Uva Province of Sri Lanka, still portrays the impact of Mahayana Buddhism

Mahayana style Buddha / Buduruwagala

The Buddha, or the "enlightened one," was born Siddhartha Gautama to  Princess Mahamaya and King Sudhodhana in the 6th century B.C. in Lumbini, modern-day Nepal. Although born a prince, he realized that conditioned experiences could not provide lasting happiness or protection from suffering. After almost thirty years of spiritual search he went into deep meditation, where he understood the nature of the mind. He achieved the state of unconditional happiness; the state of enlightenment, or Bodhi by the river Neranjana in Gaya. For the rest of his life, the Buddha taught anyone who asked how they could reach this state. Ever since his parinirwana or demise at the age of 80 the Dharma, his teachings has been preserved and preached to the people of Asia major by the Sangha; his disciples or the community practitioners who was entrusted with its broadcast. 

However with time his teachings were divided into two branches the Threravada and Mahayana. Regardless of the branches all Buddhist believe in the Buddha as the teacher, the Dharma as his teachings and the Sanga the community of practitioners of the Dharma. This means that all Buddhist regardless of the branches believe in the Thripitaka, the Pali canon the Buddha’s teachings as originally recorded hundreds of years after his passing.

Both Theravada and Mahayana believe in Arharts; the enlightened persons who have escaped the cycle of birth and death and exist in Nirvana, the ultimate goal in Theravada.  Mahayana believes in the “Bodhisatva Path”.  This means that all monastics and laypersons can follow this same path and become Bodhisatva’s, which are enlightened beings that freely choose to stay in the cycle of birth and death also known as Samsara.  They stay in Samsara out of great compassion to save all beings despite having to continuously exist in the world of Samsara. Theravada also believes in the compassion to save all beings, however they do not promote the Bodhisattva path to achieve it. Theravada, does not have any additional schools like in Mahayana. In Theravada there is only one set of views on all these topics while Mahayana provides additional “Dharma gates” that people can use towards liberation.  However Theravada believes these additional Mahayana sutras and teachings are not canonical. Therefore not legitimate.

Buddhism reached Sri Lanka in the 3^st century BC and was established as Theravada based in the Mahavihara in Anuradhapura. It is noted that some monks separated from the Mahavihara and established the Abhayagiriya with the royal patronage of King Valagamba in the 1^st century BC. There has been evidence to the presence of Mahayana influence even in the 3^rd century BC with the arrival of Vaithulyavada from India.

The significance of Mahayana in the Buddhist sculptures in this land is related to the 8^th and 9^th century during the reign of the Kassapa and Dappula brothers in Anuradhapura. But its presence is mostly related to the Rohana Desha. In today’s terms in the Ruhuna and the Uva Province. The Chola invasion in the 10^th century and the formation of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom is said to have had a lineage to Mahayana which later was overridden with the Shiva devotion.

Buduruwagala Buddha flanked by the Awalokatheswara and Goddesses 

The Mahayana influence in the country is but clearly depicted in the Buduruwagala site before the Polonnaruwa Era which don’t seem to have continued in the Polonnaruwa Kingdom.

Buduruwagala situated in Wellavaya in the Monaragala District, consists of seven statues sculptured on a rock cut relief during the 9th -10th century  A.D. It is believed that these statues were created by Mahayana Buddhist in Rohana, during the Anuradhapura period. Iconographies of various Buddha, Bodhisattva, and the strength of Bodhisattva, regional gods, and gods of Hinduism has been introduced by the Mahayana traditions. The main Buddha sculpture in Buduruawagala is said to be the tallest of its kind in Sri Lanka and is flanked by six smaller sculptures three to a side that relate to Mahayana notations. It could be said that on behalf of worshiping the Buddha, people also used to worship and believed in Bodhisatva and gods introduced by the Mahayana tradition in Buduruwagala.

