Lanka's ancient glory

by Mihindukulasuriya SUSANTHA FERNANDO

This is the season of the year that brings back religious fervour, Esala festivities and ancient glory to the Southern city of Devinuwara.

If we were to go back to the past through a time machine, we would find this region as the ancient kingdom of King Ravana's Lankapuraya. Folklore attributes the names Girihela Girihelpura to Devinuwara. In the region of Devinuwara there is a region known as Sudugala (white rock). Sudugala means Helagiri. Such name might have originated due to the fact that there is a variety of white stone called sudugala in the eastern border of Devinuwara used in the production chunam.

Legend also attributes the name Girikathage to Devinuwara city. Pathma Nagaraya is another special name given to Devinuwara.

Ptolemy, the famous globe trotter, named the historical city of Devinuwara as Dagana. Iban Batuta, the Arabian voyager, has recorded the name Devinuwara as Dinavora. The name Devanagaraya nee Devinuwara came into being due to the presence of God Kataragama and God Vishnu in the sacred city.

Therefore, the city dedicated most respectfully to the god's is named as Devinuwara. The fact that Devundara is described by so many ancient names signifies that the people living in and around Devundara are highly literate. Such belief persists due to many reasons: the royal patronage Devinuwara received from the ancient kings of Sri Lanka, folk beliefs related to Devinuwara, the visit of voyagers to Devinuwara and the steadfast faith of people in Gods Kataragama and Vishnu.

Sun and moon flag

It is on record that the historic Devinuwara Esala Perahera had its origins in the Esala month of Shaka Year 612 (the Shaka-based solar year). This august perahera was started by King Parakramabahu. Esala month is generally the period when the perahera is conducted ceremonially in the temples of Southern Sri Lanka.

The perahera ceremonies which starts with the ritual of Kap Planting, continues for three weeks. After the Randoli Perahera, which is the last of the seven Ella peraheras, there takes place a grand alms-giving followed by a ceremonial pleading to the gods to protect Sri Lanka's Buddha Sasana.

The Sun and Moon flag The vanguard of the Devinuwara Esala perahera carries the Avariya torch which is kept unextinguished in the entire duration of the perahera.

Then follows the whip-crackers and the flag-bearers. It is believed that in recognition of the honour bestowed by King Sri Parakramabahu upon Devinuwara, and also the high position of the Suriaya Wansa or Kaurava clan of Sri Lanka, the ancient Sun and Moon flag is carried prominently in the perahera.

The Sun and Moon flag is one of the most important of Kaurava flags, and the sun and moon emblems therein are reckoned to represent the Solar and the Lunar races, the two royal clans, from which, according to tradition, the Kauravas descend. This is perhaps the reason for the presence of the Solar and Lunar emblems in most of the Kaurava flags and banners.

In his monumental book titled Sinhalese Banners and Standards, E. W. Perera notes that "Symbols of heavenly bodies were peculiarly the insignia of royalty" (Appendix A, page 38) and that "The monarchs of Ceylon bore on their tribal banner the orb of the sun on a sesat as a token of their descent from the Suriyavansa race of the sun' " (page 23 ). The Karu Etha flag carried in the perahera symbolises the elephant named Karu Etha belonging to the Ruhuna city.

Perahera

Karu Etha is regarded as the fearless warrior in battle.

After the flag-bearers in the perahera follow the drummers, davul players, Hevisi players, horane blowers or trumpeters. The traditional dance troupes in their colourful attires proceed in the perahera, performing their skills to the tune of traditional music. Behind them walk solemnly the chief priests of the seven devale, chanting divine cantas.

Elephants, Kavadi dancers, Kandyan dance troupes and so many other features make the perahera a most spectacular event in the region. The present administrator of the Devinuwara Vihara, Ven. Susila Thera, who is a multi-talented scholar, works tireless to make the perahera ceremony a success in developing the religious fervour of the Devinuwara people.

Legend has it that seafarers sailing past the Southern tip of Sri Lanka were awed by the lights dazzling from the devale during the Esala ceremonies at Devinuwara. They used to come ashore and pay obeisance to the much venerated god of Devinuwara.

The old devale caught the attention of everyone on land and sea, because it was situated on an elevated ground level at the beach.

Historical Upulvan Maha Devale of Devinuwara, the ancient Panditha Perkumba Siritha poem describes how god Upulvan transfigured himself as a kihiri log and floated into the sea beach of the Devinuwara kingdom. On the night prior to the incident King Dappula II (AD 660-665) who was the reigning monrach of Devinuwara was informed in a dream of the arrival god Upuvan in the form of a kihiri log.

Accordingly, the king and his people rushed to the beach, recovered the log, carved the god's figure out of the kihiri log, and thereafter brought it ceremonially to the devale for enshrinement. The poem further states that the wood of the said log was used as a medicine for treating various diseases. King Dappula created roads, ponds and devales in the four sides of the city, beautified the city landscape, established traditional industries for the people and provided security, welfare and prosperity to the people of Devinuwara.

Royal patronage

Rajavaliya records that King Vijayabahu of Polonnaruwa, King Panditha Parakramabahu of Kurunegla, King Mavanamima and several others extended their royal patronage to the city of Devinuwara.

According to a poem written by the Ven. Galatharumula Thera of the ancient temple, King Dapulasen erected the Sandamini stupa at Devinuwara. Since the devale has enshrined therein the statue of the God Upulvan statue carved out of a 'kihiri' log, the stupa is also called, Kihiruli Vehera. King Dappula I who came to throne in AD 659 first erected a bell-shaped stupa at the Devinuwara temple premises. During the reign of King Dappula II (AD 660-665) the shape of the stupa was changed to appear as a bubble-shaped one.

The ancient Raja Maha Vihara is situated in the heart of Devinuwara town, surrounded by the Circular Road. On the upper floor of the temple, facing the much venerated stupa is a Budumedura, or shrine room of the Sacred Buddha statue.

On either sides the statues are of Gods Vishnu and Kataragama. Bodhiya, the ancient Bo tree planted about five decades ago is no more, but there is a new Bo tree planted in the temple premises for public veneration. The Mahavamsa records that the southern branch of the Most Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in India which was brought to Sri Lanka by the Most Venerable Sangamitta Theri was planted in the Mahamevna Gardens at Anuradhapura.

Two hundred and thirty Bo saplings that sprouted from that Bo tree were taken to two hundred and thirty places in Sri Lanka and planted for public veneration. The chronicle Maha Bodhi Wansaya describes that one of such Bo saplings was planted at Devinuwara.

The Sacred Buddha Statue on the upper floor of the temple, facing the much venerated stupa is a Budumedura, or shrine room of the sacred Buddha statue.

The Samadhi Buddha in the said Budumedura was created by Jayawardane Gurunnase.

The ruins of Devinuwara

There are so many ancient ruins that remind us of the past glory and archaeological value of Devinuwara. Among them is a granite house or Gal Geya.Legend has it that Ravana died in this Gal Geya, after losing his war against Rama.

Ending the twelve-year long war waged against Ravana, Rama claimed victory from the sacred ground of Devinuwara. On a granite pillar at the entrance to the upper floor of Devinuwara temple there is an image carved reminding of the Rama-Ravana war.

Three ancient structures at Devinuwara having a long history behind them are Othpilima Geya, Sitipilima Geya and Galatharumulapaya.

Since Devinuwara is strategically located at the Southern tip of Sri Lanka, facing the main East-West shipping routes, the city has become a guiding beckon for seafarers through the ages.

The writer is the author of Rituals, Folk Beliefs and Magical Arts of Sri Lanka and Alien Mysteries in Sri Lanka and Egypt, 4th Edition