Dawn of a new Sinhala Buddhist society

by S.B. Karalliyadda

Two hundred and eighteen years after the Parinibbana of Gautama Buddha, Emperor Asoka became the ruler of Mahabharata. His contemporary in Lanka was King Devanampiyatissa who was the king 207 years after the demise of the Buddha. Devanampiyatissa sent four ambassadors headed by Prince Aritta requesting to send a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi (ficus religiosa) to Lanka. Emperor Asoka who was so delighted to receive the royal party, made special preparations observing the rituals associated with the worship of the Bodhi for seven days and walked up to the Bodhi in a procession carrying a golden thread. He tied the golden thread in the right branch of the tree and made a strong determination that the branch sever from the trunk and come to the golden bowl which he carried to receive the branch.

Sangamitta theri bringing the bo sapling

As his strong volition would have it, the branch got deposited in the bowl that was in the Emperor's hand. It was on an Unduwap Full Moon Day about 2320 years ago that the daughter of Emperor Asoka and the sister of Arahat Mahinda, Sangamitta Maha Theri brought the sapling to Lanka as a token of gesture and goodwill from Dhammasoka to King Devanampiyatissa.

The ancient chronicle describes her arrival here in BC 236 ‘Pura Thuduswak Poho Dina'. It was 207 years after the Maha Parinibbana. She, with her entourage set sail from Pataliputra (now Patna) and landed in Sri Lanka from Dambakolapatuna in the Northern Peninsula which the Tamils say is Sambalthurai.

The Sinhala nameboard could be seen even today in the Jaffna, Palali road. The sea port which was under the LTTE rule for nearly 40 years is freed thanks to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and is now free for travel during any time of the day.

King Devanampiyatissa received the sapling and brought it to Anurahdapura, the then capital of the country and planted it in the Mahameuna Gardens. The planting ceremony was attended by all the sub rulers and eight shoots of the Bodhi that sprang up at the auspicious time of planting was distributed among various parts of the country thus proving the unity among all inhabitants of the land and reinforcing the unitary nature of the kingdom.

Sangamitta Maha Theri

Some who came with Sangamitta Maha There were Brahmins Somananda, Sri Vishnu, Sri Rama, Sri Solanga, Kotudeiya, Sri Danta, Akurata Kuda Brahmana and Vedanda Brahmana Rala. The others were Weerameshwara, Vanabahu, Vadanahalu, Jayakoth Pandith, Moolachari, Tuwan Velliya, Minuwan Velliya, Rankoth Matennehe and Deshantara. Her nine uncles who accompanied her were settled by King Devanampiyatissa in the Matale Maha Disawa.

Somananda Brahmanarala settled down in Nagapattalama village while Sri Vishnu Brahmanarala settled down in Aluvihara. Sri Rama settled down in Ratwatte village and Solanga Brahmanarala chose Hulangamuwa as his abode and Kotudeiya chose the adjoining Kotuwegedara village. Sri Danta Brahmanarala settled in Monarawila while Akurata Kuda Brahmanarala settled in the adjoining area Akuramboda and the Brahmanarala who came from Kosompura settled in the close by village Koswatta.

Vedanda Brahmanarala lived in Wegodapola. Weerameshwara settled in Madipola and Vadanahalu selected Lenawala as his abode. Jayakoth Pandita lived in Wahakotte and Mulachariya who came from Bodhinapattalam chose Nilagama for his abode. Ruwanvalliya settled in Deevilla, Minuwanvalliya in Leulegama, Rankoth Yamana in Pallepola and Deshantraya in Dippitiya. The craftsmen who came with the delegation were settled in various other places.

The traditional rituals attached to Bodhi worship were entrusted to the performed by the settlers of villages close to the Bodhi such as Vihara Halmillewa and Vihara Bulankulama, and residents in other villages beginning with the prefix ‘Vihara'. These families protected the Bodhi from droughts, diseases and attacks from wild elephants for thousands of years.

When the Buddha visited Lanka the capital was Kelaniya, but when the Bodhi arrived Anuradhapura was our capital. It should be remembered that about 610 years after the visit when King Gajaba (112-134 AD) was living he brought 12,000 as prisoners from Cholidesh now Madras and settled the fighters in the group in Matale.

