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Marvels of art and sculpture in Sri Lanka

By D.C. Ranatunga – Photos: Courtesy – Eloquence in Stone: The Lithic Saga of Sri Lanka Studio Times publication

Eight miles out of Anuradhapura, the rocky mountain of Mihintale rises abruptly out of the plain to a height of almost 1,000 feet. Here on the slopes of the mountain Apostle Mahinda encounters the king (Devanampiyatissa) as he was in pursuit of a stag. Standing on top of a great crag now known as the Aradhana Gala, the Rock of Invitation, the Apostle Mahinda told him the story of the Buddha and preached His doctrine. The conversion of the king and the whole country to Buddhism provides the foundation for our story. The kings of Lanka saw it as their duty to build for the glory of the faith ….

The Buddha’s message unleashed the creative energies of the Sinhalese. Letters were engraved on stone, caves and then temples were hewn out of solid rock. Great dagabas were built in worship of the Buddha and His image was carved out of granite and marble. Huge monasteries arose many of them as large as towns, their buildings adorned with stone carvings of the most exquisite kind.

The reader is thus introduced to the dawn of a new civilization in Sri Lanka in the book ‘Eloquence in Stone – the Lithic Saga of Sri Lanka’. Under the patronage of King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 B C), the royal capital Anuradhapura became the home of Theravada Buddhism. The king gave the lead in building stupas by erecting the Thuparama dagaba and a monastery for the monks. The location came to be known as Thuparamaya to indicate the presence of the dagaba and the ‘aramaya’. According to the Mahavamsa, Thuparama had been built by the time the branch of the sacred Bo tree was brought to Sri Lanka. One of the eight saplings of the Bo-tree had been planted at the Thuparamaya.

Although the accent was on Anuradhapura, the objects of worship found in Mihintale bear testimony to the fact that there was lot of activity there too. The Kanthaka Chaitya, for example, is a fine piece of architecture and a symbol of the rich art of sculpture in ancient Sri Lanka. The four ‘vahalkada’ (frontispiece) are unique and are amongst the oldest sculptures in the country.

As described in ‘Eloquence in Stone’, the Kanthaka Chaitya marks the beginning of stone art in Sri Lanka. “Elephants kneel out of the stone, dragons spout forth and grotesque dwarves, wild and happy, throw their arms into the air. Serried ranks of dwarves and women line the panels, playing instruments and dancing in ecstasy. The whole ‘vahalkada’ was once plastered and painted in different colours. You can still see the outlines of lions in red and orange paint, their hues coming to life with the sun. Only then do you realise that what is now grey and faded stone, was once a mass of living colour. “

The four ‘vahalkada’ face the four cardinal points in the dagaba. There are four beasts – elephant, horse, lion and bull – facing each direction. The true to life figures are carved in the round from dolomite marble.

Intricate art can be seen at the Kanthaka Chaitya. The ‘kalpa vruksha’ (Tree of Life) is portrayed as a flowering plant rising from a vase of scrolls. On either side of the stem animals and yakkhinis stand back to back perching on its leaves. Seated at the very top is Kuvera, the God of Wealth, showering prosperity on the worshippers.

Another popular site is the Kaludiya Pokuna used as a private bathing place by the monks of Mihintale. “Built to capture the rainwater as it cascaded off the mountainside, here man used his skill to harness nature and beautify it. The pond is surrounded by great rocky boulders which litter the landscape. The steps, terraces, gardens and pavilions which adorn it have all been built around the rock following its shape and contours.

Steps curve up the rock to pavilions set on top of boulders. Terraces make their way over the open ground ascending higher and higher to platforms looking out over the pool, its waters black with the reflection of rocks and the shade of trees. It is the perfect example of man in complete harmony with his environment. Another culture would have cut through the rock and removed the boulder. Only we let it be.” (Eloquence in Stone)

The Sinha Pokuna was once an open air bath which served the monks living in the caves around the Kanthaka Chaitya. Here too intricate sculpture can be seen particularly the figure of the great, man-sized lion which gave the fountain its name.

Amidst the lush greenery in the sacred area of Mihintale are ruins of many monasteries and other facilities provided for the benefit of monks.