Buduruwagala / Wellawaya

The other significant sculpture though isolated and further away from the province of Uva is the Kushtaraja Gala in Weligama. This image of Avalokiteshvara also sculptured in a relief of the rock is thought to be of the 6-7 century A D and depicts very clearly the Mahayana concept that prevailed during this era. There are other folk stories on the image as that of a prince from a foreign country ailing from a skin disease had come on a pilgrimage to Agrabodhi Vihara and had constructed this image on a vow made to God Vishnu. The other is that a prince from Sri Lanka with a skin ailment had built the statue after getting cured by making a vow to Agrabodhi Vihara. As there is evidence to identify that this statue is of Natha Bodhisatva, the folk stories could be accepted to some extent for the reason that there was a belief that this Bodhisatva had healing powers.

Pic Courtesy:www tlc lk                                                                        Kushtarajagala Weligama

Awalokatheshwara Natha / Weligama
Pic courtesy; www.lanka-excursions-holidays

The colossal free standing Buddha image at Maligawila and the freestanding image of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisatva in Dambegoda in Okkampitiya also in the Monaragala District in the Uva Province is said to have been completed in the same period. They are also classic example of the influence of Mahayana worshiping of the people of Rohana then.

Maligawila Buddha colossal

Dambegoda Awalokitheswara statue

Mahayana Buddha / Dowa Bandarawela

Unfinished Dowa sculpture

Finally the unfinished Buddha, sculpted on a rock relief in Dowa Bandarawela again in Uva province could be noted as the culmination of this practice of Mahayana worship that took root in the Rohana then. The Chola invasion which brought about suffering and anarchy in the country, but upheld the Mahayana tradition and the worship of Shiva may have had a negative impact on the practice of Mahayana. We do not see its development as seen in the 8^th and 9^th century in the country since the Chola invasion and the formation of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom.

Dambulla the Best Preserved Cave Temple in Sri Lanka

 

Dambulla a town situated in the border of the Central and North Central Provinces of Sri Lanka has been in the limelight from ancient times. Today it is a bustling commercial hub ‘The Awakened City’ attributed for its banks being kept open 24/7 for business. The transit point for all agricultural and farm produce coming from the central hills and the extreme north of Sri Lanka.

 

 

The history of Dambulla goes back to the 1^st century. based on a large cave formation on a massive, gargantuan rock outcrop that is visible from miles around the plains. Earliest recorded history says King Uttiya [267-257 BC] donated the caves to the Sangha [Buddhist Clergy] as dwellings. King Walagambahu, who became the king for the second time, converted it to a Buddhist image house. King Walagambahu was deposed in the South Indian Chola invasion of 103 BC; while being just five months in reign. The Maha Kalu Sinhalaya [the dark skinned Sinhala King] fled the city of Anuradhapura into hiding for 14 years, living in caves and other, organising forces for invasion. He regains the Kingdom for a second term defeating the Chola in 83 BC and reign till 77 BC. Almost all the caves where he dwelt during the 14 years in hiding were converted to Buddhist temples or image houses. Dambulla being the largest and best preserved has had state patronage from succeeding rulers.

Colonial history in Sri Lanka notes two insurrections against the British rule in 1817 and 1848 that are connected to Dambulla. During the Uva rebellion in 1817 the British troops that were sent to Matale to quell the out brake is said to have been quartered in the Dambulla Cave Temple, with the strictest orders issued against doing any damage to the image house.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1848 the economic recession in the United Kingdom, burdened the Kandian peasantry with direct taxation from the colonial rulers. License fees were imposed on guns, dogs, carts and shops. Labour on plantation roads was made compulsory. The taxes bore heavily on the purse and traditions of the Kandyan peasant. A mass movement against the oppressive taxes was developing. The masses without a King and their chieftains crushed in the Uva rebellion sort leadership through ordinary people. In July 1848, Gongalegoda Banda is consecrated as "Sri Wickrama Siddapi" by the head monk of Dambulla Vihara, Ven. Giranegama Thera. His brother Dhines, was declared the sub-king, while Dingirala named the uncrowned king of the Sath Korale [Seven Counties]. Puran Appu was appointed the prime minister to Gongalegoda Banda. It is noted that an army of around 4000 left Dambulla via Matale to capture Kandy from the British. They attacked the Kachcheri Building in Matale, destroying tax records. Dingirirala instigated attacks in Kurunegala. Martial Law was declared in Kandy and Kurunegala. Puran Appu is taken prisoner and executed. Gongalegoda Banda and his brother Dhines goes into hiding. They were arrested and put on trial for waging war against the British King. The court condemns them to be hanged. Subsequently, a proclamation is issued to amend the death sentence to 100 floggings and deportation to Malacca [Malaysia]. 

