History of Dalada, our cultural heritage

by S. B. KARALLIYADDA

Esala perahera, the cultural pageant of Sinhale which has been held continuously for thousands of years will be held in Senkadagala this year too. From the reign of Devanampiyatissa the bowl relic of the Buddha and from the reign of Kithsirimevan (AD 303-335) the tooth relic of the Buddha have been venerated and considered as national treasures by the Sinhalese.

Whoever ruling the country was considered as the custodian of these treasures and the ruler was compelled to protect these treasures. A ruler who did not possess the relics were not accepted as their king and the king had to safeguard the relics.

It was this reason that the relics were removed from place to place when the king moved for his safety and their relics were temporarily kept in several temples other than the Temple of the Tooth. Maha Parakrama Bahu (1153-1186) who became the king in Polonnaruwa had to wage a war to recover the tooth relic from the ruler of Rohana.

When Queen Sugala removed the relics the king had to go to war with her and finally the relics were recovered from Etimale a village in the present Monaragala District near the now Dombagahawela town.

The king had a second coronation ceremony in Polonnaruwa after he took over the possession of the tooth relic. During the Anuradhapura period it was the tradition for the Dalada Perahera to commence from the Anuradhapura town and parade the streets and reach Abhayagiri Vihara, where there was an exposition of relics.

After the establishment of the Uttarapola monastery in Anuradhapura the king entrusted the custody of the relics to Ven Uttaramoola Thera, the head of the Uttarapola monastery. The first ever enemy invasion to capture the relics was recorded during the period of Mahinda V (982-1029) when the Cholas removed even the eyes of the king and murdered him removing the relics to Ruhuna.

When the kingdoms changed from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa and Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala the tooth relic was deposited in these capitals in Dalada temples built for the purpose. When the Kalinga Prince Nissankamalla (1187-1196) succeeded to the throne in Polonnaruwa it is recorded that he built a temple for the tooth relic within a period of sixty hours.

This was to establish his rights to the throne. Buvanekabahu V (1372-1408) removed the relics from Kurunegala to Kotte. There is no reliable evidence to know where the relics were kept in the Dedigama and Gampola periods.

Dalada was brought to Senkadagala from its hiding place in the Denagamu Vihara in Sabaragamuwa. During the Senkadagala period the relic was shifted for safety to Medamahanuwara, Keulgama, Kitulpe, Hanguranketa etc. Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467) has built a three storeyed temple for the relic in Kotte according to Selalihini Sandesaya - Vandu Daladahimi themahal pahaya rendi

Foreign Invasions

During the third regime of Queen Leelawathie (1211-1212) Ven. Kotmale Vachissara Thera removed the relics to Pussulpitiya during the Maga invasions for twenty one years from 1215 to 1236.

It was Bodhiraja from Galahitiyawa in the present Uda Dumbara who defeated Maga and inaugurated the Dambadeniya kingdom from 1236 to 1305. He built the temple of tooth Dambadeniya and ruled as Vijayabahu III. His son Pandit Parakramabahu II (1236-1270) also known as “Kalikala Sahitya Sarwagna Pandita” improved the temple built by his father. He built a three storeyed temple.

His son Vijayabahu IV (1270-1272) removed the Dalada for protection and deposited it in the Atadage at Polonnaruwa. It was Buwanekabahu I (1272-84) who once again brought back the Dalada from Polonnaruwa and deposited in the Sundaragiri Vihara in Dambadeniya.

At this time a Chola king Ariyachakravarti took the Dalada to India. Parakramabahu III (1287-1293) made acquaintances with king Kulasekara and brought back the relics without any confrontation. It was taken back to Polonnaruwa and later brought to Yapahuwa temple.

Buwanekabahu II (1294-1302) was the king who took the relics to the Dalada Maligawa in Kurunegala. Parakramabahu IV (1302-1326) converted the Kurunegala Dalada Maligawa into a three storeyed palace. He wrote a book containing thirty eight treatise in the worship of Dalada.

The nephew of Parakramabahu II prince Weerabahu was another who defended the relic. When a Jawak troop attempted to take the relics by force he chased these troops upto Jawakkotte Jaffna which is known as Chavakacheri today. It was Wickramabahu III (1351-1371) alias Pandit Wickramabahu who built the first Dalada Maligawa in Senkadagala. The Dalada hidden under a grinding stone during the Kotte regime was brought to Senkadagala during the reign of Wimaladharmasuriya I who built a three storeyed temple for the Tooth in 1587.

During a Portuguese invasion King Senarath removed the relic to Medamahanuwara and the king hid in Mahiyangana. Rajasinghe II (1634-84) son of Senarath brought back the relics to Senkadagala.

In the rebellion of 1818 Ven Wariyapola Sumangala Thera removed the relics to a place in Maturata but on November 25, a British soldier identified the relics and Col. Kelly was responsible for conducting the relics ceremonially back to Kandy.

Since then the relic was placed under the care of the Government Agent. On May 29, 1817 the first public exposition of the relic under the British was held. On July 29 and August 11, 1847 the Governor Torrington held two discussions with the bhikkus of Asgiriya and Malwatta and the Kandyan chiefs.

On the October 1 and 2 two more discussions were held and finally the relic were handed over to the Mahanayakes of Malwatta and Asgiriya and Dullewa as the lay custodian.