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| Sunday, 17 July 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Guardians of sacred premises
For those of you who have visited important heritage sites in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, guardstones may not be an unfamiliar sight. These are generally found beside a flight of steps leading onto a sacred building. Although they are a more common feature of the architecture of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa eras, guardstones are seen in religious sites in other parts of the country as well. These rectangular slabs of stone placed beside an entrance were either plain or sculptured with symbols signifying prosperity and good luck. The highly decorated variety of these stones with human-like figures are referred to in Sinhala as 'doratupala rupa' (gate-guardian figures). Some of the most developed and sophisticated guardstones depict a regal figure standing under an arch-like structure with a full pot (punkalasa) in one hand and a flowering sprig on the other, with figures of dwarfs at its feet. It is assumed that wooden architecture preceded stone in Sri Lanka, as in India. Archaeologists believe that the guardstone evolved from a short piece of wooden plank placed vertically as a stop-wedge at the lower end of the sloping plank which served as a rail, to prevent the rail from slipping down. This was more necessary when wood was replaced by stone, as the sloping stone was much heavier. The plain undecorated gateways of the earlier eras are testimony to the fact that they were originally put up for a functional purpose. This factor is emphasised in the guardstones at Tiriyai and the Vatadage of Rajangane. Although it is assumed that the earliest stones were not decorated, they may have been painted, as were the wooden ones before them. The stone is also thought to have been designed to harmonise with the rest of the entrance structure. They were also designed as an arch at the top and rectangular at the bottom. It has been and still is a custom in Sri Lanka to place pots full of water, flowers and leaves at doorways on important occasions. It is believed that such pots known as 'punkalas' were placed in front of guardstones those days. As time went on, it may have been decided to draw the pots on the stones permanently. First they were lightly inscribed in the stone as seen in the guardstones of Velgamvehera, and Magulmahavihara in the South-east. Then they were more clearly depicted, as seen in examples from Anuradhapura.
The next stage of the guardstone saw the sculpture incorporating dwarf figures, which are popularly known as 'bahirava rupa'. They can be seen in places such as Abhayagiriya, Toluvila, Thuparama in Anuradhapura and Rajagirilenakanda in Mihintale. Bahiravas were thought to guard the treasures inside the premises, thus their relevance in the guardstones. The next stage was the transition to the cobra king (naga raja) guardstone, the most common form seen. Some show the naga raja by himself, while others show him and the bahirava standing side by side. Latter day stones give pride of place to the naga raja while relegating the bahirava to a gana, a tiny figure standing at the feet of the bigger and more regal cobra king. The king is dressed in fine clothes and bears in one hand the pot of plenty and in the other, a sprouting branch. Perhaps the most well- known and the best preserved guardstones in the island are those at the Polonnaruwa Vatadage. They are about four feet and one and a half inches in height, and two feet and three and a half inches in width. By the time they were crafted, the naga raja had gained supremacy over the dwarfs and had been allocated the main place in the sculpture. |
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