The herd of spotted deer, silhouetted against the morning sun, remained motionless as we drove down the gravel road. In the stillness of the forest, the melodious trills of the long feathered peacocks were distinct as were the swishing of leaves and the calls of the other animals. It was serenity at its best.
We were a few kilometres in the magnificent Ruhuna Wildlife Sanctuary, heading towards a less known archaeological site called Magul Maha Vihara, with its 2nd Century BC monastery, a majestic rock boulder and stone ruins.
One of the bhikkhunis who dwelled in the main cave talking to a group of pilgrims in 1990
Five kilometres from Tissamaharama, a gravel road branches off the main road that leads to Situlpahuwa. A half-an-hour drive takes you through quaint village-scenes that progressively become dense jungle, and before long you are at the foot of a huge rocky boulder, to the left of which you find the majestic Magul Maha Vihara. For many of those travelling to Situlpahuwa, this is a stopover point, for breakfast, lunch or just respite.
From here it is another half-an-hour drive to Situlpahuwa, another ancient monastic site, believed to be one of the few of its kind in Sri Lanka. Most visitors to the Kataragama sacred site detour to this place for a brief visit.
Rock boulder
The Magul Maha Vihara is a massive rock boulder comprising natural water pools and numerous drip-ledged caves, scattered around several acres in Block-1 of the Yala Wildlife sanctuary. Surrounding the Magul Maha Vihara, lie many ruined Dagabas and monuments.
According to folklore, the Magul Maha Vihara at Yala was built to commemorate the marriage of Vihara Maha Devi, daughter of Kelani Tissa to Kavantissa, the ruler of Ruhuna. Vihara Maha Devi, according to tradition, was set adrift on a boat by her father as a living sacrifice to appease the remorseless sea erosion in his kingdom.
The main cave of the Magul Maha Vihara, Yala
After days and nights of drifting, her boat touched at Kirinda where soldiers found her and took her to King Kavantissa, who later married her at the site of the Magul Maha Vihara. They were the parents of Princes Duthagamini or Dutu Gemunu and Saddhatissa.
Warrior King Dutu Gemunu vanquishing all rivals, created a unified Sri Lanka.
However, there are two contradictory legends associated with Queen Vihara Maha Devi’s drifting. Some historians say the Queen’s boat had touched at what’s currently known as Arugam Bay in Pottuvil.
Legend
This is corroborated by the evidence of ancient ruins at the Mudu Maha Vihara, close to the shore at Pottuvil. Here, legend has it that as King Kavantissa married Queen Vihara Maha Devi at another ancient site called Magul Maha Vihara in Lahugala, 11 kilometres from the Mudu Maha Vihara at Pottuvil. At Lahugala, we can still see among other ruins, the ruins of a stone carved foundation purportedly of King Kavantissa’s nuptials.
Legends notwithstanding, the Magul Maha Vihara at Yala still tweaks the travellers’ curiosity, despite the, numerous renovations that have been made to the original structure. In fact, the Stupa on a small hillock was constructed only a few years ago.
The newly restored Chaitya at the Vihara
Until recently the Magul Maha Vihara remained inhabited, with a few bhikkhunis dwelling in the caves of the site. The chanting of aged-old verses could be heard from a distance, while smoke rose from the kitchen indicating life. My memory goes back to 1990, when I first visited the Magul Maha Vihara at Yala with my mother. We were on a pilgrimage. The main cave of the Vihara was triangular in shape. The front wall built with thick bricks and had a narrow door and two small windows. The Vihara was occupied by saffron-clad bhikkhunis. They said they were not disturbed by wild animals that roamed nearby, not even when wild elephants put their trunk inside the room. However, during my recent visit, I saw the main cave and entire site had been abandoned and stayed desolate. The meditating bhikkhunis had left the place a long while ago.
Shrine room
The main rock cave shrine at the Magul Maha Vihara
Built into a side of the rock is the recently renovated shrine room, containing a statue of the Buddha. The drip-ledged cave of the shrine room is believed to have been originally used by bhikkhus to meditate. Scattered around the site are many small caves with partly damaged brick walls used by meditating bhikkhus of bygone eras. Today, the more adventurous venturing off the little path that leads out from the shrine room, can find remnants of the caves and rooms. Unlike the rest of the sanctuary, the best way to enjoy the sights and sound of the area surrounding the rocky boulder of the Magul Maha Vihara is to traverse by foot instead of being cramped in a vehicle. Recently, a team of archaeologists of the Department of Archaeology carried out excavations at the site of the Magul Maha Vihara and found evidence that it had been a Buddhist monastery dating back to the 2nd Century BC. They also unearthed the Bodhigaraya (enclosure for the Bo tree) dating back to the 1st Century and remnants of pottery.
During the Pre-Christian era, the Ruhuna Wildlife Sanctuary and its environ had been prosperous human civilisation and a centre of Buddhism with numerous monasteries and rock caves. Over 50 inscriptions are found in the Ruhuna Wildlife Sanctuary, most of which date back to the first or second century BC. There are about 40 documented archaeological sites in the Ruhuna Wildlife Sanctuary. Thus, an examination of historical monuments shows that Ruhuna played an important part from very early times in the history of Buddhism.