Gajaba Puwatha alias ‘Ankotahatana’ gives details about this incident which occurred over stealing a cow belonging to a woman in Dodandeniya-Matale during Gajabahu's father King Wankanasikatissa's (109-112 AD) reign. History records that the eight Bo-saplings – ‘Astapalaruka’ that spran up from the shoot at the time of planting in Mahameuna Gardens were planted in other eight places all over the island which helped to keep the unity of the provincial rulers and their allegiance to the king.

Ven. Pandit Vennoruwe Wijesiri Thera in his book ‘Janawansa’ gives further details of the skilled workers and craftsman families that accompanied the Sacred Bo-Tree. The Emperor Dharmasoka ordered a senior Kamburu, head of a family to come to Lanka with other Kamburu families and perform rites and rituals entrusted to their families. Their duties were making mammoties, adge, axes, crowbar and such other implements and gold and silver craft. Craftsmen who were versatile in tailoring were sent to stitch curtains, to the Bodhi and costumes to the princes and princesses who accompanied the Sacred Tree.

A senior member of the clan of dancers (Athoddya wadya kula) was commandeered to come to Lanka with all their musical instruments to perform the rites and rituals to Sri Maha Bodhi. The inventions of ‘Athodya Minister’ are the trumpet, horn, bugle, various drums used in Perahera processions and musical chords named Athatha Vithatha and the accompanying music which we today call ‘Panchathurya Nadaya'.

Another class of craftsmen sent were Kalingu-kula whose trade was making pottery and pans for the Sri Maha Bodhi. The Situ-Kula clan was settled in Situwewa area in Vavuniya which is today known as Chettikulam. In a recent excavation in this area a number of Buddhist statues was unearthed. Those who came became absorbed into the society according to Kavyasekara of Ven. Thotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera;

‘Mahabo rakina lesa
Selasu bokalak vesa
A mahabo abiyasa
Visu kulayan melaka mul besa’
‘Sirisangabo nirindu
Wikum wedi Mahasen Raju
Kithsiri Me Nirindu
Bujas Mahanama Kumara Das Raju’

The illustrious Lambakarna clan of kings from Minipe valley such as Sirisangabo, Mahasena, Kitsirimevan, Buddhadasa, Mahanama, Kumaradasa who adorned Lanka from 251 AD to 432 AD are descendants of the clan that brought the Bo-Tree to Lanka.

Impact

Our two cultures got intermingled and enriched the Sinhala society in all socio-cultural aspects. We got used to the worship of the Bodhi and seek solace in times of diseases, troubles and bad times. The Lankan society who depended on devalas and gods changed over to Bodhi worship. Today they perform three weeks rituals, one month rituals and weeks of rituals to dispel evils depending on the nature of the problem and the availability of other resources such as finances and time. The folk belief that the Bodhi worship can bestow even a male boy to an expectant mother is below.

Ude idan pevi pevi Thisa Wewata ennai
Thisa Wewe nelum kole bath damana kannai
Etana idan pevi pevi Uda Maluwata yannai
Uda Maluwe Bo Saminduni pirimi puthek dennai

The original Bodhi under which Prince Siddhartha sat before enlightenment was destroyed by a Queen of King Dharmasoka and what remains in Buddhagaya is a second tree that grew from a shoot of the original. Therefore, the Bodhi Tree in Anuradhapura is considered the oldest tree in the world which is over 2,000 years.

Aspirations

The Bodhi is used to make vows to fulfil the aspirations of Buddhists and also to take oaths in litigation and disputes. During ancient times there were Bodhi Trees known as ‘Divurum Bodhi’ throughout the country used for this purpose. The emancipation of women was followed by Sangamitta Maha Theri's visit with the Bodhi sapling. Women could enter the order and attain ‘Arahat’ status and Nibbana which is the highest bliss they could get after the historical visit. Sri Lankan women enjoy equal social status with men than most of the women in other Buddhist countries in the West and the Arabian countries.

According to a recent press report three Muslim women wearing face veils were not allowed to enter France from the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The BBC reported that women's rights fighter in Arab Mariel Al Sheriff has requested King Abdulla Bin Abdul Azeez to lift the ban on Muslim women driving cars.

A woman who was fined one lakh Saudi Riyal was reported to be among the agitators. King Abdulla who assumed kingship in 2005 has promised to lift some of the taboos on women. Since September he has granted franchise to women and permitted them to contest local councils. Sri Lankan women are in parliamentary politics and some Muslim women have held portfolios of Cabinet Ministers.