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Dedigama Kota Vehera

If you take the right turn at the Nelundeniya junction and travel less than two miles, on your right side will loom the unmistakable mound of the Sutighara Cetiya, more popularly known as the Kota Vehera, at Dedigama. In the typical Parakramabahu style the stupa has its hemispherical form truncated on the top, earning the name Kota Vehera. It was not difficult for us to find the site and we walked around the huge mound of earth which is all that is left of it today.

Three of the stupa of the Kota Vehera type the Sutighara Cetiya at Dedigama, the stupa at Yudaganawa and the Damila- thupa at Polonnaruwa belong to the 12th century and are attributed to King Parakramabahu the Great.

The Damila-thupa was constructed by South Indian Chola labourers that King Parakramabahu is said to have brought from India as prisoners. The stupa at Yudaganava is said to be the cremation ground of Ratnavali, Parakramabahu's mother. And the Sutighara at Dedigama was to commemorate his birthplace in ancient Dedigama.

It is fascinating to note that local tradition and literary reference to the present Dedigama goes back to a very early time. The ancient Pali forms of Punkhagama and Jatigama have been identified to the Sinhalese Datigama or Dedigama.

The Mahavamsa refers to Punkhagama and to the story of King Parakramabahu the Great (AD 1153 - 1186), beginning from the time of his father Manabharana. According to the chronicle Manabharana dwelt at Punkhagama under the name of Virabahu. Punkkhagama was included in the division of a kingdom called Dakkhinadesa or the southern country.

Prince Manabharana and his consort Ratnavali had only two daughters and no sons. The Prince then made over the whole administration of the kingdom to his Ministers and withdrawing into solitude prayed for a son. One night as he camped in the Temple of the King of gods (Devaraja), he was promised a mighty son who would bring glory and fame to his family. His dream has been later related to God Vibhisana of Kelaniya in the Salalihini-sandesaya.

This son of Manabharana and Ratnaveli born by the grace of the gods, who was to be the future Parakramabahu the Great saw the light of day at Punkhagama. The chronicle says that after Parakramabahu became Maharaja he built in the province of Yuvaraja, amongst other monuments, the Sutighara Cetiya, 120 cubits high, on the site of the house where he was born at Punkhagama.

In the 12th century Dedigama was the occasional residence of some of the provincial rulers of Dakkhinadesa. In the 14th century Dedigama was the capital of a paramount sovereign of Lanka, King Parakramabahu V (AD 1344 - 1359).

The Tisara-sandesaya, the oldest existing Sinhalese sandesa poem, in its nearly complete and original form, purports to carry a message by a swan from Devinuwara in the south of Lanka to a king of Dedigama who bore the name of Parakramabahu. The king has been identified as King Parakramabahu V.

The author, a bikkhu of Devinuvara, says that he was engaged in prayer to God Upulvan of that city to protect the king who was his friend. The work contains a poetic account of the city of Dedigama during Parakramabahu V's reign and includes a description of the monastery there.

The royal seat of Dedigama and King Parakramabahu V are introduced thus:

"O my friend, give this message to His Royal Majesty King Parakramabahu who flourishes in the city of Dedigama protecting according to his pleasure the Mother Earth the prowess of his captivating and mighty arm."

The sandesa continues testifying to the magnificence of the city as a royal residence during that time:

"Friend with a joyful mind, enter the great city of Detigam, which is resplendent through countless stately mansions containing various paintings (in them) as if the splendour of the whole world had gathered together into one place and where constantly reside people full of love and devotion towards the Triple Gem.

"My friend observe with pleasure the glory of that majestic city gate, which is like a tilaka ornament in the forehead of that lady, namely the city, whose parting of hair is the ever beautiful highway, whose waist girdle the deep moat, and whose full breasts the full pots (symbols of fortune).

"The reflection of flags hoisted all over and fluttering by the breeze when fallen on the crystal mirrors appear like the hosts of Devas and Siddhas sporting happily in the pure waters of the Heavenly River whither they have descended."

The poet likens the city to the mighty ocean:

"Eternally that city is like the ocean. In the city there reside learned teachers: it is full of enjoyment: It is the abode of pretty women and numberless sportive youths, and also of countless sages; it echoes with the shouts of victory, flags carrying the garuda symbol are hoisted over the highway; it overflows with pearls and gems, Just as the ocean is surrounded by the great rocks, it is full of water, it contains the moon, chanks and flutes; in it live Ananta and many a large fish; it resounds with the waves and water; it is the abode of Great Visnu, it is also full of pearls and gems."

The worldly wealth was not all, the poet did not forget to mention the spirituality of the great city.

"In the city there was a monastery, the constant abode of virtuous monks. Prosperous ministers in their riches comparable to the God of Wealth had taken up their residence here. There were huge elephants and swift footed horses. The city was crowded with the fourfold army. In that prosperous city of Dedigama flourished King Parakumba."

