Kingdom of Kotte
Rise and fall of purana Kotte
Although Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte was declared the capital of Sri Lanka in 1985, it is still a suburb of Colombo. There was a time however when Kotte was really the capital of this country.
Originally founded as a fortress by Minister Alakesvara (1370-1385) of the Gampola Kingdom during the reign of King Vikramabahu III to checkmate northern invasions on the western coast, Parakramabahu VI later made it the capital city in 1412.
According to the Nikaya Sangrahaya: "He (Alakesvera) caused a great moat very broad and fearfully steep like a precipice to be sunk around Darugama, and as a solid defence he caused to be erected bordering the moat a wall of stone. He caused the space at the top of the wall to be decorated like a creation of Visvakarma, and protected it by fixing in proper places various fortifications."
Zenith
Parakramabahu VI was the last sovereign to exercise effective control over the whole country. It was during his rule of 50 years that Kotte reached the zenith of its glory. A five-storied palace was built and embellished with gems. Also a three-storied Dalada Maligawa and many public buildings.
Literature and the arts also flourished. In the Salalihini Sandeshaya a vivid description of the city was given by Totagamuwa Sri Rahula, the great classical poet: "Know (thou) noble friend the great city of Jayawardenapura, an abode of great men adoring and attracted to the Triple Gem, a city that by its teeming opulence drives the Deva's city into insignificance, a city that has fittingly established its name by victories repeatedly won, like a second sea the city always rumbles with the sounds of hooves of running horse with tinkling bells tied, and the repeated flapping of the ears of king elephants with chowries tied, and the reverberating music of various musical instruments and the blasts of triumphal couches."
After the death of Parakramabahu the Kotte Kingdom declined rapidly, weakened by divisions and rulers who were less able. With the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century the Kotte kingdom became their satellite, the last ruler Dharmapala having bequeathed it to Portugal - an act that came into effect in 1597.
The Portuguese however were compelled to finally leave Kotte owing to the mounting pressures brought to bear on them by Rajasinhe I, the Lion King of Sitawake. They abandoned Kotte for their little fortified town by the Kolonthota.
Colombo
This town blossomed into the city of Colombo during three colonial periods when the Portuguese, Dutch and British vandalised Jayawardenapura Kotte, destroying its buildings and transporting the material to Colombo to put up their own buildings. Even in 1909 Archaeological Commissioner Bell noted that the Public Works Department has removed the still surviving pillars of the Palace to build a bridge.
Lastly came the local population crowding into the new suburb of Kotte to complete the vandalism begun by the colonials.
Raja Maha Vihara
The Kotte Raja Maha Vihara is supposed to have been built in the time of Parakramabahu. According to the Kandyan epic Vihara Asna the present location is where the Shanmuka Devale and the Othpilimage (shrine room of sedent Buddha images) existed.
The Raja Maha Vihara and its surroundings was declared a sacred area in December 1992. Plans are now in progress to develop the area.
Survey
An archaeological survey conducted in 1934 was able to discover only two mounds called Vehera Kande in Baddegana.
These two small stupas restored by the Archaeological Department, are believed to be the tombs of Parakramabahu VI and his queen Swarnamenike.
Only bits and pieces of old buildings were found and sent to the National Museum in Colombo - some lintels from the palace and a makara arch probably from the Dalada Maligawa.
As for the massive rampart that Alakesvara created and Sri Rahula rhapsodised as being akin to the Ruwan Thampata or golden brassier of a sensual Miss Lanka at the peak of her blossoming youth, there is hardly anything left only vestiges here and that have been restored by the Department of Archaeology.
In fact, there is nothing worthwhile left in Kotte today to remind anyone of the glories that its poets raved about. There are only road signs with names from the old Kotte period.
The worlds of another poet in another era may well describe the lost glories of Purana Jayawardenapura:
"The cloud capped towers, the gorgeous palaces
The solemn temples, the great globe itself
Yes, all that it inherits
Shall dissolve and like an unsubstantial vision faded
Leave not a rack behind."
by Derrick Schokman
Daily News, 9 July 2002
Updated
November 26, 2007
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