Born of legend, steeped in history

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe

Having spent a couple of days in the wilds of Kumana we came out late afternoon from the park and proceeded toward Pottuvil passing picturesque villages and placid lagoons such as Bagura, Kudimbigala, Panama and Arugam Bay. These lagoons located outside the park were also a heaven for Painted Storks, White Necked Storks and many other water birds.

We came to Pottuvil bazaar passing Arugam Bay - the sun-drenched and palm fringed coastal paradise. We had a glorious view of the deep blue sea and the sea spray was most welcoming. A number of colourful guest houses and homely cottages stood on both sides of the road ready to cater to the tourists.

Fishing

A few metres away from the bazaar of Pottuvil lies a tiny coastal village inhabited mostly by fishing folk. We stopped our jeep in a park and walked under the scorching sun on a well-constructed path which led to the historic site of Muhudu Maha Vihara.

When I visited this site in early 2000, it was a heap of broken bricks that I saw strewn here and there, and a few stone pillars partially submerged in the sandy beach facing the sea. But today all these ruins have been restored and a majestic white Dagaba had been constructed on the beach.

The crumbling Dagaba at the Vihara

Muhudu Maha Vihara is associated with the widely known legend of the marriage of Queen Vihara Maha Devi and King Kavantissa of Ruhuna. The King is said to have built this dagaba and temple to mark this grand occasion. The Muhudu MahaVihara’s fallen Buddha statue has been now restored to its original standing position by the Department of Archaeology.

From Pottuvil we turned left on Siyabalanduwa/Moneragala road, beguiled by the panoramic views of serene rural landscape. Lush green paddy fields that run as far as eye can see and the shade of Kumbuk trees beside the road protected us from the late afternoon sun.

Having driven around 12 kilometres from Pottuvil we emerged into the wildlife country of Lahugala-Kitulana and reached the lovely jungle village of Lahugala on the edge of the sanctuary where we were greeted by some villagers who were drying maize on the side of the road.

At the edge of the jungle, the name board of this ancient place indicated to the ‘Magul MahaVihara’. We proceeded around two kilometres to the left and parked the jeep in a small bazaar where village damsels sell Beli Mal drinks, a refreshing herbal drink with juggery to quench one’s thirst.

Ornamental

We had our lunch which we cooked early morning at our campsite at Galamuna in Kumana. Shading our eyes against the late afternoon sun, we first saw an ornamental moat with lotus blossoms, with wide stone terraces leading down to it which showcase the style of the Anuradhapura period. Rectangular in shape the Vihara was bordered by a moat in ancient times. Having crossed the moat by a causeway we entered the main entrance.

Magul Maha Vihara, according to the inscription at the temple has been built by King Dhatusena (453-474 BC), and originally known as Ruhunu Maha Vehera. The Vihara appeared to have fallen into ruin for 200 years and lay abandoned in the jungle. At the beginning of the 14th Century the temple was brought back to former glory by Queen Vihara Maha Devi, Buwaneka Bahu IV and Prakrama Bahu V.

We were really thrilled by gazing at the marvellous antiquated ruins. We were surrounded by four ceremonial gateways, each one of them carved from stone and adorned with moonstones, balustrades and rows of pillars. Each gateway is aligned with others and the entire compound is laid out in straight lines. Inside this compound one can see remains of magnificent structures on stone platforms. It is a complete monastic complex, with an image house, a Dagaba, a Bodhigara, numerous guard stones and a chapter house. Surrounding the central quadrangle is vast area with walkways and numerous stone structures. The magnificent tank which once gave it life, now strangled by creeping vegetation, runs along the eastern side of the Vihara.

On the eastern side of the temple is a crumbling Dagaba partially located in the shrub jungle. The four entrances to this Dagaba are well preserved. Each such entrance is flanked on either side by stone carved seated lions perched on stone slabs of the stone railing encircling the Dagaba.

From the ancient Dagaba we came upon one of the most magnificent buildings here - the intricately carved Bodghigara which stands on an elevated platform. This square shaped stone Bodhigara is like an enclosure which consists of a stone railing ornamented with a frieze of lions and flower vases. While the outer structure is square, the inner sanctum is completely round with a small moonstone having detailed flower motifs at the entrance. The Bo tree was in a bowl like enclosure and then placed inside this inner platform.

Moonstone

Another magnificent masterpiece in the Magul Maha Vihara is its moonstone which is rich and elaborate. It too has a unique character of its own, depicting a line of caparisoned elephants, walking and trumpeting. When we closely looked at it we saw two riders perched on their backs. Below them are a row of ducks, each with different features. The moonstone here is said to be unique in the country as this is the only location where elephants are carved with their mahouts.

Finally we came across a massive image house around nine feet in height with a standing headless Buddha statue erected in the middle and upright stone pillars stand around it. This statue is believed to have been broken into pieces in the past. It has been restored by the officials of the Department of Archaeology. The entrance has a plain moon stone and two guard stones depicting the figures of Bahiravaya (guardian demon).

With the sun setting into the far horizon, we had to end our journey at the Magul Maha Vihara and we came back to our jeep quietly contemplating that we have indeed only managed to scratch the surface of these hidden twin treasures. After having a refreshing cup of Beli Mal, we proceeded to Kotiyagala in search of the Mailla cave, which we will feature in a future issue.