සීගිරිය | Sigiriya

සීගිරිය (සිංහ ගිරිය ) පර්වතය අතීතයේ දී රජ මාලිගයක් ලෙස මෙන්ම බලකොටුවක් ලෙසද භාවිතා වී ඇත.

මාතලේ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ පිහිටා ඇති සීගිරිය පර්වතය ආශ්‍රිතව එකල පැවති ඉදිකිරීම් වන උද්‍යාන, වැව්, ජල අමුණු ඇතුළු විධිමත් නගර නිර්මාණසැලසුම් පිළිබඳව සාක්ෂි අද ද දක්නට හැක.

දෙස් විදෙස් සංචාරකයින්ගේ අනිවාර්ය ගමනාන්තයක් වන සීගිරිය වඩාත්ම ලොව පතල ඇත්තේ, පර්වතයේ ඇඳි සීගිරි අප්සරාවන්ගේ සිතුවම් සහ කැටපත් පවුරේ කුරුටු ගී නිසාවෙනි.
සීගිරිය ලොව අටවන පුදුමය ලෙස ද මෑතකදී නම් කෙරිනි.

සීගිරිය ක්‍රි.පූ. 7 වන සියවසේ රජ කල කාශ්‍යප රජුගේ රජ මාලිගය යි. ඔහු තම පියා වූ ධාතුසේන රජු මරා දැමීමත්, ඉන් අනතුරුව සීගිරියට පලාවිත් සීගිරිය පර්වතය රජ මාලිගය මෙන්ම තම සොයුරු මොග්ගල්ලාන ගෙන් අනාගතයේ ඇතිවිය හැකි ආක්‍රමණයන්ගෙන් ආරක්ෂා වීමට බලකොටුවක් ද තැනීම පිළිබඳව ඓතිහාසික තොරතුරු මහාවංශයේ සඳහන් වේ.

කෙසේ වුවත් ක්‍රි.පූ.7 වන සියවසට පෙර සිටම ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික යුගයේ පටන් සීගිරියේ සංඝාවාස පැවති බව ද නොයෙකුත් කැණීම් සහ පෞරාණික සටහන් සනාථ කරයි.

නමුත් සීගිරිය අලංකරණය කොට විශිෂ්ට නගර නිර්මාණ සැලසුම් සහිතව ඉදිකර ඇත්තේ කාශ්‍යප රජු විසිනි.
පර්වතයේ බටහිර දෙසින් වන්නට ඇත්තේ රාජකීයයන් සඳහා ඉදිකල උද්‍යානායයි. මනාව සැලසුම් කල ජල කළමනාකරණ ක්‍රම සහිතව ජලතටාක මෙහි ඉදිකොට ඇති අතර අදද මෙහි ක්‍රියාකාරීත්වය එලෙසම පවතී.
දකුණු දෙසින් වන්නට ඉදිකර ඇති වැවක් ද පර්වතයට ඇතුළු වීමට ප්‍රවේශ මාර්ග 5ක් ද ඉදිකර ඇත.
ඉන් බටහිර දෙසින් වන්නට ඇති ප්‍රවේශ මාර්ගය රාජකීයයන් සඳහා වන්නට ඇතැයි සැලකේ.

පර්වතයේ ඉදිකොට ඇති කැටපත් පවුරට ඒ නම ලැබී ඇත්තේ එවකට එය කැඩපතක් තරමටම ඔප දමා තිබූ බැවිනැයි පැවසේ. සීගිරිය නරඹන්නට පැමිණි සංචාරකයින් ඔවුන්ගේ අත්දැකීම් මෙහි කුරුටු ගී ලෙස සටහන් කොට ඇත.
ඒ අතරින් "බුදල්" නම් වන පුද්ගලයෙක් ලියා ඇති පහත සඳහන් වැකියන් කැපී පෙනේ.

"බුදල්මි. සියොවැ ආමි. සීගිරි බැලිමි. බැලු බැලු බොහො දනා ගී ලීලුයෙන් නොලීමි."

