headless

statue of a standing Lord Buddhain the back wall dominates theimage house. Note the two

guardstones on either side of thestairs.

Gal Vihare at

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Gal Vihare atPolonnaruwa

The work was continued in the late 12th century, by King Parakramabahu I, under whose guidance, thegreat tank, Parakrama Samudra (sea of Parakrama), city fortifications and a large number of thebuildings were constructed.Of all the ancient buildings and sculptures at Polonnaruwa, none is more impressive than the sculptures

at Gal Vihare. The four statues that date back to the mid-12th century, cut from a single granite wall,rank among the best of ancient Sri Lankan art.

Sigiriya Rock in the Morning

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Sigiriya Rock in the MorningMist

Fifteen centuries ago, for 18 years from 477 to 495 A.D., Sigiriya wasthe capital of Sri Lanka. The eldest son of King Dhatusena, PrinceKasyapa, whose mother was a commoner, fearing that his youngerbrother whose mother was of royal blood, will succeed the aging fatherto the throne, entombed the father alive within a wall, and took over the

kingdom.

Lonely Rock Fortress or Great

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Lonely Rock Fortress or GreatCitadel

Kasyapa, now King, fearing his brother will return one day and retake the throne, set up his kingdomon top of the Sigiriya rock which is a natural fortress with a clear view of any approaching armies. Hebuilt a beautiful city at the foot of the massive rock, with pleasure gardens, ponds, wide avenues, and

with all other amenities that were fit for a king. In the mean time the younger son, Moggallanaescaped to India to build an army to avenge the murder of their father.

Lion's Terrace Portal to the

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Lion s Terrace - Portal to theSummit

The entrance to the harrowing path that led to the summit starts at the Lion's Terrace, onethird of the way to top. The early visitors began the final ascent through a gigantic lion's(sinha - lion) throat (giriya - throat), a sculpture that reached half way up the monolith. Todayonly the paws of this lion remain. The pathway to the summit runs along the northern andwestern sides of the rock face. Shielding a section of this pathway is a high wall, with plasterthat was polished to a mirror finish. After some 15 centuries of exposure to tropical weather,this mirror like finish still remains in pristine condition.

A Stairway to a

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A Stairway to aPalace Prince Moggallana, as expected,

returned to Sri Lanka with an army ofSinhala and Indian (Chola) soldier andengaged Kasyapa in battle. Thebrothers were on the backs ofelephants, and Kasyapa's elephant,sensing a hidden swamp ahead of himturned aside to avoid it. Kasyapa'sarmy, in confusion, thought that theKing was retreating and broke up,leaving the king defenseless. Kasyapa,

fearing the dire consequences ifcaptured, took his own life "harakiri"style, by severing his own head.

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View of the Summit

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View of the Summit( Sigiriya)

The entire top surface of the rock fortress, about 3 acres in area, was used to the full.Every drop of water that fell on the rock was collected with an intricate system ofchannels, enough even for a bathing pool on the top. Every square inch of the surface wasused so effectively, even by today's standards, it is a marvel of engineering with palaces,

water gardens, temples and shrines, and a throne cut out of solid rock and numerous otherbuildings

The Hardest Part - Climbing Down !!

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The Hardest Part - Climbing Down !!( Sigiriya ) Imagine the climb to the summit of

the giant monolith, many centuriesago, with no hand rails or foot holds.Imagine also a sudden monsoon

rainstorm that can make the rocksurface slippery and treacherous. Yetthe people have been doing exactlythat for generations. Today the visitorto the Sigiriya can expect all theluxuries of a modern touristdestination. Sprawling on a

beautifully landscaped 23 acres ofland, in the "Sigiriya Village" thereare clusters of rooms for over-nightstay, decorated with different themes,a farm to grow the freshestvegetables for guest's consumption, a

children's center with a residentnurse, a medical center and a fitnesscenter with a jogging track. In theevenings the "Village" also provideentertainment with a local flavor bylocal artists.

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