Polonnaruwa

Polonnaruwa was a great city in Sri Lanka which came in to prominence during its' brief period of 2 Centuries of Sri Lankan history, being second only to the ancient city of Anuradhapura in ancient cultural heritage.

Polonnaruwa is 216 kMs from Colombo and 122 kMs from Kurunegala. Most common way to reach Polonnaruwa is to come to Habarana and then turning off along A11 Road [Maradankadawala-Tikkandimadu] and to proceed about 45 kMs to come to Polonnaruwa.

Polonnaruwa today is a showcase of the great ancient Sri Lankan architecture dating back to 12th Century AD ,which was interwoven with many Buddhist monasteries and monuments which were built by the King Parakramabahu I. Later King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 AD ) from Kalinga dynasty also had contributed to the development of many buildings and monuments at Polonnaruwa.

During the Anuradhapura period around 1st to 6th Century AD, , there has been agricultural developments with irrigation work and constructions such as Elahera canal,Minneriya tank, Kaudulla tank, Giritale tank etc. at Polonnaruwa area. The Anuradhapura kingdom's ruling King's army units were also stationed at Polonnaruwa . It had not been a major city at that time. King Aggabodhi IV ( 667-685 AD) was the First King who lived in Polonnaruwa and ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom. In the earlier times this city was called as Pulatthinagara, after a famous sage, Pulasti which gives an indication of the Hindu influence existed.

King Parakramabahu I , was the greatest King who ruled Polonnaruwa during the Polonnaruwa era for 33 years from 1153-86 AD and it had been a prosperous time for the entire island nation. It was a time with numerous architectural activities which one can still see even in the present time. He developed the city with architects and technicians brought down from India and the influence of the Indian architecture can be seen from many well preserved sites existing today.Polonnaruwa Architecture, Art and Sculpture is well displayed at Gal Viharaya,Thuparamaya Image House and Lankatilaka Image House and many other sites scattered through out Polonnaruwa ancient city.

Due to invasions from the Cholas of South India, the Polonnaruwa kingdom was under the rule of Cholas for about 73 years. Polonnaruwa kingdom was abandoned by Sinhala kings in the latter part of the 12th century.

Sri Lankan Cuisine

Foods in Sri Lanka can be hot or very mild or can be combination being very much a question of individual preference. Sri Lankan food is unique for their Culture. Many Sinhala food items are derived from Chena cultivation.Sri Lankan cuisine plays a vital role in the islanders’ life from the most auspicious Sinhala/ Hindu New Year to normal day-to-day practices. They make milk rice and special sweets with coconut milk, floor and Honey at cultural festivals. It is recognized as one of the sixty- four types of art, “Siu Seta kalawa”. The curries come in many verities of colors and flavors blended in Sri Lankan Hot Spices has a great ayurvedic value when used in curries.Most of the Sri Lankans eat vegetables. With a large community of farmers the Rice and curry is the main food in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka curries are known for their fiery hot spicy flavors and coconut milk is very distinct feature of Sri Lankan cuisine that different regions of country specialize in different types of dishes. The specialty in Sri Lankan food is that same food is differently made in different regions. Dishes from the North region of Sri Lanka have distinct south Indian flavors.
Dishes from the South region of Sri Lanka can be Spicy, Hot or Mild. The meals of the southern region of Sri Lanka are known for their variety and fishing village though the coastal strip. Ambulthiyal a unique spicy fish preparation with thick gamboges “Goraka” paste.

Foods in Sri Lanka Certain types of fish Balaya , Kelawalla are native to Southern seas. “Lunu dehi” (lime pickle) and jaadi (Pikled fish) are food items made from methods of preserving since they could dry them in sun during rainless days. Western region of Sri Lanka has foreign influence much more than other regions. Many items made using wheat flour always had made Sri Lankan dishes foreign. Since upper western coastal region is dry, fish is dried with salt as a preservative. This is called “Karawala” (dry fish).
Spices such as Cloves, Cardamoms, nutmeg and pepper are found in abundance throughout Kandy and Matale District in Central region of Sri Lanka. Eastern province constitutes three major ethnic groups. Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil, Chena cultivation, Game meat from nearby forests and dry Weather have influenced many food items. Staple diet of Sri Lanka is ‘Rice and curry’ the word ‘curry’ convering a multitude of dishes which are made according to different methods of cooking from Soups, meat, Sea food, Lentils, Vegetables, Sambols, Mallums, Phies to Achcharus. Curd and Treacle and Sweetmeats made from Rice flour and palm treacle, jiggery along with various types of fruits are additions to the meal as the dessert. The Palm, Coconut, Kithul, Palmyra from which the treacle is made will vary accordingly. Sri Lankans also like several juicy sweetmeats like Kavum, kokis, Halape, Thalaguli and Wattalapam etc. Sri Lankans also like to have drinks like tea and coffee.

