Home > Heritage > Seruwila > Articles

Seruvila Mangala Maha Chethiya

During the rainy season the road to the Mangala Maha Cetiya or the Seruvila dagodba is often flooded and passage is difficult. Yet if you make it through the broken, muddy, rutty roads and the swamped villu lands the rewards are plenty.

The country seems so different than when travelling in the dry season. The villus are filled with exotic bird life and sometimes you are lucky to come across a heard of elephants.

The trees and the grasses in spite of the rain will offer you a variety of wild flowers in full bloom. Even the moss that covers patches of higher land are cloaked in blooms of regal purple. In fact I prefer this journey in such weather even though it tells heavily on your vehicle.

The arduous journey with all its excitement apart, at the end of the trail awaits a site held in great veneration by the pious and an immense treasure trove of artifacts yet to be fully explored.

The dagoba known as the Mangala Maha Cetiya is reputed to enshrine the frontal bone relic of the Lord Buddha. It was also referred to as the Vilgam Vihara in ancient times.

According to writings by Dr. Rajah De Silva one time Archaeological Commissioner who refers to the Dhatuvamsa written by Kakusada Thera dated to about the 15th century states that the frontal bone relic of the Buddha which fell to the share of the Mallas of Kusinara is enshrined here.

However Mahakassapa thera informed the Malla king that the Buddha himself had instructed that his frontal bone should after his cremation be sent to Sri Lanka to be enshrined in a dagoba to be built by King Kakavannatissa near the stone pond called Varahasondi at the place known as Seruvila on the right hand side of the Mahavaliganga

The relic was accordingly brought to Sri Lanka to the kingdom of Ruhuna at the time that Mahanaga brother of Devanampiyatissa was ruling in Magama. The relic was greatly honoured and venerated by a wealthy citizen named Mahakala and for this purpose a small dagoba was built to enshrined the relic.

On being informed of the existence of such a relic the king paid a visit to the site and venerated the relic. The relic returned with the king to Magama. The relic was first kept for worship at the Palace and later enshrined in a nine storey relic house built for this purpose. Mahanagas son Yattalatissa and grandson Gothabhaya similarly paid great honor and veneration to the relic.

On his death bed Gothabaya urged his son and successor Kakavannatissa to build a dagoba for the frontal bone relic of the Buddha and a monastery at the predicted site.

As such king Kakavannatissa took the relic in a great perahera and arrived in two days to the building site near the Varaha pond in Seruvila. The jungle was cleared and the place laid out for the meritorious work at hand. A relic house was built and perfumes of four kinds were placed in it in addition to the relic. Hence the relic house was known as Gandhamula.

Dr. De Silva's work also elaborates on some interesting details of the construction. The construction site was selected through the medium of bulls, of horses and of elephants that on each occasion lay themselves down at spots which marked the corners of the dagaba grounds.

The central point for the construction of the dagoba was fixed by driving a golden nail into the ground and a circle was marked as a perimeter of the proposed dagoba.

The ceremony of laying the first brick was done at an auspicious moment in the presence of the king. The mortar for use with the bricks was of finely powered clay which would have been mixed with water before use

At height of the third basal terrace the relic chamber was constructed.

A mahameru pillar was fixed and various objects including a Buddha statue were placed therein.

The relic was fixed on the forehead of a magnificent Buddha statue and a hair relic of the Lord Buddha was also enshrined on the head of the Buddha statue. The relic chamber was closed and the dagoba was completed. Other buildings necessary for the monastery were also constructed including a house for the bodhi tree, a meditation hall, a house for the conduct of the acts of the sangha, a pond for water and rest rooms. The boundaries of the vihara were marked and the king returned back to Magama. Excavations carried at the site in the early 19th century by the Archaeological Department revealed many ancient objects.

Among the sculptures the most important was the statue of the Buddha seated under the hood of the naga mucalinda. A larger replica of this image is found in the striking image house built in more recent years.

The artistic flower altars fashioned as circular slabs of stone, flat on the top and ornamented round the periphery with lotus petal motifs and supported on single pillars fashioned rather like the Nissankalata Mandapa are unique.

The flight of stone steps in the four directions give access to the platform of the dagoba through impressive structures with enormous stone doorways, one of which is still in position.

Within the dagoba premises is also found the stone built pond and other ancient ruins with guard stones.

by Kishanie S. Fernando
Daily Mirror, June 7, 2004

Home > Heritage > Seruwila > Articles