Mahawamsa Archives

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Rewriting Srilanka history based on scientific findings – By Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam Image Source : tamilnet Mahawamsa which was first written by Bhikku Mahanama, has documented the history of Srilanka since the 3rd century CE. Though the record has been accepted as correct in most instances, there were discrepancies in para-history and proto-history. The concept of origin of Sinhala race as a result of union of a male lion with female human which is not biologically possible, is not acceptable. Also, the narrative regarding Lord Buddha making three unaided flying visits to Srilanka which is not feasible, is not tenable. This makes the early part of Mahavamsa text prone to be challenged. As for proto-history, Mahawamsa is largely silent. It does not say about the people who inhabited the land and their civilisation. Modern advances have exposed data contrary to entrenched beliefs. It is postulated by geologists that Srilanka had once ...

Mar 29, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam Tagged history of Srilanka, Lord Buddha, Mahawamsa

Mihintale ancient Hospital – the oldest in the world? – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Established by King Sena II (853-887 AC) at *Mihintale around 853 A.D., the ancient hospital in the location is considered as the oldest in the world, although, consulting and healing have taken place in the location centuries before. According to inscriptions, Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced at Mihintale and the hospital has been maintained by Buddhist monks. The layout of the building (of the hospital) and discovery of a medical trough are also evidence that a hospital had existed at the site. The oldest archeological evidence of a hospital in Sri Lanka is within the ruins of Mihintale. The identification was based on a 10th century inscription at the site. According to the plan of the hospital, there had been 31 rooms and these rooms were arranged on a high platform. The consulting room, rooms for hot ...

Dec 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged ancient hospital in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, Buddhist monks, Hospital Complex, King Devanampiyatissa, King Pandukabhaya, King Sena II, Mahawamsa, Mannar, medical, Mihintale, Mihintale ancient Hospital, Prince Vijaya, Sri Lanka, Upatissagama

Royal Palace Polonnaruwa – architectural marvel of yesteryear – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Source : wikipedia Considered as the ruins of the Royal Palace Polonnaruwa, this majestic palace constructed under the guidance of King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) during his reign is an architectural marvel of yesteryear. This has been a seven-story palace comprising 1000 chambers. Located in *Polonnaruwa, the Palace was known as “Vijayotpaya” or “Vijayanta Prasada” (meaning the Palace of *God Sakra). As there had been seven stories, the building has also been called “Sathbumupaya” (in Sinhala). The remaining huge walls are over one meter thick and rise to approximately nine meters (30 feet). A section of the stairs and the foundation walls are indications of the size of the building. According to archaeological records, the Royal Palace would have been one of the tallest occupied buildings in the world during that time and its foundation is still impressive, approximately 1,000 ...

Dec 17, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anuradhapura Kingdom, Anuradhapura Period, Mahawamsa, Polonnaruwa Kingdom, Royal Palace Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, YAPAHUWA

Isinbassagala Ruwangiri Rajamaha Viharaya – temple with historical significance – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated on the summit of a rock plateau, Isinbassagala Ruwangiri Rajamaha Viharaya (“Isinbassagala” meaning “the rock that the sage came from”) is a temple with historical significance. The stupa of the Temple is situated on a rock plateau approximately 160 meters (530 feet) high. Yet, it is not difficult to climb this rocky plateau. The Temple can be seen at a distance, the greatest attraction of the location. According to scholars, the Temple Complex has been constructed by King Devanampiyathissa (250-210 BC), immediately after the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by *Arhat Mahinda. The second stupa constructed in Sri Lanka after the arrival of Arhat Mahinda is also located in the Temple. Hence, this temple is a historical site. Located in *Medawachchiya in the *Anuradhapura District, for thousands of years, sages and Arhats had lived in ...

Sep 30, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anuradhapura District, Arhat Mahinda, Bo Tree, Buddha Statues, Isinbassagala Ruwangiri Rajamaha Viharaya, King Devanampiyathissa, Mahawamsa, Medawachchiya, Sri Lanka, Sri Pathul Gala, The Temple

“Damila Maha Seya” – incomplete archaeological site By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in the ancient city complex of *Polonnaruwa covering an area of approximately 1.6 hectares (four acres), “Damila Maha Seya” also known as “Damila Thupa” or “Demala Maha Seya” is an incomplete stupa constructed during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) utilizing labor of Tamil prisoners brought from India when he attacked the *Chola Kingdom of South India. Due to some unknown reason, the King had been unable to complete the Stupa. This stupa is similar to *Kota Vehera in Dedigama and *Yudaganawa Stupa (considered as the location of King Parakramabahu’s mother’s cremation). This gigantic incomplete stupa is located between *Gal Viharaya and *Thivanka Pilimage and is at present, a protected archaeological site. Scholars are of the view that, although, King Parakramabahu I has planned this 12th century stupa of 186 meters (570 feet) height as the world’s largest ...