Mahawansa

Dambadeniya

Dambadeniya is a ruined ancient city situated in the North Western Province (Wayamba), Sri Lanka on the Kurunegala -Negombo road. It served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the mid 13th century. Much of Dambadeniya still lies buried on a huge fortified rock. Dambadeniya is situated about 31 km from Kurunegala, the modern day capital of the North Western Province.

History
Dambadeniya, about 30 km south-west of Kurunegala, became prominent in the mid-13th century.^[1] It was selected as the capital of the kingdom of Sri Lanka by King Vijayabahu III (1232–36). The sovereignty of the country was at stake as a result of invasions, which dislodged Polonnaruwa as the capital. Vijayabahu, the king of the Dambadeniya dynasty, fought the invaders and established Dambadeniya. On the summit of the Dambadeniya rock he built fortifications and sturdy walls and gates. The city was made secure by a moat, a marsh and ramparts around the royal palace. During the reign of King Parakramabahu II (1236–70), Dambadeniya reached the zenith of its glory. King Parakramabahu II's immaculate Poetic masterpieces "Kavisilumina" and "Visuddi Marga Sannasa" gave a turning point to Sinhalese literature. Dambadeniya era was the reason why Sinhalese literature isn't only paintings and scripts...

Dipavamsa

The Dipavamsa, the earliest extant chronicle of Sri Lanka, of unknown authorship, deals with the history of the island from earliest times up to the reign of Mahasena (325-352).

Erudite opinion holds that it is not the work of a single author but of several authors. Considering the nature of ancient chronicle of the island, we can believe that there is a certain element of truth in it, particularly calculated to be the vehicle of history in early times, when literary facilities were scanty. There is also the opinion that Dipavamsa was the work of two nuns Sivala and Maharuha from India. As the title indicates, the Dipavamsa contains the history of the island. The preamble to the chronicle, (as translated into English by B. C. Law) reads: “Listen to me! I shall relate the chronicle of the Buddha’s visits to the island, the arrival of the Tooth Relic and the Bodhi tree, the advent of the Buddha’s doctrine, the rise of the teachers, the spread of Buddhism in the island and the coming of (Vijaya) the Chief of Men”. According to B. C. Law, “Dipavamsa contains many stages of development concluding at different important historical events. There is an apparent lack of uniformity, an unevenness of style, incorrectness of language and metre and numerous repetitions, apart from many other imperfections which indicate it to be the outcome of a series of traditions collected together as a first attempt to record a connected history of the island”. The chronicle embodies the oral tradition of the country handed down from the time of the advent of Buddhism to the island. With all its drawbacks, both literary and grammatical, it is a very useful source of information dealing with the ancient times, and written in Pali.

Temple of the Tooth

Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple.

Bhikkhus of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings. On Wednesdays there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers called Nanumura Mangallaya. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.

Dambulla Rock Temple

After breakfast visit Dambulla Rock Temples.
Dambulla Rock Temple is a magnificent Gallery of Buddha images and wall and ceiling paintings. It is a complex of five cave temples with its origin going back to the Anuradhapura period (1st century BC). However due to additions and restorations done by various rulers over the past two thousand years what now remains are mostly the works of the Kandyan period (18th century). Thereafter proceed to Kandy via Matale.

On completion proceed to Kandy via Matale. Visit a spice garden in Matale to see many different types of spices Sri Lanka is famous for. Just 25 km from the hill capital of Kandy, the Matale spice gardens are among the best on the island. You will be shown how some of these spices are grown and processed. Continue to Kandy a world heritage site is home to numerous Buddhist temples including the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic. Set in a valley surrounded by rings of mountains, the city of Kandy is the gateway to the Salubrious hill country of Sri Lanka. In the evening enjoy a cultural show of Traditional Dances.

about Sri Lanka Introduction

In order for you to enjoy the island’s authentic culture, heritage and hospitality you can always make travel arrangements with Lakpura Travels and enjoy a truly memorable vacation.
From the beautiful beaches of the South-Western coast to the toe tapping and exuberant Kandyan dances, along with the regal and ancient architecturally and archeologically renowned cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are some of the highlights that awaits you.