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Sri Lanka

Jetavana, back to the people

After 30 years of excavation work, the wonders of this site can once again be viewed by the people. Kumudini Hettiarachchi speaks to one of the chief men behind the project, Central Cultural Fund Director-General Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne

It is a walk down the misty corridors of time to an era when the ancients of Sri Lanka not only had the knowledge and the technology but also the will and the resources to build colossal monuments.

Jetavanaramaya, that massive edifice, which came up during the 4th-5th Centuries, born of a king’s wrath, is ready to be re-dedicated to the people on June 18 as the first citadel of this land, Anuradhapura, celebrates the advent of Buddhism. As the echoes of “Sadhu, Sadhu” chanted by white-clad devotees bearing trays of lotuses who wend their way to the eight most holy places or Atamasthanaya, reverberate across the ancient city of Anuradhapura, during Poson, many will be the gasps of wonder at the Jetavanaramaya.

For not only is the Jetavana stupa compared to the third pyramid of Giza in Egypt but it is also believed to be the spot – the Nandana Pleasure Grove – many centuries earlier, at which Thera Mahinda who brought his message of peace to this island-nation preached for seven consecutive days.

It was after this momentous event that the Grove took the name of “jotivana” which means “the place where the holy one had made the true doctrine shine forth………..It is also said that the great thera and his associate monks were cremated here after their death”, according to the Central Cultural Fund (CCF).

“The excavations are done and the conservation is nearly over. Now what remains is the presentation of Jetavana to the people,” says CCF Director-General Prof. Sudarshan Seneviratne.

This is the culmination of nearly 30 years of toil, he concedes, begun in 1980 when the CCF was founded and given the mandate to conserve the Jetavana stupa, one of its first projects. Although excavation and conservation were done during the British period, institutionalized investigations commenced with the CCF.

“Thousands of labourers were deployed just for excavation and conservation,” he says, adding with a smile, “Imagine the actual construction of this edifice more than 15 centuries earlier.”

In the modern context, according to Prof. Seneviratne, Jetavana consists of the monastery and the stupa.

The monastery, he says, was a major centre of learning that evolved with its architectural features and the stupa. The latter was expanded with the addition of a new Salapatala Maluwa (upper platform) with hundreds of 8th-12th Century inscriptions of donations inscribed on the stone slabs.

The “treasure trove” in the monastery, mainly excavated from the four ayaka of the stupa represents one of the richest collections of artifacts found in Sri Lanka so far, The Sunday Times learns, comprising millions of beads; raw material to make the beads imported from foreign sources; local and imported de luxe ware from India and China as well as the Mediterranean some which the DG dubs as “unique”; coins including those of Indo-Graeco origin; metal both iron and brass; a huge collection of ivory, intaglios, seals and cameos; and sculptured artifacts including Hindu statues.

Attempting a difficult task, he picks out the beautiful Maya Devi sculptures depicting her entry to Lumbini (in Nepal) worked on site at Jetavana but made out of raw material, cuddaph stones, brought from south India. “They were done in line with the Amarawati School of Art which flourished in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. This also tells us a story of the shared culture of South Asia,” explains Prof. Seneviratne adding that some of the ivories of Jetavana are similar to those found along the old Silk Road in Afghanistan.

The “fantastic” collection of intaglios, seals and cameos done on semi-precious stones (some imitations) bear the heads of Mediterranean emperors, while the “best Jetavana finds” are 10 golden plates with the then sacred Mahayana sutra Prajnaparamita in the Sanskrit text. Some of these plates are in the National Museum in Colombo, it is learnt.

When he took over as CCF Director in 2000, they had sent several deep probes down to bedrock and for the first time got wind of the pre-historic tools going back to 5,000 BC. “The best remains of horse teeth, bone were found here,” he says.

The DG points out that to build the stupa which is of brick, which rises to a height of 400 feet from ground level, the sky-scraper-building mechanism would have had to be used.

These were not built purely out of piety, emphasizes Prof. Seneviratne, adding that the political infrastructure would have been right to mobilize resources, raw materials, conveyance and labour. The economic infrastructure too would have been right, with the hydraulic technology which spawned such wonders like the Kala wewa and Jaya ganga leading to multiple yields and massive agricultural expansion.

The “yield” of Jetavana is testimony that Sri Lanka would have placed itself as the primary entrepot for trade activity connecting all the Indian rim countries as well as the Mediterranean and the Far East. This political-economy combined with engineering and mathematical skills of unimaginable levels would have allowed the release of a large population to build colossal stupas like Jetavana, it is learnt.
“Jetavanaramaya has not tilted even a few inches because they knew how to balance volume and weight,” stresses Prof. Seneviratne, marvelling at the engineering and technological skills of the ancients.

