Dimbulagala:

History atop a mountain

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe

Our 'stepping back into history' journey to Polonnaruwa, which took us to some magnificent archaeological findings in the surrounding areas of this ancient kingdom, winds to a close with a visit to Dimbulagala, the hermitage of the monastic monks.

Our journey, which began from Colombo, saw us stopping at Bakamuna to wonder in awe at the Buduruwayaya Buddha statue, become completely enchanted with the Somawathi Stupa and mesmerised by the stone cold elegance of Medirigiriya Vatadage.

Now on the final leg of the journey, we attempt to take in Dimbulagala, the mountain range with about 500 rock caves, the hermitage for monastic monks that has been continuously occupied since 3rd century BC.

Located to the southeast of Polonnaruwa and 10 kilometres south of Manampitiya, the rock spire of Dimbulagala, rises majestically from the surrounding scrub jungle. Moving close once can see the Dimbulagala mountain range with its jagged peaks, thrusting against the morning sky.

The placid water of the Dalukana tank add an odd kind of serenity to the raw elegance of the Dimbulagala range, a nearly six-kilometer long rocky outcrop that rises 1,753 feet above the plains.

The remains of stone structures, stupas and the caves could give one the impression of the site simply being the ruins of a monastery. But Dimbulagala is much more than that. A true historical monument, the entire mountainous landscape is in fact of great archaeological value.

History has it that following the Chola invasion, great monasteries of Anuradhapura, Abayagiri and Jetavanarama were abandoned and their monks fled in terror. Seeking refuge in remote areas, many of them had come to Dimbulagala, in the forests of Polonnaruwa.

Meditating monks

Dimbulagala had been a hermitage since ancient times and by medieval period its caves had housed large numbers of meditating monks. It provided a secure sanctuary to the fleeing monks, because of its remote location, inaccessibility and isolation.

After the Sinhala Kingdom was restored, the kings of Polonnaruwa had turned to the monks of Dimbulagala for guidance. Despite the declining of morals and spiritual knowledge and ordination of monks in many parts of the country due to the chaos and anarchy of the 10th and 11th centuries, the monks of Dimbulagala had retained their sanctity, devotion to contemplation, study and discipline.

Adivasi ordained

In his quest to restore Buddhism, King Parakrama Bahu had turned to the head priest of Dimbulagala, the Venerable Mahakassapa, who is credited with compiling the 'Katikavata' (Code of Discipline), which the King had inscribed at the Gal Vihare. The King, it is recorded, had restored the rites of ordination and established new codes of discipline for priesthood with the support of Venerable Mahakassapa.

Dimbulagala had become the religious heart of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom, and accorded the respect and pomp with several splendid buildings and beautiful paintings to embellish the caves. The caves and buildings of Namal Pokuna lies at the feet of Dimbulagala, as though silent witness the ancient glory.

Modern history recorded Dimbulagala as being an overgrown ruin that later went on to become the home of Adivasi (Veddha) Millane Yapa, the last chieftain of the clan that lived in the caves of the Dimbulagala forest. The Millana Yapa later decided to gift all the caves and properties to the late Ven. Kithalagama Sri Seelalankara Nayaka Thera, who converted the caves to the present hermitage at Dimbulagala.

Millana Yapa had also encouraged 12 young Adivasi boys to be ordained as Samanera Bhikkhus at the hermitage. Ven. Millane Sri Siriyalankara Thera, the former chief priest of Namal Pokuna Vihare and the current chief priest of Dimbulagala hermitage was one of these 12 boys. He is also the son of the Adivasi chief Millana Yapa.

We begin our exploration from the Namal Pokuna archaeological site at the foot hills of the Dimbulagala mountain range. The path uphill was dotted with rocky boulders, interspersed with tall, shade-giving trees.

At Namal Pokuna, we came across Hathiyage Amarasinghe, the current Adivasi chieftain of Dalukana, a village in Dimbulagala range. He had come to the temple to invite a Bhikkhu to a Dana. According Amarasinghe, there are 1,600 Adivasi families living in eight villages in Dimbulagala at present.

Nearly half an hour later, we reached the centre of the hill, where most of the Dimbulagala ruins are found. The vantage point from the up the hill gives a spectacular outline of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa ancient, with the gleaming lakes, paddy fields and the cluster of villages giving it a picturesque appearance.

Exploring the natural caves and stone ruins that have made the Namal Pokuna famous, we came across a huge torso of the Buddha, brick stupas, stone pillars, drip ledged caves, ponds and stone walls almost resting on each other. Namal Pokuna, relatively obscure and hence un-spoilt by hordes of visitors, remains a tranquil spot- a confluence of history and religion.

Continuing on, we come to the Dimbulagala hermitage, which lies in cluster of rocky cliffs at the edge of the Dimbulagala range. From the distance, one can see white the washed thin Stupa erected on one of the rocky cliffs. There are large numbers of caves scattered in the surrounding areas of the mountain, occupied by resident Bhikkhus of the hermitage.

The Dimbulagala hermitage was founded by the late Ven. Kithalgama Sri Seelalankara Nayaka Thera, who took the lead to protect the lives of the people in the border villages during the peak of terrorism. The Bhikkhu was gunned down at the hermitage by the Tamil Tigers. The tragedy notwithstanding, the serenity you experience at the Dimbulagala range is worth the arduous uphill climb.