Sastrawela Mani Naga Pabbatha Viharaya
Currently the village of Sastrawela is a tiny speck of habitation situated
on the Panama-Pottuvil Road. The village does not even make it into the Survey
General’s map. Since the 1980’s many of its inhabitants have
fled to Panama due to the unrest in the area. Yet back in the hay day of
the Ruhunu Kingdom, Sastrawela was not only well known, but it was considered
as an important seat of learning. According to folklore, the name Sastrawela
is said to have been derived from the original name Shastraweiliya which
indicates that the locality was associated with an institution of learning.
The word ‘Shastra’ even roughly means a discipline or an art
form. The area is said to have been the abode of many a soothsayer and scholars
during ancient times. Legend says that scholars from far away kingdoms and
even across the seas from India had travelled to Sastrawela to learn the
various disciplines of science and astrology.
The relevance of Sastrawela to the story of Prince Gamini is the fact that
it is said that the astrologers that were occupied at the Royal Palace of
King Kavantissa hailed from this village. When the royal wedding between
the King of Ruhuna, Kavantissa and his bride Princess Vihara Maha Devi was
to take place, the astrologers of Sastrawela were consulted to obtain the
auspicious times for the various wedding rituals. It is said that after considering
the horoscopes of the royal couple, the learned men at Sastrawela determined
the auspicious times for the many rituals involved in the marriage of the
royals.
An important ruin remaining at Sastrawela which gives a glimpse of those
prosperous times is Mani Naga Pabbatha Viharaya which is said to date back
to the time of King Mahanaga, the first King of Ruhuna. The temple which
is in near ruin with an incomplete Stupa and few scattered granite pillars
is still venerated by the villagers who visit this shrine mostly on full
moon Poya days after undertaking the arduous journey from Panama. The Stupa
which is said to have been built by King Mahanaga had been renovated by King
Kavantissa and his son, Saddatissa. Also in the vicinity of the stupa are
several caves with Brahmian inscriptions indicating that the area was first
presented to meditating monks in the early 3rd Century B.C. Stone pillars
and other ruins remain scattered around the vicinity of the stupa, indicating
that this was once a huge monastic complex, sheltering many monks.
The history of Sastrawela goes back to the 3rd Century B.C when the Ruhuna
Kingdom was established by King Mahanaga, brother of Devanampiya Tissa. Mahanaga
fleeing from Rajarata after an assassination attempt established his capital
in Magama, believed to be in modern day Tissamaharama. Since then Ruhuna
flourished for many centuries at times as an independent kingdom and at times
as a semi autonomous sub-kingdom under the rule of Anuradhapura. Though many
archaeologists believe that the original temple complex was built by Mahanaga
there are some who suggest that it was, in fact, a Naga king called Maninaga
who was the first patron of the shrine. The Nagas were a pre-historic tribe
which lived in the island before the advent of the Aryans in 6th Century
B.C. However, it is believed that many Nagas intermingled with the Aryan
settlers and were part of the fabric of ancient Sri Lanka. Therefore, a Naga
king ruling this region and building a shrine is not totally improbable though
historical evidence to prove this point is yet to be discovered.
The Nation
, March 8, 2009
Articles
Bold father and son pair refuse to let Sasthrawela temple die -
The Island - March
16, 2003
Created : March 10, 2009
Updated :
October 30, 2009
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