Ancient Buduruvayaaya:

Lost to greed, now re-claimed

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe

Almost a metaphor for our heritage cultural wonders destroyed by a greedy humanity and lost to history, an ancient stone sculpture of the Buddha reclines in a jungle glade in the depths of Sri Lanka's remaining wilderness. This is Buduruva Yaaya, now more simply known as "Buduruvayaya".

The 36-feet long rock hewn reclining Buddha statue of Buduruwayaaya.

About an hour's drive along the Polonnaruwa-Dambulla highway, we turned left from Giritalé junction taking the Giritalé-Bakamüna secondary road which winds through the Minnériya-Girithalé Natural Forest Reserve with the Elahera Oya winding its way parallel to the road on our right. This 20 km stretch of road is sheltered by massive trees on either side. Passing Diyabeduma, we soon reached Bakamuna.

From Bakamüna town we proceeded another six kilometres on the newly built Pallegama-Hettipola road and then turned left and drove about another half kilometre along a very rugged, gravel road littered with fallen branches (due to the recent rains) and dotted with potholes which led to Buduruvayaya, our final destination. One can also reach this site by travelling from Na-ula to Elahera along the road alongside the Yoda Ela ancient canal and, from there, taking the Elahera-Giritale road via Bakamuna.

Reclining

Buduruvayaya is one of the lesser known archaeological sites along the Amban Ganga, with its statue of the reclining Buddha delicately sculpted out of solid rock. One side of Buduruvayaya is bordered by the Wasgamuva Strict Natural Reserve. The serene sound of Amban Ganga flowing rapidly through the forest could be heard nearby. Unfortunately, the elephant protection fence that divides the Wasgamuva reserve from Buduruvayaaya deprives us of a clear view of the Amban Ganga.

The sylvan elegance of Wasgamuva forest with its flora and fauna, further enhances the ambience of ancient Buduruvayaya.

With the fall of the medieval Polonnaruva Kingdom following the Chola invasion in the tenth Century AD, the Sri Lankan monarchy was compelled to relocate its capital several times. As besieged kings retreated to the south and south western parts of the island, the ancient 'Rajarata' centres in the north-central region were abandoned to the wilds and the jungle soon regained lost territory.

Known today simply as the Buduruvayaaya Buddha statue, this site, which is believed to have been built by King Prakramabahu the First of Polonnaruwa, has historical significance.

Today, set amidst lush green vegetation near the bank of the Amban Ganga and bordering the Wasgamuva National Park, the Buduruvayaya Buddha statue lies forlorn, deep in the heart of the jungle. But the excavated as well as un-excavated ruins that lie all around the statue are extensive and bear testimony to a glorious past when this, now forest-encircled, place was a centre of monastic life and social activity of medieval times. This ancient social significance probably came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of internecine wars and invasions that severely depopulated the Rajarata.

The Buduruvayaaya statue is also known as Atharagollewa statue among the local villagers. The ancient Pali chronicles record that this Buddha statue was constructed by King Prakramabahu I.

The flower altar of the restored Stupa of Buduruwayaaya.

The massive 36-foot long Buddha statue had been hewn out of rock of quartz. Scholars draw comparisons between this statue and the more famous reclining Buddha statue seen at Gal Vihara in Polonnaruva itself. Although the Buduruvayaaya statue does resemble the statue at Gal Vihara, it does not aesthetically compare well. The rock carving in Gal Vihare has been found to be more precisely smoothened in the sculpting than in Buduruvayaya.

Some scholars speculate that the sculptors who worked on this statue could not complete their task and had to abandon their work due to the Chola invasion and sudden collapse of the Polonnaruva kingdom, Then Buduruvayaaya went into ruin and was enveloped by the jungle over the centuries of isolation.

Buduruvayaaya was said to have been resurrected in modern times by the late Ven. Kithalagama Sri Silalankara Nayaka Thera, chief priest of the Dimbulagala monastery which lies not too far away. He had lived here for more than 12 years. But in the intervening centuries before this revival, vandals have played havoc here as the damage done to the ruins revealed to us as we explored this historic site.

We could see the destruction and desecration done to this statue by treasure hunters over the centuries, in their attempts to find hidden treasure. Dangerously close to the head of the statue, we could note that the base rock had been blasted and dug out by the treasure hunters.

Though other similar sites are protected, vandalism and the destruction of stone monuments goes on unabated throughout the country. Those who visit this statue will realise the extent of the destruction generally done to archaeological sites in remote areas done simply to satisfy the greed of people.

Buduruvayaya is another ancient site that deserves more attention and appreciation for both its monastic aesthetic as well as its one-time social significance. A close look indicates the magnificence of the sculpture and the architectural lay-out of the ancient monastic complex. It is certainly a sacred site which can boast of our rich heritage and magnificent masterpieces created by our skilled sculptors in that bygone era.

I first visited this historic site in 2005 and I came upon the ancient stupa then little more than rubble - a heap of broken bricks and an earth mound covered with shrub jungle. The place was long neglected and forsaken.

Besides the statue there are various ruins scattered around the vicinity which include a ruined ancient stupa, moonstones, Siripathul stones (stylized replicas of the Buddha's footprint) among other important artifacts. All these ruins indicate that there was a reputed Buddhist monastery in the past.

When I re-visited the site recently however, I found the ruined stupa had been restored by the Department of Archaeology.

A few yards away from the stupa are numerous stone ruins such as a flower altar, circular shaped stone bases on which cavities were carved to install upright stone pillars, the top having a round formation on which was placed a circular stone disc hollowed out to function as an oil lamp for illumination as well divine blessing.

Evidence

The stone ruins scattered in the vicinity of Buddha statue.

The chief priest told us that evidence had revealed there were several structures built in the vicinity of Buduruvayaya archeological site. He claimed that there were five more structures and stupas built around Buduruvayaya. Furthermore, there is another ruined structure lying at a place called Sudu Kanda located at some distance in the depths of Wasgamuva National Park. This structure is facing towards Buduruvayaya and is believed to have been connected with Buduruvayaaya monastery in the past.

Scattered across a large area around the site are stone slabs, torsos of statues, moonstones, stone inscriptions, pillars and other stone monuments. The whole area seems to have been vandalized by treasure hunters. The chief priest who had taken up lonely residence in the Aavaasa Gé (chapter house) of the Buduruvayaaya temple told us that, even today, treasure hunters constantly cast their eyes around looking for the stone monuments of the temple.

Even after this historic battering, Buduruvayaaya nestles in an enchanting atmosphere. Across the forest canopy a soft cool breeze blows through the leaves of massive trees. The Amban Ganga flows a little distance away from the Buduruvayaya Buddha statue. On one side of the bank of the Amban Ganga is a boundary of the Wasgamuva National Park. A sea of green, infested with elephants, leopards and sloth bears, the forest canopy and vegetation of Wasgamuva stretches out as far as the eye can see. And from here Sudu Kanda is clearly visible. It is believed to be a place where the remnants of a ruined palace or a monastery stand connecting with the Buduruvayaya archeological site in the past.