Raigampura Heritage: Pathahawatte Rajamaha Viharaya

The temple now known as Sri Pushkararama Rajamaha Viharaya at Pathahawatte, Kothalawela is certainly an important piece of Raigampura Heritage – and not just for its religious significance.

Reachable by taking the right turn at ‘Kotalawela junction’ – near the 11th kilometer post on Panadura-Horana Road, the entire land of the temple of 12 Hectares (5 acres), an archeological reserve since 1970, is surrounded by a huge wall of kabook. It is 2 meter wide and the height varies between 2 -3 meters. Given the depth of the foundation, the original height could have been easily twice of that. This wall dates back to either Kotte or Gampola period.

No temple needs that level of protection. So this place could not have been a temple in its heyday. Mostly, it could have been the palace. But of which king? When it was built?

There are two schools of thoughts. The common belief is it was the land that housed the palace built by Raigam Bandara or Pararajasinghe (brother of Buvanekabahu VII and Mayadunne) who ruled Raigampura from 1521-38 AD. Interestingly, both the present Loku hamuduruwo and Archeological Department endorse this opinion. Although that cannot be completely denied the available evidence does not back it fully.

Firstly, by the time of Raigam Bandara, Bandaragama has largely lost its significance as its centre of Raigama. So there was no dire need to build a palace there. (In fact, Raigama again became an independent kingdom only in 1521 AD after the famous ‘Vijayaba Kollaya’. During the period of King Vijayabahu VI Raigama was part of the larger Kotte kingdom.) Secondly, for most of the turbulent period he reigned in Raigama, Raigam Bandara was fighting against elder brother Buvanekabahu, while joining hands with the youngest Mayadunne in Sitavaka, so it is difficult to think he planned building a large palace complex. Thirdly, some literature claims Raigam Bandara stayed at a place at Mapitigama in Sitavaka during the battles with Kotte kingdom. He might not have stayed for the entire period, so we cannot completely rule out the possibility that present Pathahawatte was his kingdom.

The other school that includes several prominent historians believe it had been the palace of Prabhuraja Nisshanka Alakeshvara (1360-87 AD)– perhaps the most illustrious ruler of Raigam kingdom. Nisshanka Alakeshvara was the one who built the castle at Kotte kingdom, surrounded by a huge wall not too different from the one we see today at Pathahawatte. So it is fair to attribute that too to him.

Mayura Sandesha, believed to be written during the reign of Nisshanka Alakeshvara (which also includes an eulogy about him) mentions the peacock (=Mayura) spent one night at his palace. He (peacock) was instructed to worship Veedagama temple the first thing next day morning. (“Vandu Veedagama munida udasana”) So Veedagama temple could not be too far from the place. As of now Pathahawatte is less than one km from the Veedagama temple. This proves to some extent that the former could be Nisshanka Alakeshvara’s palace. Probably Raigam Bandara too have later stayed in the same place.

'Pathaha' as it is today

Leaving the history aside for the moment it will be interesting to see what we find at this land today. Most evident feature is a huge pit of 25 m x 15 m size – which could have been either a pond or most probably a swimming pool (=pathaha). It was well built surrounded by a stone wall. The linkage to the place name Pathahawatte is apparent, but it should have been established long before we think. Even Rajavaliya refers to Pathahawatte as the point where Mudliar Samarakoon arrived with his army to fight the rebel Edirille Rala during the Kotte period.

No matter who built the palace and the surrounding kabook wall, it is reasonable to assume the existence of one or more moats. (=Diya Agala) This was common during those times. These were deep and either filled with water (mostly with crocodiles) or mud. Mayura Sandesha author while describing the Raigampura wall says the moat was built to fit the size of the former. So it should have been minimum 3 meters wide and 3 meters deep. However, today we do not see any evidence of such a moat. Difficult to assume that survived such a long period.

No comprehensive excavations done at Patahawatte, so we have to be satisfied with the few archeological artifacts to be seen on ground. One was a part of a vessel made of stone that takes the shape of a head of an elephant. This might have been used to collect water coming from the roof of the palace. The other interesting one is the double toilet seat – which has two back to back seats. Who used it and how it was used (mostly not simultaneously) is not known. The common belief is that it was the common toilet seat of the king and queen.

Existence of a temple in the ancient palace complex then was not known. It might have been possible that bricks and other material were taken away to build other structures during the Portuguese period and later. The current temple was build somewhere in the beginning of nineteenth century.