පර්වතයේ බටහිර මුහුණතෙහි සිතුවම් කොට ඇති අප්සරාවන්ගේ චිත්‍ර පිළිබඳව නොයෙකුත් මත පවතියි. මේ සිතුවම් අනුරාධපුර යුගයට අයත් යැයි කීවද ඒ චිත්‍ර ශෛලිය අනුරාධපුර යුගයේ චිත්‍ර වලට ශෛලියට පරිබාහිර මෙන්ම අනන්‍ය වන්නකි. මුල් කාලයේදී මෙහි කාන්තා චිත්‍ර 500ක් පමණ තිබූ බව පැවසුනද මිනිස් සහ ස්වාභාවික විපත් නිසාවෙන් වර්තමානේ ඉතිරිව ඇත්තේ ඉන් ඉතාම සුළු ප්‍රමාණයකි.



Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos),[1] which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka.[2][3]



Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha. The garden and palace were built by King Kasyapa. Following King Kasyapa's death, it was again a monastery complex up to about the 14th century, after which it was abandoned. . The Sigiri inscriptions were deciphered by the archaeologist Senarath Paranavithana in his renowned two-volume work, published by Oxford, Sigiri Graffiti. He also wrote the popular book "Story of Sigiriya".[4]



The Mahavamsa, the ancient historical record of Sri Lanka, describes King Kasyapa as the son of King Dhatusena. Kasyapa murdered his father by walling him alive and then usurping the throne which rightfully belonged to his brother Mogallana, Dhatusena's son by the true queen. Mogallana fled to India to escape being assassinated by Kasyapa but vowed revenge. In India he raised an army with the intention of returning and retaking the throne of Sri Lanka which he considered was rightfully his. Knowing the inevitable return of Mogallana, Kasyapa is said to have built his palace on the summit of Sigiriya as a fortress and pleasure palace. Mogallana finally arrived and declared war. During the battle Kasyapa's armies abandoned him and he committed suicide by falling on his sword. Chronicles and lore say that the battle-elephant on which Kasyapa was mounted changed course to take a strategic advantage, but the army misinterpreted the movement as the King having opted to retreat, prompting the army to abandon the king altogether. Moggallana returned the capital to Anuradapura, converting Sigiriya into a monastery complex.

Alternative stories have the primary builder of Sigiriya as King Dhatusena, with Kasyapa finishing the work in honour of his father. Still other stories have Kasyapa as a playboy king, with Sigiriya a pleasure palace. Even Kasyapa's eventual fate is mutable. In some versions he is assassinated by poison administered by a concubine. In others he cuts his own throat when isolated in his final battle.[5] Still further interpretations have the site as the work of a Buddhist community, with no military function at all. This site may have been important in the competition between the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist traditions in ancient Sri Lanka.

http://www.cpcouncil.net/home/45-slideshow/53-sigiriya-lions-rock.html
http://www.sinhalaya.com/network/index.php?topic=3895.0

The Story of Kataragama

Kataragama was living in India with his wife Tevanai, with whom he had a 'tiff'. He left her and went to Ceylon landing at Dondra. Thence he went to Veddahundkanda — a hill above Kataragama—where he lived alone.

One day out hunting he met Walliamma, the adopted daughter of a local Veddha. He proposed marriage and she refused. Thereupon he went and consulted his brother Ganesha and asked for his help.

Next day he appeared as an old Brahmin before Walliamma and asked for food. She gave him some but he said he could not eat it unless he had a drink of water to wash it down. So she agreed to show him the way to the well. On the way he asked her if she was not afraid of living alone in the chena while all the men were away hunting.

She said she was afraid of nothing except elephants. Immediately Ganesha appeared as an elephant and Walliamma clung to Kataragama asking him to protect her (a most amusing fresco of the scene). He said he would do so if she would marry him. She agreed and the elephant disappeared. So Kataragama brought her back to the chena.

On their return her family and friends (Veddhas) rushed out to attack Kataragama whereupon he turned himself into a tree. The Veddhas were proceeding to cut down the tree when at the first blow blood gushed out, so the Veddhas thereby knew him to be a God and agreed to the marriage. Thus Kataragama and Walliamma lived together happily for many years.

