Abhayagiri Vihara:

An international institution

Anuradhapura, one of the most sacred pilgrimage cities in our country, was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many storeys, all roofed with tiles of bronze or burnt clay, glossy in brilliant colours.

To the north of the city, bordered by great walls and containing detailed bathing ponds, carved handrails and moonstones, stood Abhayagiri, one of 17 such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major viharas.

The term Abhayagiri Vihara meant not only a complex of simple buildings, but also an alliance of Buddhist monks, or Sangha, which maintained its own historical records, traditions and a way of life.

Founded in the second century BC, it had grown into an international institution by the first century of that era, attracting scholars from all over the world. After many centuries of inactivity, these sites are again being explored and cleared, and detailed excavation and conservation work is now going on, resulting in the rediscovery of an exquisite royal city of temples and monasteries.

It is recorded in the chronicles that King Vattagamani Abhaya (Walagamba) established Abhayagiri during the period of his second reign, from 89 to 77 BC. A young Brahmin named Tiya (Tissa) had declared war against him. (Before the arrival of Mihindu Thera who brought Buddhism to the island, Brahmins held the highest place in society. With the advent of Buddhism, some Brahmins converted to Buddhism, while others raised the standard of revolution.

Tiya, who enjoyed the support of his community, lived both in and outside Sri Lanka, and was therefore very powerful.)

At the same time, seven Tamil chiefs had landed at Mahatittha with a mighty army. King Walagamba, a good diplomat, realising that his forces were too weak to fight against both enemies, tried to rid himself of them by making them fight each other.

He sent a message to Tiya that he could have the kingdom, provided he managed to defeat the foreign invaders. Tiya agreed and went with his forces to meet the Tamils. He was beaten by them.

The Tamils, overjoyed by their success, came towards Anuradhapura and defeated the king, who was forced to abandon the throne and go into hiding in the mountains. As the King, defeated in battle, was running away from Anuradhapura, a Jain priest of the Giri Monastery, which had been built by King Pandukabhaya near the northern gate of the city, cried out, "The great black Sinhala is fleeing".

The king thereupon made the resolution, "If my wish (of regaining the kingdom) is fulfilled, I will build a temple here."

During the period of food shortage and foreign rule which followed, Vattagamani Abhaya took refuge in the mountain region. He collected troops for a period of over fourteen years and marched onto Anuradhapura in 89 BC, and defeated the last foreign king, Bhatiya.

In fulfilment of the vow made on the day of his defeat, one of his first acts was to build the Abhayagiri Vihara on the site of the Giri Monastery.

Mahatissa Thera of Kupikkala was appointed as its Chief Incumbent, as a mark of gratitude for his support in the fight against the invaders.

Abhayagiri thereafter became a symbol not only of religious, but also of national recovery, as it signalled the end of Brahmin and Jain influence in the country. A dark era of eight hundred years overcame Abhayagiri Vihara until its rediscovery in the 1880s awoke scientific and scholarly interest in the abandoned and damaged ruins.

Mistakenly identified at first with Jetavana Vihara, it started to be photographed and drawn by specialists in the late nineteenth century. The Department of Archaeology, established about the same period, undertook excavation and conservation work of some of the buildings of the site at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Chinese monk Fahsien, who lived at Abhayagiri for nearly two years, has reported that over five thousand monks had been living there at the time. Within the canteen excavated and conserved by the Cultural Triangle project is a stone drain with the capacity of five thousand alms bowls, indicating that this drain used to contain boiled rice, or alternatively, to store uncooked rice offered as alms to the bhikkhus.

The plan of this canteen differs somewhat from those found in other monasteries in Anuradhapura.

Underground conduits (channels) supplied fresh water and drained away waste water. A stone sundial used to ensure that the midday meal, taken before noon, was served on time.

The Ardhanarinatesvera bronze image, discovered during excavation of the inner wall of the Abhayagiri Stupa, is the first of its kind discovered in the world. The restoration process is currently going on at the Abhayagiri Vihara. All who would like to contribute their energy to this project are welcome to participate.

Janani Amarasekara

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Buddha's hair relics

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