(Most of the above information is from the two books ‘Raigampura Rajadhaniya’ by Gunasena Gamage and ‘Sinhala Vehera Vihara’ by Prof. J. B. Disanayake)

I nearly got arrested yesterday…

Risk is a part and parcel of the life of a lawyer or a politician. One does not become either, if not ready to take risks. The difference is, as a lawyer, one knows when it comes, so can be sort of ready for it. As a politician, it comes anytime, unannounced at most unpredictable times. Yesterday was one such occasion.

My duty was to carry out the island wide protest UNP organized at Bandaragama.

I have been involved in few protests before that but it was the first time that police was so hostile. Unless otherwise they receive instructions from the top, Police generally do not hinder any protests. They too are human beings and know the difficulties in living with the rising Cost of Living. Yesterday it was different. That means someone up in the hierarchy is worried. They might have sensed where the wind blows.

At Bandaragama junction, everybody was supportive to us. Given the harassment, though temporary, we caused to day to day activities of public I expected some form of hostility. There was none. Looks like everybody wants fuel prices down. They do not want to fund the blind war effort of a corrupt government or fill the family coffers of a self-interested, visionless ruler.  

Then came the Police. They want us to stop. As a lawyer I have always been a law abiding citizen, but this is not an occasion I would oblige. Maintaing law and order is imperative, but not at the cost of the loss of civil rights of the people. In any democratic society we have the right to protest. It may affect the lives of public, but we compromising it by winning things far better for them.

When I did not oblige, the police started threatening. The gravity of threat was an indication of the level they have been instructed. There was a brief exchange of words. They raised the voices and threat to arrest me. I was politely explained if that is what they have been instructed, to do so. Visiting courts is nothing new to me. That is what I do everyday. Realised that I would not succumb to their threats they left. We continued our protests.

However, later I learnt that not all my colleagues were that lucky. A women MP has been verbally abused and her car has been attacked by Police at Bambalapitiya.

Overall, the protest was successful. We might not have got fuel prices down immediately, but we have recorded our voice. We have registered thst it would not be so easy to take the poor people of this country for a ride.

Vesak Post 2: Ramukkana Raja Maha Viharaya and Rock Inscription

Ramukkana Raja Maha Viharaya, situated close to Bandaragama along the Horana Road, may not be as large as some other temples in the area. Not having referred in ancient literature repeatedly it may not also be that well known. However, this is a unique place in the history of Raigampura kingdom. It is from the land of this temple that perhaps the oldest rock inscription in the Western province was discovered in 1997 during the renovation of the temple.

This inscription is now named as ‘Ramukkana Raja Maha Vihara Puvaru Lipiya’ – because it is written on a ‘stone slab’(gal puvaruva) In 1998, it was read by Raj Somadeva of the Post Graduate Institute of Archeology at University of Kelaniya. With the style of the Brahmi letters he dates it to the period 1st century BC to 1st century AD. In other words it is quite possible that this was done by the time Jesus Christ was alive and preaching his new found religion in another land.

As only part of the rock slab is available it is not clear what the message is. All what we know is it mentions about two ‘Bhanakas’. These were the learned Bhikkus of the day who memorized Dhamma before it was documents during the time of king Walagambahu. There were different groups (guru kulas) of such monks who memorized parts of Sutra Pitaka, ie. Dhiga Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Sanyuktha Nikaya, Anguttara Nikaya and Khuddaka Nikaya. The two Bhanakas mentioned here seemed to have memorized Sanyuktha Nikaya. (Sayutha Banaka) One was named ‘Maha Chittha’ (Machitha) and lived in a temple called ‘Maha Vihara’ – this may be a temple in the same premises but we will never know for sure.

It is reasonable to think that practice of memorizing scriptures have gradually died after the documentation began. So the ‘Bhanaks’ the inscription refers to should be from a period earlier than King Walagambahu’s (89-77 BC)

Interestingly there could be another twin inscription nearby. However the different interpretations given makes it difficult to date accurately. This was found at ‘Diyagama’ an ancient port of Kalu Ganga, about 3 km from the river mouth. It was also known as the ‘Pelunu Gala’ inscription because the rock it was written has been split in the middle.

First discovered in the late 19th century, by Ven Vaskaduve Sri Subhuthi thero, it gained attention of the archeologists after Prof. Muller read and published his interpretation in 1891 AD. He dated it to 5th Century AD based on the message and the style of the characters. However not everybody agrees with his dating and interpretation. Both C. W. Nicholas and C. Jayasinghe who read the inscription later relate it to an earlier period than 5th Century AD. So these two inscriptions could have been done during the same period.