Capital : Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Commercial center : Colombo.
Area : 65,606 sq kms (25,322 sq miles).
Dialing code : +94.
President : Excellency Mr. Maithripala Sirisena.
Prime minister : Excellency Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Official languages : Sinhala, Tamil. English is widely used and understood in tourist areas.
Religion : Buddhism (69%), Hinduism (16%), Islam (8%), Christianity (7%).
Population : 21.4 million.
Time : Sri Lanka is 5.30 hours ahead of Greenwich Time (GMT +05.30).
International Airport : Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake (34km north of Colombo).
Currency : Sri Lankan Rupee (one Rupee = 100 Cents).
Exchange Rate : Approx. Sri Lanka Rs. 130 = $1 USD.
Highest Water Fall : Bambarakanda – 241 meters.
Highest Peak : Pidurutalagala – 2524 meters.
Longer River : Mahaweli – 335 Km.

The Mahavamsa.

Buddhist monks of Mahavihara, maintained this historical record of the Sri Lankan history starting from 3rd century B.C., some what similar to a modern day diary. These records were combined and compiled into a single document in the 5th century CE by Buddhist monk Mahathera Mahanama. There is evidence as per Wilhelm Geiger, there was another compilation prior to this known as “Mahavamsa Atthakatha” and Mahathera Mahanama relied on this text.

Earlier document known as “Dipavamsa” also come down to us which is much simpler and contain less information than Mahavamsa, probably compiled using previously mentioned “Mahavamsa Atthakatha”. Overall, the Chronicle has over 200,000 words of text in about 960 printed pages. First part (Chapters 1-37) the Mahavamsa, the second part (Chapters 38-79) the Culavamsa part 1, and the third and final part (Chapters 80-101) the Culavamsa part 2.

The first part of the Mahavasam was written in the 6th century AD by by Ven. Mahanama Maha Thera, an uncle of king Dhatusena (460-478), who lived in the Dighasanda Senapathi Pirivena, which belonged to the Mahavihara Fraternity in Anuradhapura. His work ends with Chapter 37:50. His work was greatly influenced by the Dipavamsa written five centuries earlier. It describes the foundation of the Lankan monarchy with the consecration of King Vijaya and continues to the end of King Mahasena’s rule in the 4th century AD.

The second part of the Mahavamsa, more commonly known as the Culavamsa was written in the 13th century AD. This chronicles the time between the arrival of the Tooth Relic in the 4th century AD and the end of the reign of King Parakramabahu the Great. Credit for this part is given to the thero Dhammakitti, but many historians believed that it was authored by many monks.

The third and final part was written over many years, concluding in the year 1815, when the British occupied the whole of Lanka by military force.

The first printed edition and English translation of the Mahawansha was published in 1837 by George Turnour, an historian and officer of the Ceylon Civil Service. The official German translation of Mahawansha was completed by Wilhelm Geiger in 1912 and subsequently the Culavamsa in 1930. This was then translated into English by Mabel Haynes Bode, and the English translation was revised by Geiger.

When Mahavamsa appeared after the Dipavamsa, it assumed such popularity and importance that it not only superseded the earlier work, but also prompted authors to gradually produce supplementary work based on it.The later chronicles of the island, written from time to time, are the Attana-galu Vihara Vamsa, the Dhatuvamsa, the Elu-Attanagaluvamsa, the Elu-Bodhivamsa, the Maha Bodhivamsa, the Thupavamsa, the Daladavamsa, the Viharavamsa etc.

Sunamiya in Sri Lanka 2004

The Tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka has taken over 30,000 lives, and over another 1,000,000 people are displaced and living in refugee camps all over Sri Lanka.
Members of the Sinhaya team in Sri Lanka have been visiting the affected areas from the day after the tsunami, carrying medical, food, clothing and other essential supplies to affected people. So far, we have visited Galle, Matara and Hambantota number of times, most trips taking 24 hours from Colombo round trip. The situation during the first week was critical as very little supplies were getting to the effected people due to poor road conditions, and international aid not arriving. We only saw small groups of individuals helping out, along with Sri Lankan Red Cross and few other NGO groups. The situation has now somewhat improved, and  urgent materials are getting through to most areas. Most urgent need at this stage is to get people out of the refugee camps, and help them to get their lives back to normal, by providing them counselling, shelter, housing and other help to repair their businesses. Your help is essential at this stage.