Paying tribute to all those who have been responsible for restoring Jetavana to its old spectacular self, he mentions the first CCF Founder Director-General Dr. Roland Silva, first Archaeology Director, Dr. Hema Ratnayake, first Conservation Director Ashley de Vos, current Archaeology Director Dr. Piyatissa Senanayake, current Conservation Director P.B. Mandawala, Prof. Ranaweera of the Engineering Faculty of the Peradeniya University, not forgetting the master craftsmen, officials, young archaeologists and conservators and the large labour force.

“Cultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Jetavana chief incumbent Ven. Ratnapala also gave their constant support,” he says.

Sites such as Jetavana which depict grandeur, technology, the aesthetic component and also beautiful expression should be conserved not only for cultural heritage tourism but also for what they represent, is his view.

Citing the case of the Mahayana Buddhist statues offered by the South Indian Mercantile Guilds with 10th Century Tamil writings and the Hindu statues unearthed at this site, Prof. Seneviratne points out that Jetavana represents a convergence of diverse cultural and religious aspects.

Gigantic Jetavana is extra-special because it symbolizes this island-nation’s inclusiveness and cosmopolitan character, he adds.

Courtesy: SundayTimes.lk

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Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA: INDIA WITHOUT THE HASSLE

(By, Kate Allen) The Galle Face Hotel in Colombo must be the world’s bossiest hotel. Signs on every stairwell preach against smoking and sloth, or hector residents: ‘Don’t take the lift – for your health’s sake, walk down.’

In its cathedral-high marble lobby, an honours board brags a strange mixture of celebrity guests such as George Bernard Shaw, Lady Olga Maitland and Bo Derek.

But despite its pomposity, peeling plaster and Victorian plumbing, I wouldn’t swop the Galle Face for all the slick hotels in Asia. Built in 1864, it is that most endangered of species – an eccentric, fading colonial hotel, untouched by icy air conditioning or corporate colour schemes.

Barefoot waiters in white livery, some of whom have worked there since Sri Lanka was Ceylon, serve gin and tonic on the broad verandah while you recline in your Dutch planter’s chair, listening to the wind in the coconut palms and forgetting you are in a capital city.

Sleepy Colombo. It is not hard to imagine wild elephants wandering the city limits when British rule began in 1815 or the tangled forest which stretched from its central hills to the coast.

Today, it is still preposterously beautiful and unspoiled; so lush that Leonard Woolf – future husband of Viginia and then a colonial administrator – observed how the wooden props for his washing line would sprout green shoots.

Yet throughout the past years, the vicious civil war between the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community and the Tamil Tigers deterred tourists. Now the conflict is almost over and is confined to a small area in the north of the country, well away from the best tourist areas.

Indeed, southern Sri Lanka is as safe and as uninterested in its civil war as southern Ireland. We visited after a major battle and found little sign of strife beyond army road blocks which waved us through and white flags outside shops, a Buddhist sign of mourning.

So, surprisingly, what Sri Lanka offers is a sense of ancient tranquillity – it is, if you like, India without the hassle, a country in which the tourist can indulge in the Raj nostalgia without being daunted by extreme poverty or the sheer size of a subcontinent.

For the British visitor, there is a disconcerting combination of the bizarre and familiar. Taxis are ancient Morris Minors, bicycles are cast-iron pre-war Raleigh’s and railway platforms are frozen in the 1950s, brass-plated relics of when the station master was God.

Even the food has nostalgic echoes. Ginger beer, lashings of it, is delicious with ‘short eats’, a Sri Lanka meal of puff pastries and sandwiches, directly descended from the British high tea.

Yet Sri Lanka can be disconcertingly strange. Our first night in Bentota was disrupted by a weird cacophony. The following morning, we discovered our villa was next to a temple where Buddhist monks were celebrating ‘poya’ – a full moon festival – with singing, clanging bells and firecrackers. So much for silent meditation.

That same night, further along the moonlit beach, turtles came ashore to lay their eggs. Too many were ending life as omelettes until a conservation scheme started paying locals to bring them to be hatched and released back into the ocean.