Vesak Post 1: Lenawara Raja Maha Viharaya

Lenawara Rajamaha Viharaya is one of the most picturesque temples within my electorate. Situated in a pleasant village environs 5 km along Anguruvathota Road, from the Raigama junction in Panadura - Horana Road, this temple virtually takes one to Rajarata. It is difficult to think such environment ever exist so close to Colombo.

Lenawara Temple is positioned at the top of a natural rock. It can only be reached by climbing a long flight of steps similar to what one sees at Mihintale.

There is enough evidence that this had been a flourishing religious institution during the days of king Parakramabahu VI. An inscription by the king at Sunetradevi Pirivena at Pepiliyana records grants made to “Raigam nuwarabada Lenawara gallena Viharaya”. Archeological Department goes even further in naming it the foremost temple in the Western province during the Polonnaruwa period.

Difficult to think it survived the Portuguese era during which almost all Buddhist buildings were demolished. Some ancient arts in a cave can clearly be dated to few centuries back. This can be one artifact that remained. It is more logical to assume that the other parts of them temple was built more recently. The shrine room was built in 1946, as indicated above the main entrance to it. Perhaps the other buildings can be dated to earliest 1930s except the cave with arts – including the images of the Gods Vishnu, Kataragama, Saman and Vibhishana.

The sections of the temple are at several different levels. Lowest level hoses the ‘avaasa geya’. This shows some signs of 1040s architecture. Then one climbs few steps to reach the next level with ‘bana maduwa’. About 10 m above is the shrine room, with a long reclining Buddha statue. The door way made of carved stones. Bo Tree is nearby but to the Chaithya is another drastic climb. At this top level one can have a panoramic view of Bandaragama.

If one takes a turn to right about 30-40 m from the road to shrine room, few more caves on the crock can be seem. The largest is known as ‘Bamunu Lena’ or the cave of the Brahmin. According to local legends a Brahmin with South Indian origins named ‘Ramasundara’ has once lived in this cave. His specialty was treating catarrh. (catarrh = inflation of the mucuous membranes lining the nose and throat, causing an excessive discharge of thick mucus. In Sinhala we call it ‘peenasa’) This Brahamin was also believed to have complied a book on treating catarrh called ‘Peenas Vedakama’ in gold plates to be donated to the king. As this ‘waraya’ (donation) took place in a ‘lena’ the place is believed to have the name ‘Lenawara’.

Raigampura Heritage III – the rise of Prabhuraja Alakeshvara – the greatest warrior king after Vijayabahu I

Continuing the saga of Raigampura heritage, in this post I like to focus on arguably the greatest ruler of Raigampura kingdom - Prabhuraja Alakeshvara (Alagakkonar).

Image: Veedagama Rajamaha Viharaya was once the centre of Raigampura kingdom

Ibn Batutta, the Arab explorer who supposedly visited Lanka in 1344 AD provides some important information about Raigampura kingdom and Alakeshvaras (Alagakkonars). These were his words:

Then we came to Konakar, the capital of Sultan’s kingdom. It was built on a valley between two mountains, and famous for gems…The Sultan of Konakar is called ‘Al-Konar’. He has a white elephant. I have never seen such a white elephant in any other place I visited. Sultan rides on this elephant decorated with emeralds, on festive occasions. The aristocrats of the land rebelled against the Sultan, made him blind and offered the kingdom to his son.

Unfortunately, nothing in Sri Lankan history tells anything about this ruler son who made his father blind. Perhaps it was because the former ruled only for a short period. Another possibility was the decline of Raigampura as a power centre during this period. Contemporary literatures of the times prove this point.

In ‘Tisara Sandeshya’ written circa 1350 AD, the fictitious messenger (Tisara=swan) travels from Dedigama presumably then in Gampola kingdom to the temple of Upulvan in Devinuvara, but without crossing Raigama. This indicates not only that Devinuvara and surrounding areas in down south (including Mathota or present Matara) was then under the influence of Gampola kingdom, but certainly not Raigama. We do not find even a single source that mentions about Raigampura kingdom or Alakeshvaras during the period 1344-60 AD. As Prof. Paranavithana correctly points out this can be a period Alakeshvaras’ power was confined to a relatively smaller area near western coast.

Image: The land of present Pathahawatte Pushkararama Rajamaha Viharaya is believed to be where Prabhuraja Alakeshvara had his palace. According to Mayura Sandeshaya, the messenger (Mayura=peacock) spent the night at this place so that he could engage in the morning religious rituals at nearby Veedagama Viharaya the next day.

