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Lankarama, centre of a monastery complex

You may have heard of the Atamasthana, eight places revered by Buddhists of this country. The Lankarama in Anuradhapura is one such sacred place, eagerly visited by pilgrims from around the island. It is the smallest of the Atamasthana and is situated to the south of the Abhayagiriya.

Although the dagoba looks relatively new, it's believed to have been constructed in the 1st century by King Valagamba, who took refuge there during a foreign invasion.

Legend says the king built the chetiya in memory of his queen. The king was fleeing his enemies and the carriage they were travelling in had slowed down due to excess weight. Realising this, the queen had got off the carriage, allowing the king to escape. She is said to have been captured by the enemy.

The king had given her a gem, which was later stored in this dagoba. Thus, the chetiya is also known as Mani (gem) Somarama, and also as Mani Thuparama as it looks like the Thuparama.

The ancient chronicles of Sri Lanka do not mention Lankarama however, and it's believed that the name may have come into use only during, or after the Kandyan era. Due to this, doubts have arisen as to the identification of the dagoba.

The Mahavansa mentions that King Valagamba, while fleeing to Maya Rata, had visited the Silasobbhakandaka chetiya after passing the Tittharama. After re-ascending the throne, the king built the Silasobbhakandaka "to the north of the Maha Thupa, on a lofty spot", according to the chronicle.

The only dagoba of importance found to the north-west of Ruwanweliseya (Maha Thupa) is the Lankarama, which has led many experts to believe that it's the Silasobbhakandaka mentioned in the Mahavansa.

There are also beliefs that the chetiya belonged to a monastery called Manisoma Vihara or Somarama. The Mahavansa says King Kanitthatissa built the Thupagraha in the Manisoma monastery. There are some others who believe that this chetiya was built by a queen of King Mahasena.

The Lankarama didn't belong to the Atamasthana of tradition or to the more popular Atamasthana of the Kandyan era. It came to be accepted as one of the components of this 'group of eight' only after the acceptance of the recommendations made by the Temple Lands Commission in 1872.

It replaced the Sela Chetiya, which till then, had been known as an Atamasthana. The stupa was the centre of the Lankarama monastery, which was associated with the Abhayagiri monastery, built by the same king. It's about 38 feet in diameter and is made entirely of bricks.

The chetiya follows the same plan and architecture of the Thuparama, but is smaller. And like the Thuparama, it has flights of stone steps leading to the Welimaluwa.

The three concentric (having the same centre) circles of pillars surrounding the dagoba suggest that there may have been a vatadage with a conical roof, protecting the building at one time. Vatadages were a rare feature in Buddhist architecture, with only about 10 such creations in existence. They may have been built in places where the relics of the Buddha, or objects used by Him were enshrined, or in places which were considered as hallowed grounds.

The circles comprise 34 stone pillars. Their heads are also similar to those of the Thuparama, but whereas the Thuparama has four circles of pillars, Lankarama has only three.

Archaeologists believe that originally there may have been 30 pillars (16 feet, 8 inches high) in the inner row, 20 pillars (16 feet, 11 inches high) in the middle row and 40 pillars (12 feet, 5 inches high) in the outer row.

The remains around the chetiya indicate that this was the leading dagoba for the monastery.

There are still remains of a rectangular building, which are believed to have been the dwellings for the monastery's monks.

The chetiya was restored during the first half of the last century.

Dagoba housing relics of Arahat Mahinda

Among the many important religious sites in Mihintale, which we have already featured, is the Mihindu Seya, which is believed to enshrine the relics of Arahat Mahinda.

The Mihindu Seya (Stupa of Mahinda Thera) was built by King Uttitya in the second century BC in Mihintalawa ('Plain of Mahinda').

It was built in memory of the great Thera and entombed his sacred relics. It is believed to be one of the first monuments constructed in the hills of Mihintale, along with Kantaka Chetiya.

Its original foundation is said to go back to pre-Christian times.

Bricks containing Brahmin letters, with masonry work of a very archaic type found in the debris during an excavation, have proved this.

According to the Mahavansa, a portion of Mahinda Thera's ashes were deposited on the Mihintale hill, and a stupa was built on the site. The rest of the ashes were deposited in other places around the country, and stupas were built to mark the spots.

The base of Mihindu Seya was completely cleared in 1951 and its interior was investigated. This led to the discovery of a relics casket made of a kind of polished black earthenware, which had been unknown to both Sri Lanka and India, and which is one of the most important ceramic art found in Sri Lanka to date.

The casket was cylindrical in shape, 5 3/8 inches in height, with a 2 7/8 inches diameter at the base. It comprised three pieces, with the uppermost part serving as the lid, and the other two, separate compartments.The upper compartment had a reliquary (container for relics) of thin gold foil, which was in the shape of a miniature stupa. It was 1 3/4 inches in height with a base diameter of 1 9/16 inches, and belonged to a type which is one of the oldest known.

The bubble-shaped dome of the stupa was protected with an umbrella (chattra). Inside the reliquary, there were beads, trinkets, tiny fragments of bone and a small quantity of ash.

The other compartment had also contained a miniature reliquary, 36 inches high, and shaped like a stupa, without the chattra however. It too held bones and ash. These stupas correspond to those built during the third and second centuries BC. Another relic chamber had been added to the Mihindu Seya at a later date, probably around the seventh or eighth century.

It housed a gilt bronze image of a seated Buddha, while two other seated Buddha images made of thin gold foil and filled with paste, had been discovered at the floor of the chamber. The style of the images here indicate that it belonged to a different period.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.