Reference of Mahawamsa and Chulawansa on Vesak:

Vesak celebrations in the past

by Gamini G. Punchihewa

Buddhists the world over commemorate the Birth, Enlightenment and Paranibbana of Siddharata Gautama, on Vesak Full Moon Day. Hallowed events connected with the life and times of Siddharata Gautama before and after His birth are manifold. Queen Mahamaya (Siddharata Gautama's mother) on her way to Devdaha to see her parents' village, developed a desire to enter the Lumbini Grove filled with Sal trees in full bloom.

It was here on a Vesak Full Moon Day that she gave birth to Siddharata Gautama who later attained' Supreme Enlightenment under the bowers of the Bodhi tree after overcoming lust, aversion and craving and fully realising the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold path.

Gleanings taken from Mahavamsa tell us of the historic events during the epic reign of King Devanampiatissa 4th century BC on the Vesak Full Moon Day. About 2,000 years ago unlike today oil lamps were lit, streets decked with flags, grand pandals erected and the roads were sprinkled with white sand.

Second crowning

The consecration of the second crowning of King Devanampiyatissa in the 4th century B.C. occurred on a Vesak Full Moon Day. The Mahavamsa, records that the religious festivals held on Vesak day were colourful events.

After King Devanampiyatissa was crowned on the first occasion, he sent envoys to his beloved friend-Emperor Asoka of India with presents and pledged Lanka's cordial relations with his kingdom. The Emperor Asoka reciprocated in sending gifts to King Devanampiyatissa. The envoys from Lanka came back on the twelfth day of the Vesak month bringing a message from Emperor Asoka that he would like Devanampiyatissa to have a second coronation as well. In deference to the Emperor's request, the second coronation took place on a Vesak Day.

Dr. Ananda Guruge's Mahavamsa Translation (page 55) says of the second crowning thus, "He honoured the ministers of his friend and sent them saying, 'Consecrate my friend again'. The ministers who stayed for five months were looked after well.

The envoys left on the first day of the bright half of the month of Vesak. They embarked at Tamalitti and disembarked at Jambukola."

The second ceremonial crowning of Devanampiyatissa is described thus in Mahavamsa : "King Devanampiyatissa illuminated the wide courtyard with many lights prepared with wicks made of strips stuffed in clarified butter with many lamp wicks in Madhuka oil and seasanamum oil."

Ruwanwelli Seya

The other great event that took peace on the Vesak Full Moon Day was the laying of the foundation stone to construct the Maha Thupa, the famed Ruwanweli Maha saya in Anuradhapura.

The Mahavamsa refers to this great event as "when the recourses were thus obtained he (King Dutugemunu) commenced the work for the Great Thupa 'as the Visakha constellation appeared on the full moon day in the month of Vesak. Having got the pillar removed, the ruler of the earth had the site of the thupa there dug to a breadth of seven cubits, so as to make it firm in various ways.

He who knew the advantages and disadvantages had round stones brought there by the warriors, and broken them with hammers : then for the sake of firmness of the site, he had crushed stones stamped down by elephants with their feet covered in leather".

These historical narrations describe with what pomp a ceremony, such as religious festivals to mark important Royal functions, were held on Vesak Full Moon Day.

King Bhatikabhaya

King Bhatikabhaya, a devout Buddhist, dedicated himself to celebrating Vesak festival on a grand scale. He built two terraces and an Uposatha Hall at the Thuparama, Anuradhapura. The Mahavamsa describes it as: " he had the plaster work of the Great Thupa done with a hundred cartloads of pearls knead with oil.

He had it covered with a net of coral stones with lotuses of gold and clusters of pearls. With a distinct penchant for ceremonies, he held a plastering ceremony (Sudharmangala), every year with various other ceremonies in honour of the Great Bodhi tree-twenty-eight major Vesak festivals and eighty-four-thousand minor festivals. He worshipped and offered alms thrice on days of festivals and pavarna ceremonies. He had tom tom beating held twice a day at the offering of flowers."

Parakrama Bahu, The Great

King Parakrama Bahu, the Great of the 13th century AD besides being a dynamic tank builder, held religious festivals on the Vesak Full Moon Day. 'Culavansa,' as, records these religious festivals as "While the Monarch accomplished such a series of wondrous things as had never been seen or heard before, he celebrated the high festivals in a manner befitting his majesty, and after the wise (prince) had the two relics brought into the temple of the Tooth Relic, the hero who was a single light for the whole world, celebrated for seven-night long festivals of lamps.

He erected a building in the middle of the city of Polonnaruva to consecrate it to the Sacred Tooth Relic and a Mandappa around it, which turned into a religious festival'. According to the Culavamsa, "with all kinds of flowers, with incense and various perfumes he filled the town with fragrance and delighted the crowd of people.

With the light of many thousands of lamps he transformed the heavenly regions into pure glory.

With rows of umbrellas and whisks, with rows of coloured banners and all kinds of pennons he veiled the whole firmament. With the clatter of chariot wheels, and the rattle of kettle drums; with the roll of the great drums and the cries of victory of the bards; with the shouts of acclamation and loud clapping of hands and the jubilant cries (of the people) he reverberated the regions of the heavens.

Dambadeniya period

Coming to the Dambadeniya period, of King Parakrama Bahu II in the 13th century AD when the sacred Tooth Relic and the Buddha's Bowl were consecrated there, he held a great religious festival called 'A Sacrificial Festival with pomp and pageantry.

The Culavamsa says "In the morning all people who had a true thirst for meritorious deeds adorned their ornaments, venerated the Tooth Relic and the Bowl Relic in religious devotion with diverse kinds of flowers such as jasmine, campakan blossoms, ironwood tree blossoms and the like distinguished by gold.

They venerated them with heaps of aromatic rice which gleaned like a collection of the long since amassed fame of the Great King. They venerated them with diverse kinds of fruits such as bananas, breadfruit and mangoes which were quite ripe, fragrant, lovely in colour and perfectly sweet."

Thus it is evident that even fruits were part and parcel of religious festivals held on such sacred occasions.

Kandyan kingdom

During the last days of the Kandyan kingdom, King Vijaya Rajasinghe (1739-47), though a Malabar was dedicated to promote Buddhism and its religious festivals. To venerate the Sacred Tooth Relic, he held a festival of lamps in its honour.

The 'Culavamsa' refers to it as Hence the Lord of men issued the command that in their own town and in the cetiyas in the diverse provinces on one and the same day, people should make an offering of lamps, and in that self-same night he gathered together the people and bet 790,600 lamps. Thus with burning lamps the Ruler of Lanka made the land of Lanka resemble the stars strewn firmament with an offering of 333,000,850 flowers he laid up a store of merit." Today with changing times electric multi-coloured have replaced oil lamps. However, in temples and homes, devotees still light oil lamps on Vesak day.