Nallur (Jaffna)

Nallur’s proclamation as capital can be traced to the earliest origins of the Jaffna Kingdom by the first Aryacakravarti king, Kalinga Magha.^[6] For years it was the focal point at which political, religious and cultural importance was built and domain of the ruling elite of royalty, ministers and other officials of the kingdom.^[7] Soon after its proclamation as capital, in 948 A.D the first temple was built by Puvenaya Vaku, chief minister to King Kalinga Magha for Lord Murugan in a place called Kurukkal Valavu in Nallur.^[8]

The mid 15th century witnessed invading Sinhalese armies sent from the south to capture the capital Nallur and bring Jaffna under the suzerainty of Kotte. At the helm of this operation was Prince Sapumal Kumaraya – who successfully ousted the native Tamil king of Jaffna Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan to India to instead instate himself as regional ruler.^[9] The early years of his rule were noted as being oppressive with the destruction of Nallur temple in 1450 and the renaming of Nallur with the Sinhalese name 'Srirangabodhi Bhuvanesubagu'.^[10] However later regretting his actions Prince Sapumal Kumaraya embarked on building programmes to heighten the splendor of Nallur’s past. Fueled by this, in 1457 efforts begun to reconstructing the temple a few kilometers eastwards from its original location to a place called ‘Muthirai Chanthai’ which was then a bustling market place. The death of Prince Sapumal Kumarayas fatherParakramabahu VI in 1467 consequently left Prince Sapumal Kumarayas no other choice but to leave Nallur for Kotte to take kingship over the Kingdom of Kotte. With the absence of Prince Sapumal Kumarayas the Tamil kingdom quickly re-established itself with the return of Kanakasooriya Cinkaiariyan to Nallur.

In 1621 a new threat from invading Portuguese imperialist brought an end to the four centuries-long Aryacakravarti dynasty once and for all. Commandor Philip de Oliverira sanctioned Nallur temple be destroyed to its foundations again along with all the royal palace buildings and any other buildings hinting of the past glory of the capital.^[11][12] All that remains is the facade of what is believed to have once been the gateway to one of the palace buildings. This is now mapped as ‘Sangali Thoppu’.^[13] The very spot on which the 15th century Nallur Kandaswamy temple was located now stands St James church, erected by the Portuguese but later rebuilt and changed from the denomination of the Roman Catholic Church into Anglican during British occupancy in 1827.^[14]

Under a calmer Dutch rule, permission was eventually secured for the temple to be built at its original site in Kurukkal Valavu. Given its long history of demolition it was thought a simpler style was best suited for the reconstruction of the temple rather than anything heavily ornate. Though the temple has undergone a series of changes in appearance, it remains in the present site from when it was rebuilt in 1749. During the thirty-year-long civil war Nallur was seen as a comparatively safe haven for people living across the Jaffna peninsula. The strict no fire zone imposed by the Sri Lankan Air Force over Nallur temple in 1987 resulted in a wave of displaced people from all over the peninsula seeking refuge in the temple and its immediate surroundings.

Deegawapi Dagoba, Ampara..

Load Buddha visited Sri Lanka 3 times. On the 3rd time , first he visited to Kelaniya, then to mountain Sri Pada and rest in Diva Guhawa. On his return journey, he stay some time In Deegawapiya . It was stated that he was accompanied with 500 arahaths. It says that a dageba call “Naka Seya” was constructed with the “Niya Dhathu” (nail )of load Buddha at that time..

Load Buddha visited Sri Lanka 3 times. On the 3rd time , first he visited to Kelaniya, then to mountain Sri Pada and rest in Diva Guhawa. On his return journey, he stay some time In Deegawapiya . It was stated that he was accompanied with 500 arahaths. It says that a dageba call “Naka Seya” was constructed with the “Niya Dhathu” (nail )of load Buddha at that time.

With the fall of Anuradhapura and then Polonnaruwa Kingdoms, and moving the capital of Sri Lanka towards central and southern parts, Deegawapiya area was abandoned and Taken over by jungle. During the Kandy kingdom time, due to the harassment done by Portuguese to Muslims who lived in costal line, King Senarath order them to settle in this area.

