Mirisaveti stupa and monastery complex at Anuradhapura

by Prof. Ariya Lagamuwa

Periods of the historical development of Sri Lanka is identified in relation to the kingdom of which Anuradhapura is referred to as the earliest and the Kandyan kingdom the last. The establishment of the city “Anuradhapura” as the kingdom of the Anuradhapura dynasty by king Pandukabhaya (5th century B.C.) was considered as the beginning of the era; which ended with the shifting the capital to Polonnaruwa in 12th century A.D. The Anuradhapura kingdom was confined mainly to the North Central Province of the island.

Buddhist was officially introduced to Sri Lanka during the reign of king Devenampiyatissa (241-207 B.C.) with the arrival of Arahat Mahinda Thera, the son of Emperor Dharmasoka in India. His advent commenced a new era and thereafter the history of the island was guided and influenced mainly by Buddhism. A few years later a branch of the sacred Bodhi Tree, under which ascetic Siddhartha attained enlightenment, was brought to Sri Lanka with 18 families of different castes to perform multifarious duties and thus originated a new cult of Buddhist rituals and performances.

The historical Buddhist architecture of Sri Lanka has a recorded history which goes back to the last few centuries of the first millennium B.C. For more than a hundred years, archaeologists, architects and historians have studied, documented, excavated, and conserved the monuments belonging to this tradition and examined extensive literary and epigraphical records that are associated with it. The research has provided us with a substantial body of information regarding a remarkable archaeological, historical and religious record of construction and design extending over millennia.

Ideological interest

Tradition and ideological interest in the history of ancient monuments goes back to the time of the Pali chronicles in the early and middle first millennium A.C., which are themselves based on earlier records. Thus, for example, important events in the history of the Mirisavati Stupa at Anuradhapura, are recorded over a period of about 1,325 years from its original construction in the reign of king Dutugamunu in the 2nd century B.C., to its restoration by King Gajabahu and others.

The Mirisavati Stupa or Dagoba with its moulded and carved frontispieces, Ayakas or vahalkadas, the monastery plan seems to have been of a centric type, with the stupa in the centre surrounded by other virtual and residential buildings, corresponding to a high degree of state centralisation that existed at the time. This building technology was highly developed and is concentrated almost entirely in the use of brick masonry with stone and mortar.

The Stupa is the characteristic monument of the Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition. Its antiquity, both in the literary record and the archaeological evidence goes back to the beginnings of the Buddhist tradition in Sri Lanka in the 3rd century B.C. The largest of the Sri Lankan Stupas, such as the Jetavana, the Abhayagiri, the Ruvanvalisaya and Mirisaveti stupa at Anuradhapura are not only the oldest and largest monuments of their type in the entire Buddhist tradition but are also among the largest and tallest constructions in the pre modern world.

Sacred relics

The function of the stupa is to protect and proclaim the sacred relics of the Buddha which it enshrines originally derived from the tumulus or funerary mound, its circular plan and basically domical shape surmounted by a towering superstructure constituted an enduring structure and a distinctive and dramatic architecture form. It enabled the worshipper to pay homage to the relics contained within and at the same time became itself an icon or symbol to follow.

Throughout the greater part of the Anuradhapura period, the Mirisaveti stupa occupied the principal position in the monastery, and even when its primacy was rivalled by other ritual structures, such as the temple, image house, bodhighara dwelling cells, chapter house, refectory hall, hospital and assembly hall, it retained its ritual and architectural status as a major structure in the central precint of the religious complex.

The Mirisaveti stupa has eight distinct elements which may be described as follows:

Two terraces or platform (stone and sand) Maluva, Thre plinths pesava.s., The dome Garbha.s., The relic-chamber dhatugarbha.s,

The different elements of the superstructure above the cylinder(devata kotuva.s., the umbrella or alternatively the spire chattraor chattravali.s. the pinnacle kota.s, The four frontispieces vahalkada.s. and The cosmic pillar yupa and the mast yasti.s.

Monument

The relic-chamber of the stupa was placed inside the dome or garbha of it. This relic-chamber, although inaccessible after the completion of the monument, contained figural and thematic murals, enhancing their ritual and symbolic significance. The relic of the Buddha, the royal spear and other sacred items were enshrined in the relic chamber. The royal spear was the symbol of sovereignty and victory. Since the Mirisavati dagoba is the one and only stupa where royal items are enshrined with the Buddha's relics in Sri Lanka.

The other unique distinctive and ancient feature of the Mirisaveti stupa is projecting frontispieces (vahalka/ayaka/adimukha) placed at the four cardinal points (northern, eastern, southern and western) at the base of the dome. These are oldest significant and most beautiful creations among the frontispieces of the other ancient Large stupas at Anuradhapura. These were ornamented with ancient classical stone carvings sculptures and mural paintings. The other example with this type of carvings and paintings is Kantaka Stupa at Mihinthale. The carving of both places resembles stone carvings of the Sanchi Stupa (3rd century BC) in India. The frontispieces of the western cardinal point of the Mevisavat is the most significant and beautiful masterpiece amongs the other frontispieces in Sri Lanka. This had dilapidated and conserved after archaeological excavation in 1900s.

The archaeologists unearthed a relic-casket with the relics during the excavations and handed it over to chief incumbent of the Mirisavati temple. Some relics of the Buddha or his followers and other sacred items were enshrined in the frontispieces by some other ancient kings in Sri Lanka. Some of the relics were found in one of the frontispieces at Abhayagiri stupa during its renovations.

Sacred city

According to historical records, Sri Lanka possesses the largest amount of Buddha's relics so far unearthed from any country. In Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura sacred city is visited by Buddhists and often subject to their veneration as the most significant religious place because of the largest quantity of relics deposited there in. As the Mahavamsa (the great chronicle) mentions Mirisaveti stupa is one of the earliest monuments built to deposit the Buddha's relics. It was built by king Dutugemunu depositing the Buddha's relics together with his spear, during his regime (161-137 B.C) as a mark of the end of armed struggle fought for sovereignty of this country.

Subsequently, some of the kings who ruled Sri Lanka have paid their utmost respect to Mirisaveti by depositing more and more relics and valuable items as well as decorating the monument.

Among them king Gajabahu I (134-112) king Voharikatissa (214-236) king Kasyapa (914-923) King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) are foremost. However, from time to time due to foreign invasions the city was abandoned and Mirisaveti like other monuments was ruined as a result of vandalism and natural reasons. During the period of British, Colonial agents like Henry Parker and J.G. Smither started excavation and revealed the true history of the monuments.

The 192 feet high present monument is the result of the endeavour of faithful Buddhists pioneered by the late president R. Premadasa, who initiated the renovation of the monument in 1991. It was completed with patronage of Ven. Ethalavatunuwewe Gnanatilaka the chief incumbent of the Mirisavatiya temple.

Many of the relics of the Buddha found from this monument were re-deposited in the present monument and some were kept in possession of incumbent monks who became the heads of Mirisavati temple in teacher pupil succession.

Today Ven. Etalavetunuwewe Gnanatilaka thera is the incumbent and head of the Mirisaveti temple under whom the main monument and its surrounding historical site are preserved and restored to their original condition.

Therefore, the relics presently in possession of Ven. Gnanatilaka are no doubt genuine and an extremely invaluable inheritance of the Buddhist world. The Buddhists are grateful to Ven. Gnanatilaka for his enormous service for the preservation of Buddha's relics and the Mirisaveti historical monument.

The writer is a professor at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Rajarata University.