It is this defiance nature of the Dambulla Temple that distanced it from the other two superior temples of the Kandian era; the Malwatte and the Asgirirya. One could conceive it to be the same rebellious approach the temple has had in recent times against the Kandalama Hotel that came up in its vicinity, the demand to build the Dambulla Cricket Stadium on temple land, the launching of a national radio broadcasting channel ‘The Rangigiri Dambulla Radio”. The new Rangirir Dambullu Temple built at the foot of the pathway to the cave temple with a colossus Buddha statue depicting the Mahayana features and lately the displeasure towards a mosque being renovated and expanded.

As importantly however, some things haven not changed. In particular the richly painted cave temple still attracts a multitude of travellers and pilgrims as in the past. Dambulla today is a world renowned tourist destination in Sri Lanka and  a node point within the cultural triangle of tourism. [the area within the cities of Anuradhapura, Pollonnaruwa and Kandy] 

The uniqueness of the Dambulla Cave Temple is that it has been well preserved restored and upgraded with state patronage throughout. Records show that King Nissanka Malla [1187-1196], renamed the temple the Rangiri Dambulla after restoration and gold gilding of several Buddha images. King Keerthi Sri Rajasingha [1747-1782] restored the complex completely and converted the third cave as an image house and introduced his own statue in it. The next major phase of development took place in the 18th century; the upper terrace was restored and refurbished. The painted surfaces within the caves were re-painted or over painted in a style characteristic of the Kandian era. The front screen walls were rebuilt and roofed to form an outer veranda.  Even with the royal patronage ending in 1815 [the king of Kandy is captured and deported by the British], periodic repainting of sculptures and touching up of the deteriorating surfaces continued. In 1915, thanks to the efforts of a local donor, the 5th cave was entirely repainted. The veranda was rebuilt incorporating a mixture of European and Asian detailing, with an entrance porch reconstructed in a conjectural 18th century style in the 1930’s.

The paintings have been touched up by folk artists who were assigned on royal decree. Jeevan Naide from Nilagama was the last link of this Sittara clan who passed away recently. The restoration work by the Nilagama family has been recorded in detail in the Nilagama Tudapatha, [a palm leaf manuscript] where the skill of Jeevan Naide and his ancestors is dealt in detail. The pigments were from vegetable dyes and soil forms mixed with oil extracted from the bark of the Dorana tree that gave a varnished sheen to the paintings preserving it from insects. The paint brushes too were made of natural plant fibre; mainly Vatekeiya [Pandaness] and cat fur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dambulla has also one of the richest collections of Sri Lankan sculpture amounting to 158 Buddha images in the form of standing, meditating and reclining postures. Outstanding figures of gods, deities and Bodhisatva [Future Buddha] and three royal portrait sculpture. A large number of these statues date from the mid Anuradhapura period. Even though these images have been restored their original styles and iconography have been preserved. The materials used for the sculpture were wood, bricks, clay, terracotta and even live rock and cotton netting. 

Dr Ananda Coomaraswamy’s treasured book ‘The Medieval Sinhala Art’ come into life at Dambulla. The joinery in timer work in the door sashes, the stone work in the door frames and the intricate timber door bolts the ‘Dandu Agula’ are all still serving good ….though centuries old. 

 

 The ‘Dandu Agula’ still in good order… though centuries old