After a while Thevanai being tired of being a grass-widow sent Muttulingam Sami—Kataragama's teacher—and a man called Mohamed Navi to search for Kataragam. They searched for a long time and were giving up the task as hopeless when one day Muttulingam Samy found that his opium pipe, which he had left behind the previous day, had been smoked. By this he knew that Kataragam must have done it and that he could not be far off. He was then soon found and was asked to return to India.

At first Kataragam consented but afterwards refused when he was told that Walliamma could not come too. Kataragam however persuaded Muttulingam Samy to stay behind, but Mohamed Navi returned to India and betrayed Kataragam's whereabouts to Thevanai.

Thevanai came forthwith to Ceylon and Kataragam built a Kovil for Muttalingam Samy and a mosque for Mohamed Navi on either side of Walliamma's Devale. And now when the perahera conducts Kataragam to Walliamma's shrine there is a furious bell ringing and beating of drums and other loud noises in Thevanai's shrine to drown Thevanai's cries—or as others say to distract her attention. The noise would do either easily!

It is curious how the part of Mohamed Navi is dragged into the story so as to give the Mohamedans a place in the worship. But they have to "take a back seat" as owing to Navi's betrayal of Kataragama no Mohamedan is allowed to appear within the temple precincts during the perahera under penalty of being beaten

http://kataragama.org/docs/ga1922-kataragama-story.htm

POORWARAMA RAJAMAHA VIHARAYA WEHERAHENA MATARA

Situated at Matara district, in the southern province of Sri Lanka, the temple can be located on the Matara – Kekanadura road via Weherahena about 6km from Matara town. The temple complex, inclusive of all features spreads up to a vast land of three acres. It is also known as the first tunnel temple in the world. The colossal Buddha image which was built after Anuradapura and Polonnaruwa period is also a significant part of the temple.

This temple consists of all the main features such as chetiya (pagoda) sacred Bo-tree and Samadhi Buddha statue. The walls of the tunnel temple are adorned with Buddha frescoes. According to the historical records, the tunnel temple frescoes narrate the Jathaka stories (legends) of Ummagga Jathaka and Umandawa which were written about Pandit Mahewushada (mahoushadha).

The enormous Buddha image which is 88 cubits in height is situated facing to East of the temple. The courtyard has been constructed on the frontage of the statue. There are also two beautiful ponds in the middle of the yard.

http://weherahenatemple.org/

Adam's peak

Though not the highest mountain of Sri Lanka, the striking pyramid of Adam's Peak (7,360 ft) is certainly the most remarkable. A depression in the rocky summit resembles a huge footprint, which has been venerated as a sacred sigh from remote antiquity. This was identified by Buddhists as the Buddha's footprint, by Hindus as that of Shiva, and by Muslims as Adam's. Later the Portuguese attributed it to St. Thomas the Apostle.

The Mahawamsa tells how the sacred footprint was imprinted by the departing Buddha on his third visit to Lanka, but the site did not become an object of regular Buddhist pilgrimage until the Polonnaruwa period, when Vijayabahu I built resting houses for pilgrims and King Nissankamalla himself, in the year 1201, climbed to the top and worshipped the spot.

The Muslim tradition of a footprint of Adam, first of the prophets, goes back to gnostic sources as early as the Mahawamsa itself. According to the legend, Adam was hurled from Paradise for his disobedience and stood in penance for a thousand years on one foot at the top of Adam's Peak, after which he was reunited with Eve on Mt. Arafat overlooking Mecca. By the ninth century, this footprint was consequently considered one of the most sacred sites in the world.

Lankarama

Lankarama was built by King Valagamba, in an ancient place at Galhebakada. Nothing is known about the ancient form of the stupa, and later this was renovated. The ruins show that there are rows of stone pillars and it is no doubt that there has been a house built encircling the stupa (vatadage) to cover it. The round courtyard of the stupa seems to be 10 feet (3 m) above the ground. The diameter of the stupa is 45 feet (14 m). The courtyard is circular in shape and the diameter is 1332 feet (406 m).