The next ruler in the linage was ‘Prabhuraja Alakeshvara’, but there is an interesting episode before coming to him.

As mentioned earlier too, there were at least three power centres in the isle of Lanka. This is how Rajavaliya puts it:

Alakeshvara manthri lived (=ruled from) Raigama. King Parakramababu’s nephew lived (=ruled from ) Gampola. Out of all rulers king Arya Chakravarti (the king of Jaffna supposedly ruled from Nallur) was more powerful not just in military-wise but also economically. He collected income tax from upcountry, the marine lands and the new port…

The command of Arya Chakravartis was reconfirmed by Ibn Batutta, who describes their supreme naval power. Arya Chakravarti provided guides for Ibn Batutta in his journey to Sri Pada. Batutta says he has seen nearly hundreds of ships at the port he descended to Lanka. (believed to be between Mannar and Puttalum – inclusive of both points) This might be an exaggeration but, it indicates the sort of power Arya Chakravartis yielded.

Death of Buvanekabahu IV of Gampola (1344-51 AD) has created another power battle. According to the rule of the land then the heir to the thrown was the eldest nephew (son of a sister) of the king and not his son or brother. So the rightful owner of throne was Vickramabahu III, the nephew. However before Vickramabahu was crowned in Gampola, king’s younger brother Parakramabahu V has become the rule of Dedigama on his own. It looks like this uncle-nephew power battle has created an interesting episode in Sri Lankan history.

A Tamil inscription found at Kotagama, near Dedigama reveals an attack by Arya Chakravartis on Southern kingdoms around this time, most probably encouraged and assisted by Vickramabahu III from Gampola, who did not tolerate the rise of Dedigama as another power centre. The result of this fight was the fall of short lived Dedigama kingdom and the ruler king Parakramabahu’s flee to Ruhuna. This fact is further supported, says Prof. Paranavithane, by two inscriptions at Magul Maha Viharaya in Panam pattuva. Further, another inscription at Medavala Viharaya mentions after this attack Arya Chakravartis started collecting tax from the Southern areas.

Image: Uyanwatte tank at Kothalawela, Bandaragama the largest man-made reservoir in the western Province, was belived to be first built by Alakeshvaras.

Now enters Prabhuraja Alakeshvara, the powerful ruler of Raigamura kingdom. It was Prabhuraja who finally chased off Arya Chakravarti’s officials from both Raigama and Gampola kingdoms and put a full stop to them collecting tax. This might have happened somewhere between 1360-69 AD. This is the first time he clased with powerful Arya Chakravartis who were backed by the Vijayanagar empire across the sea.

Interestingly, by this time Alakeshvaras have gained adequate power within Gampola kingdom too. (the boundaries of Raigama and Gampola kingdoms continuously varied depending upon the time) This was largely because three Alakeshvara brothers, Artanayake Epa, Prabhuraja Alakeshvara and Deva Manthri has jointly married the sister of Vikramabahu III of Gampola. Her name was princess Jayasiri.

In next post in the series let us look at how Prabhuraja Alakeshvara, arguably the greatest warriors after Vijayabahu I, fought with and chased off the armies of Arya Chakravarti from the Southern parts of the island and how, in the process, he built a fortress in Sri Jayawardenepura – Kotte, parts of which can still be seen.

Raigampura Heritage II – Alakeshvara (Alagakkonar) dynasty begins

This note will be the second of a series where I intend to go deep into the history of Raigampura kingdom. Alakeshvara dynasty, unalienable from the history of Raigama, would be an ideal starting point. The exercise is worthwhile because rarely anything on the subject is online.

Raigama, according to some historians, was the seventh capital of ancient Lanka, after Anuradhapura (4th Century BC – 10th Century AD), Polonnaruwa (10th Century  – mid 13th Century AD), Dambadeniya (1232-72 AD), Yapahuwa (1272-93 AD), Kurunegala (1293-1341) and Gampola (1341-47). They say it remained the Capital for 68 years, till Parakramabahu VI moved to the comforts of Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte in 1415 AD.

These dates, let alone the claim, are matters of controversy. Given the fact that the period between the fall of Pollonnaruwa and the rise of Kotte kingdom was a one was a turbulent one, where civil wars were not uncommon, finding authentic records is not easy. Chroniclers, as well as poets of Sandesha kavyas have either intentionally or not recorded their own versions, which often provide contradictory information. So everything we know today might not be accurate, but the fact remains that Raigama was a key political power center of the island somewhere from early to mid 14th century to early 15th century.

