Anuradhapura
128 miles (205km) from Colombo is Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka’s first capital
founded about the 4th century BC. According to the Mahavansa, the Sinhala Buddhist
chronicle, the city was a model of planning. Precincts were set aside for huntsmen
and scavengers and even heretics and foreigners. There were hostels and hospitals,
separate cemeteries for high and low castes. A water supply was assured by the
construction of reservoirs.
More than a hundred years before Tsin-Shee Hwang-Tee had set his millions of
laborers at work on the great wall of China, ancient Anuradhapura was a flourishing
city and the capital of Lanka, as the island was called by the ancients. It
was a youthful contemporary of Babylon and Nineveh, greater than either in territorial
area, and was in its glory and amplitude when Rome and Carthage were young.
Anuradhapura was to continue for over a thousand years as the national capital.
During that time there were 123 kings. Archeological excavations in Anuradhapura
confirm that people lived in the area as early as 500 B.C. According to the
Mahavamsa, the Sinhala Buddhist chronicle, there were three "Anuradhas"
for whom the city was named. The first and most likely, was a general of prince
Vijaya, the north Indian rebel, who was considered to be the forefather of the
Sinhala race. Anuradhapura remained the capital of Sri Lanka until the 10th
century A.D. The city of Anuradhapura, in its heyday, was the greatest city
of all. It covered some 20 square miles, and its population was estimated to
be in the tens of thousands. The king lived in a palace with 1,000 rooms, in
the center of the city. According to the Mahavansa the city was a model
of planning. Precincts were set aside for huntsmen and scavengers and even heretics
and foreigners. There were hostels and hospitals, separate cemeteries for high
and low castes. A water supply was assured by the construction of reservoirs.
But internecine struggles for the royal succession grew, and it became more
and more vulnerable to the pressures of South Indian political expansion. The
city was finally abandoned and the capital withdrawn to more secluded areas.But
the monuments of Anuradhapura’s heyday survive, surrounded by the solemn
umbrage of trees, scions of ancient parkland.
|
Abhayagiri Dagoba, shown here, was founded as a monastery, about 88 B.C.,
by Sinhalese King Vattagamini. A hundred and fifty years before Vespasian
had begun the great amphitheatre at Rome, Walagambahu, this Lankan king,
had completed the Abhayagiria Dagoba, a monumental structure fifty feet
higher than St. Paul's Cathedral, and containing an amount of solid masonry
sufficient to build eight thousand houses large enough to accommodate
forty thousand people.
Dagoba or Stupa: Most Buddhist shrines are near or associated
with a "dagoba" or a "stupa." These are buildings
that are built in a round shape with a point on the top. They are not
places where one goes to worship inside. Rather they are places to store
the ashes of monks. Every major Buddhist site as many of these shrines
or temples. All monks are cremated at death. In fact, most Buddhist's
would prefer to be cremated. However, in Sri Lanka (as in many countries)
cremation is actually much more expensive than burial. Consequently, it
is rare in Sri Lanka that anyone who is not a monk is cremated.
|
 |
 |
The weathered limestone statue of Samadhi
Buddha, now under a protective canopy in a park-like setting, is the
first important relic the visitor comes accross in the Abhayagiri complex.
The image is depicted in the serene state of Samadhi, or deep meditation
and is considered to be one of the best examples in the area. Note that
the numerous lotus flowers or other offerings placed by the faithful at
the stone bench in front of the Buddha. This is typical at all statuse of
Buddha throughout the country. |
 |
This is the site of a large ancient Buddhist monastery at Anuradhapura,
probably circa 700 A.D.. The long carved granite trough to the right of
the tree was the "feeding" trough. It was the practice in those
days that everyone living in the village would prepare their meals for
their family and then take one portion to the monastery and place it in
this trough for the monks. Then at the appointed time(s) the monks would
come to the trough to take their meal (usually rice with some spices or
vegetables). As you can imagine, the taste must have been interesting
with each family bringing its own recipe for that meal.