The recent history of Deegavapiya started in 1916 with the arrival of ven Kohukumbure Revatha thero. He found that villages Used to taken away the bricks from a structure in a deep jungle and that was Deegawapi Dageba. Ven Revatha Thero was able to stop that destruction And reclaim the land for Deegavapi temple and allow devotes to visit and warship. Unfortunately Ven Revatha Thero was killed by a Muslim person in early 1950s.

With the recent development in the area, road to the Deegavapi viharaya was renovated and has a good road access from Ampara. Now this stupa is being renovated by Archeological department.

Yapahuwa

Yapahuwa was one of the ephemeral capitals of medieval Sri Lanka. The citadel of Yapahuwa lying midway between Kurunagalaand Anuradhapura was built around a huge granite rock rising abruptly almost a hundred meters above the surrounding lowlands.

In 1272, King Bhuvenakabahu transferred the capital from Polonnaruwa to Yapahuwa in the face of Dravidian invasions from South India, bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic with him. Following the death of King Bhuvenakabahu in 1284, the Pandyans of South India invaded Sri Lanka once again, and succeeded in capturing Sacred Tooth Relic. Following its capture, Yapahuwa was largely abandoned and inhabited by Buddhist monks and religious ascetics.

Yapahuwa served as the capital of Sri Lanka in the latter part of the 13th century (1273–1284). Built on a huge, 90 meter high rock boulder in the style of the Sigiriya rock fortress, Yapahuwa was a palace and military stronghold against foreign invaders.

The palace and fortress were built by King Buvanekabahu I (1272–1284) in the year 1273. Many traces of ancient battle defences can still be seen, while an ornamental stairway, is its biggest showpiece. On top of the rock are the remains of a stupa, a Bodhi tree enclosure, and a rock shelter/cave used by Buddhist monks, indicating that earlier this site was used as a Buddhist monastery, like many boulders and hills in the area. There are several caves at the base of the rock. In one of them there is a shrine with Buddha images. One cave has a Brahmi script inscription. At the southern base of the rock there is a fortification with two moats and ramparts. In this enclosure there are the remains of a number of buildings including a Buddhist shrine. There is also a Buddhist temple called Yapahuwa Rajamaha Vihara built during the Kandyan period.

The Tooth Relic was brought from Dambadeniya and kept in the Tooth Temple built for the purpose at the top of the third staircase. The relics were carried away from the temple here to South India by the Pandyas, and then recovered in 1288 by Parakkramabahu III (1287–1293), who temporarily placed them in safety at Polonnaruwa.

Yapahuwa was one of the ephemeral capitals of medieval Sri Lanka. The citadel of Yapahuwa lying midway between Anuradhapura and Kurunegala was built around a huge granite rock rising abruptly almost a hundred meters above the surrounding lowlands.

In 1272, King Bhuvenakabahu transferred the capital from Polonnaruwa to Yapahuwa in the face of Dravidian invasions from South India, bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic with him. Following the death of King Bhuvenakabahu in 1284, the Pandyans of South India invaded Sri Lanka once again, and succeeded in capturing Sacred Tooth Relic. Following its capture, Yapahuwa was largely abandoned and inhabited by Buddhist monks and religious ascetics.

King Devanampiya Tissa ...(306 BC – 266 BC)

Grand miracles occurred during the consecration of King Devanampiya Tissa. Jewels buried in earth rose to the surface, pearls in deep oceans came to the shore and piled up in the shore and bamboo trees started to look like they were made out of silver. King Devanampiya Tissa thought that these pearls and gems should be sent to his great friend, King Dharmashoka of India. King Dharmashoka and King Devanampiya Tissa were great friends for many years but had never seen each other. King Devanampiya Tissa sent a mission to India with many jewels and pearls and other gifts for his friend, King Dharmashoka.
King Dharmashoka at this time was sending Buddhist missionaries to countries around the world. He selected his son Mahinda Thera to be sent to Lanka with the message of Buddhism. Mahinda Thera and four other theras started out from India to visit Lanka and ended up in “Missaka Pavva”. (Mihintale). At this time King Devanampiya Tissa was conducting a deer hunt close to Mihintale. The god of the mountain, wanted to show Mahinda Thera to the King and disguised himself as a deer. King Devanampiya Tissa and his men chased the deer. When the deer came near the mountain where Mahinda thera was standing, the deer disappeared. King Devanampiya Tissa saw Mahinda Thera standing on the mountain....