Sep 8, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anuradhapura, Damila thupa, Demala Maha Seya, Gal Viharaya, Jethawanarama Complex, King Parakramabahu, Mahawamsa, plonnaruwa ancient places, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, Thivanka Pilimage, Unagala Vehera, UNESCO

Thonigala Rock Inscriptions – steeped in legend – By Arundathie Abeysinghe There are many places in Sri Lanka known as “Thonigala” and two locations have the same historical as well as archeological significance. One location is situated at the 6th Mile Post in *Vavuniya-*Horowpathana Road. This location is well-known due to the rock inscriptions engraved on a low flat hummock of gneiss rock, approximately two meters (eight feet) towards south of the ruins of a small rubble-built stupa (dagoba) that describes a banking system that existed in the 4th Century. Also known as Toṇigala (Thonigala) or Nagaragala, the location is situated in the jungle approximately 9.5 kilometers (6 miles) from Vavuniya, in close proximity to the border between Northern Province and North-Central Province of Sri Lanka These inscriptions were recorded by Henry Parker in 1886 and they were listed in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon of ...

Aug 24, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anamaduwa, Horowpathana Elephant Holding Ground, King Wattagamini Abaya, Mahawamsa, North-Central Province, Professor Senarath Paranavitana, Sri Lanka

“Kota Vehera” – commemoration of a royal birth – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated approximately 15 kilometers from *Kegalle, Dedigama “Kota Vehera” also known as “Suthigara Seya” or “Suthigara Dagoba” (“suthikagaraya” meaning place of birth) is a dome-shaped shrine comprising relics of the Buddha or an *Arhat. According to *Mahawamsa, King Manabharana, a sub-king of *Ruhuna lived in exile in Dedigama. He has used “Punkhagama” (present Dedigama) as his capital city during his reign. The Suthigara dagoba (or stupa is a shrine that contains sacred relics) gets its name from the word “suthikagaraya” (meaning place of birth). Queen Rathnavali gave birth to a baby boy (who later reigned as King Parakramabahu I also known as King Parakramabahu the Great – 1153-1186) in the place where the stupa is located. This stupa has been constructed by King Parakramabahu as a memorial for the location, he was born. According to typical architectural style ...

Aug 4, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Damila thupa, Dedigama Museum, King Manabharana, Mahawamsa, Sri Lanka, Suthigara Dagoba, Suthigara Seya

“Yathuru Pokuna” – amazing craftsmanship of Anuradhapura era – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in close proximity to *Jethawanaramaya Monastery in Anuradhapura, Yathuru Pokuna (meaning “Key Pond” in English) is a marvelous craftsmanship of our forefathers. There are three ponds known as “Yathuru Pokuna”, two in Jethawanaramaya Monastery Complex and one in *Maha Vihara Complex in close proximity to *Ruwanweliseya and the unique *Buddhist Railing. The design of “Yathuru Pokuna” (Key Pond) resembles a key. According to scholars, the Ponds have been utilized to obtain water for the rituals of the Bodhigara (Bo tree shrine) of Jethawanaramaya Monastery. According to *Mahawamsa, these ponds (also known as wells) would have been constructed during the era of King Agghabodhi II of *Anuradhapura Kingdom in the 7th century (608 to 618). These ponds are circular in shape and are not much deep. The walls of the ponds are constructed with bricks and steps ...

May 12, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anuradhapura Kingdom, Jethawanaramaya Monastery Complex, Jethawanaramaya Monastery in Anuradhapura, King Agghabodhi II, Mahavihara Buddhist Monastery, Mahawamsa, Ruwanweliseya

Strategic significance of Trincomalee Harbor By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, in *Trincomalee, approximately 350 kilometers north of the key East-West shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, Trincomalee Port is formed by a large natural deep-water harbor, the fifth largest natural harbor as well as one of the finest natural harbors in the world. It is the most valuable asset of Sri Lanka. According to historical data in *Mahawamsa, the great Chronicle, Trincomalee Port had been first occupied in the 5th century and was known as “Gokanna”. Trincomalee Harbor has been a sea port from the period of ancient Sri Lankan Kings and has attracted sea farers such as Marco Polo and Ptolemy as well as Sea Traders from China and East Asia. As such, during early and medieval period, sailing ships had found a haven in Trincomalee Port. Situated on a peninsula in ...

Jul 15, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Arundathie Abeysinghe, Ceylon, Indian Ocean, Mahawamsa, Trincomalee

Ranmasu Uyana – paradigm of garden architecture By Arundathie Abeysinghe Parks were a prominent feature of city planning during Ancient Kingdoms even before Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka during the era of King Devanampiyatissa (247 BC – 207 BC). According to chronicles, after the arrival of *Arhat Mahinda, King Devanampiyatissa had donated these parks to Buddhist monks to be used as Buddhist hermitages. According to chronicles, Ranmasu Uyana (meaning Gold Fish Park) had been used as a pleasure garden (Magul Uyana in Sinhala) for the sensual enjoyment by royals, an alternative to those donated to Buddhist monks. The Park has beautiful, plants, trees, vines as well as flowering shrubs as described in literary texts of Sinhala Literature, beauty and elegance of yesteryear. According to Professor Senake Bandaranayake, former Professor of Archaeology: “Sri Lanka is perhaps the only country in South Asia where we still have substantial archaeological remains ...

Jan 25, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Anuradhapura, Arhat Mahinda, Arundathie Abeysinghe, Bawa Chakra, Isurumuniya Monastery, Mahawamsa, Ranmasu Uyana, Sakwala Chakraya, Vessagiri