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| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara : Holy site close to Colombo Bellanwila is a suburban village located in the outskirts of Colombo, between Maharagama and Dehiwela. It is famous for the Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara, one of the holiest Buddhist sites nearer to Colombo. The temple has an international reputation and is mostly famous for its sacred bo tree and the beautiful paintings.
The history of the temple goes back over 2,000 years, to the Anuradhapura period, when King Devanampiyatissa was the ruler. It is called Rajamaha Vihara as it existed from the days of Sinhala kings. There is authoritative literary evidence that the bo tree of this vihara is one of 32 saplings of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. The places where these saplings were planted are mentioned in the Mahabodhivansa. Although there are no clues as to why these sites were selected, it is thought that Bellanwila would have been of some importance those days. The Savul Sandesaya also refers to the village. However, as the area didn't play any role in history and was far away from the ancient capitals, there isn't much reference to it elsewhere. Literary works of the 15th century mention the village, after Kotte became the capital. Buddhism rose to the fore during the time, with Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467) becoming king, and although the temple gained prominence, it was shadowed by the Sunethradevi Pirivena, which the king himself had built.
During the 17th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese, Buddhism was again neglected, and the Bellanwila temple also went into ruin and got shrouded in jungle. It stayed hidden until the 19th century. Thengodagedara Thera, an adventurous monk, rediscovered the site during a boat journey in 1850. He had heard drum beats coming from the thick jungle, went to investigate and came upon the bo tree. He later came to know the importance of the tree, and with the help of the villagers, cleared the area and built quarters for monks. The late Bellanwila Sri Somaratane Nayake Thera (1947-1984) is known as the architectural pioneer of the modern Bellanwila temple. The tall and architecturally unique image house (shrine room), devala, dharma sala, legumge (monks' residence) and relics chamber were all designed by him. He was also responsible for initiating the Bellanwila Perahera, around 1950.
This event, which started on a modest scale, has now become a very colourful affair with over 40 elephants taking part. It is held annually. It is said that Somaratane Thera had the large shrine room built to resemble the Jetawanarama of Polonnaruwa, built by Parakramabahu I. The shrine room has large images of a standing Buddha, several seated Buddhas in the Samadhi posture and a reclining Buddha depicting the Maha Parinirvana. It is said that Buddhists built huge statues of the Buddha to depict His greatness and to arouse feelings of piety among followers. The standing Buddha in the middle of the shrine facing the east entrance is the favourite among devotees. At 40 feet, this statue is one of the tallest Buddha statues built in modern times and is almost a replica of the Avukana statue in Polonnaruwa. And just like the Avukana statue, it has a siraspatha, which shows the rays emanating from the highest part of the Buddha's head. Similar to Avukana, this stands on a lotus pedestal, and unlike the Buddha statues in most temples, stands in full view of visitors, with no screen to cover it. The bo tree is one of the main attractions at the temple and people believe that devotion to it brings mental happiness and a healthy life. There is also a long-held belief that a child who treads the ground under its shade will never fail in life. Another high point of the temple is the beautiful murals on the inner walls and roof of the shrine room, painted by renowned artist Somabandu Vidyapathi. He was assigned with the task of restoring the paint which was peeling off. The murals were done under three themes - life of the Buddha both before and after attaining enlightenment, story of King Asoka and history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The devala of the temple is also well known, and devotees from all
corners of the island go there to pay homage to various gods and the
goddess. |
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