From Bentota we travelled by train – 120 miles in comfortable second class cost a pound – to Kandy, a jumble of antique shops, gem dealers, hotels and vegetable markets around a vast artificial lake.

We stayed high above the town at The Chateau, the guest house of a retired English-speaking couple. While Mr Abeywickrema, an amateur poet, penned verses about nubile maidens tending paddy fields, his wife Doris prepared food to die for.

Unlike India, there is no great national cuisine, but Doris produced delicious string hoppers – steamed mats of thin rice noodles with plantain curry, spicy dhal and whole garlic cloves fried until caramelised.

Properly refuelled, we set off for the tourist magnet of Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, about 20 miles from Kandy, where deserted or orphaned calves are raised freely. Their only penalty is to assemble every morning at 9am to meet fawning, cooing foreigners who pay to camcord each other feeding them with bottles.

After the last of the tearaway toddler elephants have been sated, the whole herd, followed by an equally portly herd of tourists, heads for the river to wallow.

We rented a driver and air-conditioned car to take us north to Sri Lanka’s lost ancient cities. The rock fortress at Sigiriya was built in AD473 to fend off the persistent South Indian invaders. But the reason most people climb 200 metres up precarious metal steps is to see the gorgeous, pouting temple dancers painted in the caves 1500 years ago.

At Anuradhapura, once Sri Lanka’s magnificent capital, pilgrims visit the sacred Bo tree, grown from the original under which Buddha attained enlightenment. Nearby are many temples and extraordinary ‘dagabos’ [stupas], domed structures around which devotees walk, always clockwise, in prayer.

But the ancient kings’ most enduring achievements were the ‘tanks’, huge reservoirs which still irrigate the dry northern regions. We cycled around the largest after a monsoon downpour at dusk, watching children play in the water meadows, when a double rainbow arched across the lake with such paintbox clarity that monks spilled out of the monastery to stare.

Sri Lanka is still quixotic and surprising, not yet smoothed into Westerner-friendly blandness. But there are bad omens; over- development threatens the beautiful west coast and, worst of all, the Galle Face Hotel will be revamped next year. Let’s hope the creaky waiters and bossy signs survive.

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Sri Lanka

Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | Travellers Guide

Being the first point of the Cultural Triangle the history of {en:Anuradhapura} is as long as the chronological history of Sri Lanka. It was the very first capital of Sri Lanka and rose to prominence in the early stages of development of the island. In retrospect this city of ruins is a living symbol of what used to be the rich Sinhalese culture and architectural magnificence. The city is scattered with man made reservoirs and tanks such as the Kala Weva. Great battles have been fought here and many renowned kings have lived and died. Today the frequently visited places in Anuradhapura are the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, The Jetavaramaya, Isurumuniya, The Brazen palace and of course {en:Mihintale} where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka.

Anuradhapura Kingdom was built by King Pandukabhya, son of Princess Unmada chithtra. The city was the first of it’s kind with well designed sanitary system, Gardens, Irrigation and Water supply systems, Temples, cemeteries and burial grounds, etc. The city was then became the capital city of Sri Lanka and flourished under many subsequent Kings ruled for centuries. Anuradhapura Kingdom was highly vulnerable to invasions from South India and suffered usurp of throne several times, by invading Kings from south India. Singhalese Kings have managed to defeat the invaders after reorganizing the troops, although the invading kings ruled in the mean time. One such historic battle held Between King Dutugamunu and South Indian King, Elara. In that, King Elara was defeated and King Dutugamunu ruled the country in single sovereignty.

The Anuradhapura Kingdom was under constant threat from south Indian kingdoms. The King Mahinda V ascended to throne in 982 A.C, and was the last Sinhalese king to rule the country from Glorious city. At this time the South Indian realm Chola, became very powerful under the Great Rajaraja (985- 1018 A.C) and conquered Sri Lanka. The King Mahinda was captured and imprisoned in South India.

The South Indians ruled the country for next 75 years. They shifted the Capital city to Polonnaruwa due to strategic reasons after considering the vulnerably for attacks from both native Sinhalese people and other south Indian Kingdoms.

There are many worlds’ firsts in Sri Lanka, one of them being the first recorded instance of a wildlife sanctuary being created in the Mihintale vicinity. The Sri Maha Bodhi – believed to have been grown from a sapling of the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment is the tree with the oldest historical record, over 2000 years.

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