To the right of the trough is a set of stairs leading to the main dining
room. There were probably tables here where the monks would sit to have
their meal. It is believed that this monastery probably had over 5,000
monks (including the children). Children were brought into the monastery
as early as 4 or 5 years old. Even today, children are chosen to be amonk
by the casting of their horoscope. It is the interpretation of that horoscope
that determines whether they should become a monk.
|
|
A little north-east of the statue of Samadhi Statue is a sight
one might expect to see in an European setting, perhaps at Tivoli Gardens
in Italy or Versailles in France. The pair of Ponds (kuttam pokuna)
are in the Abhayagiri compound and were used as ritual baths by the monks
who lived there. Notice the granite steps that go to the bottom of the
pond - in an area where rains are few and far in between the changing
water levels may have dictated such a design.
|
Our guide indicated that the hierarchy among monks (senior
to junior) determined in what order they were to bathe. The youngest
did not bathe at all in these large pools, they were only allowed to
dip their toes in while sitting on the side. Notice the detailed carving
of the stairs and other stonework that would normally be underwater.
During the rainy season, the water covers up to at least a foot above
the first seat.
|
|
|
This white dagoba — The Ruwanweli Seya (also known as the
Maha Thupa or Great Stupa) — was constructed in the 2nd century
B.C. by Emperor Dutugamunu. It is considered the greatest of the dagobas
at Anuradhapura. Of the eight sites in Anuradhapura that are sacred to
the Sri Lankan Buddhists, Ruwanweli Seya ranks second. Only the
Sri Maha Bodhi (the sacred Bo Tree taken from the original Bo Tree in
India) is considered more sacred. In popularity however, among the Sri
Lankans as well as among the visiting tourists, Ruwanweli Seya leads the
way by a considerable margin.
The original stupa was modeled in the shape of a pure "water bubble".
On the south-west side of the compound there is a small dagoba that has
this same shape. This may have been used as a model for the great stupa.
The larger-than-life statue of the dignified man, respectfully watching
the dagoba is considered to be Dutugmunu himself. On the west side of
the compound, Basawakkulama tank dates back to the 4th century B.C. and
is probably the oldest tank in Sri Lanka.
The base is supported by a ring of carved elephants, of which a few stone
originals stand near the west door. The remainder are modern restorations.
|
|
The Jetavanarama, a marvel of the heretic King Mahasena, is the
biggest dagoba in the world, currently only a little smaller than the
Great Pyramid of Egypt. The massive monument covers 8 acres of land and
originally rose to over 400 feet. It is estimated to have housed about
3000 monks. After finishing the reconstruction it is said that the crystal
top will shine 152 m above the spectator. In other words the construction
will be higher than the pyramid of Cheops in Gizeh.
|
|
| The original Thuparama dagoba northwest
of the Ruwanveli Maha Seya, is the oldest in the country. Built by
King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century B.C., this dagoba, very sacred
to buddhists all over the world, is believed to enshrine the right collarbone
of Lord Buddha, which was a gift from Emperor Asoka after the introduction
of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. The original dagoba resembled "heap of paddy"
and built of earth alone. In 2nd century B.C. it was enclosed in a vatadage
(round house) built of wood. In the 7th century the wood pillars were replaced
with stone pillars, some of which are still standing today. The present
day dagoba was built in the 1860's |
|
|
Sacred Bo Tree - After the fall of Anuradhapura, the kings moved
the capital to Polonnaruwa, and the once magnificent city was left to
the will of the dry zone tropical jungle for about eight hundred years.
During this time, only the sacred "Bo" Tree, started from a
sapling of the ficus religiosa under which Siddhartha Gauthama attained
enlightenment, was continually cared for. This sacred "Bo" tree
is the oldest historically documented tree on earth. This tree has been
tended devotedly for nearly 23 centuries, even after the city came under
the rule of north Indian Dravidian conquerors
The branches of this sacred "Bo" tree, with a recorded history
of more than 2,100 years, seems very slight and fragile. For this reason
the branches are supported with iron crutches to prevent any mishaps during
heavy rains or strong wind storms. The tree stands among other younger
trees, on a special platform, protected by a gold plated railing. It is
believed that most of the older Bo trees in Sri Lanka and some in other
Buddhist countries are descendants of this sacred tree.
|
|
Maggie McVay Lynch
Last Updated: December 24, 2002