ISURUMUNIYA

Isurumuniya is situated near Tisawewa and was built by King Devanampiyatissa to house  500 newly-ordained children of high caste. King Kasyapa I (473-491 AD) renovated this viharaya and named it as "Boupulvan, Kasubgiri Radmaha Vehera". This name is derived from names of his 2 daughters and his name. There is a viharaya connected to a cave and above is a cliff. A small stupa is built on it. It can be seen that the constructional work of this stupa belong to the present period. Lower down on both sides of a cleft, in a rock that appears to rise out of a pool, have been carved the figures of elephants. On the rock is carved the figure of a horse. The carving of Isurumuniya lovers on the slab has been brought from another place and placed it there. A few yards away from this vihara is the Magul Uyana.

Samadhi Statue

Samadhi Statue, in the Mahamevuna Park, is  one of the best pieces of sculpture on the site. The statue is 8 feet (2.4 m) in height and made of granite and the Dhyana mudra is symbolished - The posture of meditation in which Buddha sits in the cross-legged position with upturned palms, placed one over the other on the lap. [edit] Toluwila Statue Which has a close resemblance to the Samadhi statue at Anuradhapura, was found among the ruins in a temple at Toluwila in Anuradhapura. It is 5'9" (1.75 m) in height. The gap between the knees is 5'9" (1.75 m). The width between the shoulders is 3'5" (1.04 m). At present this statue is placed near the main entrance to the Colombo Museum.

https://www.facebook.com/visit.sri.lanka1

POLONNARUWA

Polonnaruwa bears witness to several civilizations, notably that of the conquering Cholas, disciples of Brahminism, and that of the Sinhalese sovereigns during the 12th and 13th centuries. This immense capital created by the megalomaniac sovereign, Parakramabahu I, in the 12th century, is one of history's most astonishing urban creations, both because of its unusual dimensions and because of the very special relationship of its buildings with the natural setting. It is also a shrine of Buddhism and of Sinhalese history. The tooth of the Lord Buddha, a remarkable relic placed in the Atadage under Vijabayahu, was considered as the talisman of the Sinhalese monarchy: its removal by Bhuvanaikabahu II confirmed the decline of Polonnaruwa.

After the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993 by Rajaraja, Polonnaruwa, a temporary royal residence during the 8th century, became the capital. The conquering Cholas constructed monuments to their religion (Brahmnism), and especially temples to Shiva where fine bronze statues, today in the Museum of Colombo, were found. The reconquest of Ceylon by Vijayabahu I did not put an end to the city's role as capital: it became covered, after 1070, with Buddhist sanctuaries, of which the Atadage (Temple of the Tooth Relic) is the most renowned.

The apogee of Polonnaruwa occurred in the 12th century AD. Two sovereigns then proceeded to endow it with monuments. Parakramabahu I (1153-86) created within a triple-walled enceinte a fabulous garden-city, where palaces and sanctuaries prolonged the enchantment of the countryside. The following monuments date from this reign: the Lankatilaka, an enormous brick structure which has preserved a colossal image of Buddha; the Gal Vihara, with its gigantic rock sculptures which may be placed among the chefs-d'œuvre of Sinhalese art; the Tivanka Pilimage, where wall paintings of the 13th century illustrate the jataka (narratives of the previous lives of Buddha), etc. Nissamkamalla hastily constructed monuments that, although less refined than those of Parakramabahu I, were nonetheless splendid: the Rankot Vihara, an enormous stupa 175 m in diameter and 55 m high, is one of the most impressive; its plan and its dimensions are reminiscent of the dagabas at Anuradhapura.

After this golden age, Polonnaruwa underwent a century of difficulties, before its final decline. The city which was invaded by the Tamils and the Maghas, then reconquered in a precarious manner, was only periodically the capital before the end of the 13th century when it was captured in an assault by Bhuvanaikabuha II, who set up his government at Kurunegala.