Image: An early map of Lanka showing the three power centers of the times. (circa 1340 AD)

Alakeshvaras were the supreme rulers of Raigampura kingdom. Their sovereignty varied from time to time. So were the limits of the kingdom.

Current Raigam Korale is an area of 350 sq km that covers the electorates Bandaragama, Horana and part of Bulathsinhala, but this should not be taken as the limits of ancient Raigampura kingdom in its heyday. The kingdom has spread over large sections of the provinces, Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa from time to time.

The centre, of course, was at Bandaragama. The fictitious peacock that carries a message to Devinuwara, in ‘Mayura Sandesha’ spends the second night of his travel in the palace of ‘Prabhuraja Alakeshvara’. This place has been clearly identified as the current Pathahawatte Sri Pushkararama Raja Maha Viharaya, in Bandaragama.

 

Image: Pathahawatte Pushkararama Rajamaha Viharaya today stands at the same land once was the palace of Prabhuraja Alakeshvara. A three meter wide wall surrounding the temple land can still be seen.

But who were Alakeshvaras (aka Alagakkonars)?

Early history of Alakeshvara family remains largely a grey area. If we overlook what Prof. Paranavitana has written later (which is extremely controversial and still not accepted by any other historians) the earliest evidence of an Alakeshvara appears in a rock inscription from ‘Kithsirimevan Kelani Vihara’ supposed to be done in 1344 AD. It mentions about the 10th predecessor of Alakeshvara lineage, who has renovated the temple under the guidance of Vigammula Sangaraja Thero. It does not mention anything about Buvanekabahu IV, parallel king in the Gampola kingdom, supposed to be then official capital of Lanka. This, point out historians as an evidence of an independent Raigam kingdom towards the South-west of the Kelani river.

The name points to a South Indian origin. ‘Alaga’ in Tamil stands for god Kuvera, the celestial controller of wealth, and ‘Konar’ indicates a chieftain. Alaga+Konar=Alagakkonar. This could have been transformed to Sanskrit as Alakeshvara.

 The rock inscription at Niyamgampaya and Attanagalu Vamsaya trace Alakeshvara family to Vanchipuram in India. This was the capital of ancient ‘Chera’ kingdom (present state of Kerala in South India) and a famous port for international trade. Most probably Alakeshvara family too could have been involved in international trade and travelled other countries for business purposes. It is not known exactly when this family moved to Sri Lanka. Most probably they won power during the Polonnaruwa kingdom days, where the influence of South India on local politics was prominent. According to Prof. Paranavitana, the first Alakeshvara was a mercenary leader from Malabar, who later became an agent for Burmese Lanka international trade, but this is not a widely accepted fact.

Ibn Batutta, the Arab explorer who supposedly visited Lanka in 1344 AD provides some important information about Raigampura kingdom and Alakeshvaras. These are his words:

Then we came to Konakar, the capital of Sultan’s kingdom.  It was built on a valley between two mountains, and famous for gems…The Sultan of Konakar is called ‘Al-Konar’. He has a white elephant. I have never seen such a white elephant in any other place I have visited. Sultan rides on this elephant decorated with emeralds, on festive occasions. The aristocrats of the land rebelled against the Sultan, made him blind and offered the kingdom to his son.

Images: A modern version of Batutta’s travelogue and an early painting depicting Batutta’s meeting with the emperor in Delhi.

Prof. Paranavitana was of the opinion that this place is Ratanapura (note the two mountains and gems) but there is no evidence on such  kingdom in Ratnapura in 14th century. If the references to two mountains and gems are treated as a mistake by Batutta, (which is possible as his travelogues  were reportedly penned by another scholar long after) the Konakar he mentions can be Raigampura and ‘Al-Konar’ is obviously an Alagakkonar (Alakeshvara). However, it is not certain it refers to the same individual the Kithsirimevan Kelani inscription does.

Another opinion is that ‘Konakar’ is Kurunegala kingdom, but that would be taking the clock few years forward and also assuming Alakeshvaras ruled from Kurunegala, a fact not supported by any other evidence.

Does this mean that there was an independent kingdom in Raigama, even before the fall of Gampola kingdom? Was it possible that Ibn Batutta landed at the port of Colombo (or alternatively Panadura) and travelled along the same Panadura - Horana Road to reach Sripada? We will never know, but the possibilities cannot be neglected.

In my next post on this series I plan to discuss about other Alakeshvaras, though some of them were not known by the very name.

(Note: I thank Mr. Gunasena Gamage of Bandaragama, who provided most of the information above. His latest book ‘Raigampura Rajadhaniya’, Sarasvathi publications, Divulapitiya was released recently)