The Vuttamala- sandesa-sataka also carries an account of Jatigama, this being another Pali equivalent for Dedigama. It was written by a canFebruary 16, 2007e poem purports to be a message from Dedigama to Kelaniya.

Extracts from his eulogy of the great city and praise of King Parakramabahu are interesting:

"By the city of Jatigama, which is a divine tree for its residents, where there are prosperous and majestic rulers of the earth and with lotus in the form of the city is resorted to by the bees, namely the good people, which city is crowded with shops kept by gentle merchants of noble birth who are mines of manifold wealth, which city is the cluster of flowers worn on the head of the Earth-Lady, in which city dwell kings and their ministers, which city is like the ocean to receive the rivers of learning."

"In that city abundant with wealth, full of compassionate people, and crowded with hosts of soldiers, the row of large oblong ponds forming the moat shines with its waters which are infested with crowds of crocodiles."

The account of the city continues:

The high mansions with their gabled roofs, and flags hanging from them. At the entrances to the city are decorated gateways ( torana). There are mighty huge elephants and swift white horses. The five fold music resounds like the noise of the ocean. Special mention is made of the beautiful arecanut groves. That city with many hills and amidst which the royal palace resembles the Mahameru, is resplendent like the milky ocean. There lives King Parakramabhuja.

In that city there was also a vihara establishment (assamabhumipado) where students learnt the words of the Buddha. In the monastery gardens grew areca trees with blossoming flowers, coconut palms laden with fruit, crowds of campaka trees with flowers like flames of fire and mango trees bearing sweet fruits. The bo-tree is compared to a dark cloud. Here lived monks of high rank of both the village and forest fraternities…..

The poem ends with a prayer of God Vibhisana of Kelaniya for the protection of King Parakramabahu and his council of ministers.

After reading extracts from these sandesa poems one is overwhelmed and it is a little difficult to conjure up its one time grandeur and reconcile it with the sleepy village of today. As we bumped along its narrow roads in our modern vehicles it was breathtaking though to think of the mighty elephants, swift white horses, gleaming mansions and pictu

resque areca nut groves that made up Dedigama's ancient grandeur.

Dedigama's Elephant Lamp

Dedigama is world famous for its elephant lamp. Two of these lamps similar in design were found buried in the relic chamber of the Sutighara Cetiya of Dedigama. This unique archaeological exhibit, gives an insight into the advanced state of technological development during the reign of King Parakramabahu. The lamp belongs to the twelfth century A.D.The elephant lamp is an ingenious creation of an unknown craftsman. The lamps are of the hanging type and of a unique design.

A figure of an elephant carrying a rider on its shoulder predominates the oil receptacle. The hollow of the elephant's stomach serves as a vessel and a reservoir for the oil, while one of the elephant's forelegs serves as a funnel for pouring in the oil. The elephant figure stands in the middle of a basin which can also be filled with oil. When the level of the oil in the basin goes down below the level of the hole in the foreleg of the elephant which serves as a funnel, a mechanical devise based on hydrostatic principles causes the oil to flow into the receptacle through the genital organ of the elephant, and the flow automatically ceases when the oil again reaches the level of the elephant's feet.

Interestingly a lamp with an oil reservoir working on hydrostatic principles with oil pouring out of the beak of a bird is found in the Indian Section of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The chain of the lamp too is modelled with the greatest artistic skill - it being incorporated with the figures of female dancers and drummers.

The torana or the archway under which the elephant figure stands is also of fine work.

Many scholars worldwide have accepted that the standard of plastic moulding of the elephant and rider, the torana, the chain and the lamp itself are of the highest order, and shows a very high standard of achievement.

The excavations conducted by the Department of Archaeology at the Sutighara Cetiya revealed that the upper chamber contained, at the centre, a pedestal built of brick in the shape of the model of the cetiya as the architects had conceived it - a stupa in the lotus shape (padmakara). On this pedestal was a reliquary of thin sheet gold 4.5 inches in height and studded with precious stones. There were niches in the four walls of the chamber, and in each of these was a statuette of the Buddha of about 4 inches high encased in gold sheets under makara torana arches ornamented with gems. At the four corners of the chamber were four lamps - two of which were the elephant lamps while the other two resembled a lotus bud design. All of these lamps had soot and pieces of burnt wick in the oil containers. It was proof that these were placed lit when the chamber was closed.Many more valuable and interesting treasure were discovered at this site. There is an interesting documentation of the excavations carried out and a catalogue of the finds in the separate chambers (the upper chamber, the second chamber, the eight satalite chambers, the central chamber and the lowermost chamber) by C.E. Godakumbura.

The Dedigama Archaeological museum has a model of the relic chambers and contains some very interesting exhibits documented according to the chamber in which they were found. It serves as a good example of illustrating the building of a relic chamber within the dome of a stupa. The gentleman in charge, at the museum, you will find, is well informed and no doubt will heighten your understanding and appreciation of the sacred relics buried in the past.

by Kishanie S. Fernando
Daily Mirror, June 5, 2005

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