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 Yala (Ruhuna) National Park- Folklore and wildlife of Yala National Park-
An introduction in brief to the history of Ruhuna certainly is pivotal prior to the projection of your mind towards the education of Yala Folklore and its Wild Life. Our Country was constituted of three ruling states namely, Ruhuna, Maya and Pihiti in the past.
These three states were also known as the "Three Sinhalaya" it was so found for the first time in the rock inscriptions originated by Queen Leelawathie. The present history of Ruhuna has its nucleus emerging from Dambadiva (India). There were several Ambassadors who were in the retinue of Vijaya, who soon after their arrival start building settlements in the country. King Amithodana who happened to be one of them had a son by the name of Pandushakkya, King Amithodana was a brother of King Suddhodana the father of Prince Siddhartha. Pandushakkya became a father of seven sons and one daughter whose name was Bhaddakachchayana. Her mother was Susima Devi. Bhaddakachchayana was sent on board a ship and floated into the sea proclaiming that she would be married by a suitable one. Eventually Princess Bhaddhakachchayana had been brought ashore and she disembarked at Gokanna in Lakdiva. Having come to know the incident, Prince Tissa immediately proceeded to the place and took her in marriage. Out of the other seven sons, six excluding Gamini, on information came to Lakdiva and constituted their own Capitals in different places in Lakdiva according to their choices. The names of those capitals were Rama, Guruwela, Anuradha, Vijitha, Deegayu and Rohana. The ruling state which was constituted by the Prince Rohana was later expanded up to Yala National Park. King Pandukabhaya the son of Ummada Chitra and Deega Gamini ruled Lakdiva for 37 years; King Mutaseeva for 60 years. After his death king Devanampiyatissa was crowned. The Mahawamsa says that the second brother of Devanampiyatissa built a wewa near Walaskema. His Queen gave birth to a son in close proximity to the Yatala Temple, and named the new born child as Yatalatissa. After the death of King Yatalatissa his son Gotabhaya became the King. Consequently his son Kawantissa was crowned. During Kawantissa's reign the great Magulmahaviharaya and Situlpawwa cum Chittalapabbatha Temple were built in the outset of Yala which comes under the stage one of Yala. After his passing away, King Dutugemunu brought the country under one Flag. According to the book that contains the plans and boundaries of Ruhuna, said to have been compiled during the Gampola period indicates such information thus: River Kaluganga from Kalutara and River Mahaveli and University of Peradeniya from Kandy were the boundaries within which the great extent of land of Ruhuna was. As per the rock inscription of the "Galge" (Rock House) at Boatta which is situated in between the Kumana National Park and the second stage of the Yala National Park one Prince that goes on by the name Uthi has been identified as one of the ten brother Kings by Dr. Paranavithana the Archaeologist.
Mahanagahula was the second capital of the Old Ruhuna. It was divided into two "Pattus" again the Magam Pattu was subdivided into "Dolos Rata" and "Atadahas Rata" which means land of 12,000 and 8,000. Situlpawwa the forest Temple comes under the "Atadahas Rata" and Tissamaharamaya, the village Temple in "Dolosdahas Rata" where their were many historical places like Yodha Wewa (Giant embankment) Yodha Kandiya (Giant Bank), Degundara Wewa, Digan Wawe, Kota Bendi Wewa, Athuru Mithuru Wewa, Buthwa Wawa, Dharshana wewa, Bandu Wewa, Indigolla wewa, Kiri Pokuna, Rakina Wala, Wilapala Wewa, Kirindi Viharaya, Nimalawa, Gigumdara Hill near Situlpawwa the place where the oldest art of swan line pattern is drawn. Also the Akasa Chaithya, Gonagalla Chaithya, Padikema, Modaragala, Katagamuwa, Nandimittra Chaithya, Kanabisaw Galge, Goyamkola Maya Gala, Mandagala, the holy place which is said to have been the Temple of the great God Kataragama alias the residence of the God of Siyambalewa. The above shown places would reveal the historical background. The life sustenance plant which comes in the traditional medical prescriptions is a herbal plant that even a patient in his last breath can be cured. This plant is found in the first stage of the great Yala forest. There are many folklore to the effect that the root cause for the name Patangala was that it was the place where cargo was loaded into ships. Yala was proclaimed as forestry on 23rd March, 1900. A British prisoner of war by the name of Aengal Brake was brought to Ceylon on 1907. Subsequently he was appointed as the first keeper of the Yala Park. Later the first Zone of the Yala National Park established on 25th February, 1938, was 14.101 hectares in area. The Second Zone opened on 1934 was 9.31 hectares. The third Zone opened in 28th April 1967 was 40.775 hectares. The 4th opened on 9th October, 1969 was 26.418 hectares the 5th opened in 1969 was 6.656 hectares and further 28.905 hectares were declared as Protected areas. Kataragama sanctuary assisting 837.7 was Proclaimed 27th May 1928. Katagamuwa area of 1003.6 hectares and Nimalawa area of 1065.8 hectares were proclaimed as Sanctuaries with effect from 27th May, 1928 and 18th March 1993 respectively. Kudumbigala sanctuary hails in serenity and the fragrance of "Seela" spread over Kumana with the blessing of the Kudumbigala Temple along with the Okanda Devalaya. The Chief Incumbent of the Kudumbigala Temple says, that there had been some Kutumbi families in the Kudumbigala area in the past. Also the place where the Okanda Devale alias Murugan Devale is treated as the original Holy Land of the deity Kataragama. On February, 25 1938 the Colonials announced Yala Park as the Yala National Park. The department of Sanctuaries was established in 1938 and Mr. A. D. Wijewardane was appointed its caretaker. The folk Life of Yala is filled with a lot of tales, and much literature can be seen both in the past and present. The Kings and the Ten Fold skilled Giants had built various religious centres in the Holy Land. Situlpawwa, where 12000 Arahants lived was one of them. The fisheries wadies at Patanangala and the hunters from Nimalawa Banduwewa, who are residing in close by Chenas are really a menace to this Holy Land. While maintaining the above historical and geographical facts on folklore, folk life and wildlife in the Yala National Park as a Photographer and a researcher who read for my masters degree in the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, I would like to point out the following facts also. Chance and tolerance are two important things that a Photographer should possess while in the jungle. I realized it myself when I was engaged in taking the photographs of wild animals. There are some folk stories in relation to the names given to various wild animals Indian Rolld (Dun bonna) which is given to those who came to peck insects that are attracted to the rising smoke during the burning of Chenas. "Sivuru Hora", "Diviya", "Ulama" too are subjects for such folk stories. Especially the "White Elephant" which I came across in the Yala jungle, has become a popular subject among the folk stories. King Wessantara had given in alms a white elephant, Queen Mahamaya Devi too dreamed of a white elephant, God Saman riding on a white elephant, are some of them. The white elephant that was caught in my photographs was a unique situation, notwithstanding the fact that the profile seen by anyone from the sea when looking at the minihagalkanda the view resembles a man and it has a long history coming down from Ravana's period. Those days the area had been thickly populated. I wish and hope that my endeavour of bringing the Yala National Park which is unique in bio diversity, and historically and geographically important to the readers, local and foreign, and request to consider that it is a responsibility and a duty of everybody to nurture it considering that it is an immeasurably valuable asset that Sri Lanka owns. Suriya Kumara Jayalath
Updated
April 12, 2007
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