As preparations are on to celebrate Poson Poya in Anuradhapura on a grand scale, the historical Thanthirimale Raja Maha Vihara in Maha Wilachchiya will once again come to light and welcome thousands of devotees.
I never thought I would photograph in Thanthirimale. I imagined the inaccessible jungle leading to the sacred site of Thanthirimale looked like nearly 2,300 years ago where glory, peace and serenity prevailed. For three decades, Thanthirimale being a border village lay in the Wilpattu National Park, often deserted.It was a safe haven for LTTEers who are believed to have come via Thanthirimale to attack the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. Most villagers are farmers who left the area during that troubled period and have now returned and settled their ancestral lands. Farmers are busy again and acres of lush paddy fields are a relaxing sight. I first visited the Thanthirimale sacred site in 2002 after the Ceasefire Agreement was signed between the UNP Government and the LTTE.
Historicity
The stone ruins on the rocky boulder
Located 45 kms from Anuradhapura, the Thanthirimale temple was built in the 3rd Century BC. It is historically important as it is known as the landing point for Sanghamitta Therani when she visited the country bringing the sacred Bo sapling. It was at Thanthirimale that she stayed overnight.
On our recent visit, we saw that the landscape has changed and dusty gravel roads have been replaced with carpeted roads and the lifestyle of the villagers has changed in an unimaginable fashion. Travelling 45 kilometres on the Anuradhapura-Thanthirimale road, we saw farmers drying maize along the edge of the road under the scorching sun and children with their mothers bathing in village tanks that were covered with lotus flowers blossoming beautifully. The whole landscape was enriched by lush greenery.
As we reached the Thanthirimale site, I saw a huge rock boulder spanning the horizon in the plain landscape of the vast Wilpattu jungle.
We rushed to the chief incumbent’s office and met the chief incumbent of the Thanthirimale Raja Maha Vihara, Ven Thanthirimale Chandrarathana Thera. He readily gave us information about the place.
Upatissa Grama
Thanthirimale was first developed by a minister of King Vijaya called Upatissa who chose this site surrounded by the Malwatu Oya to build his future city and named it as Upatissa Grama. King Vijaya is believed to have met Kuveni in the jungle of Wilpattu where the ruins of a stone mansion belonging to Kuveni can still be seen in the Wilpattu National Park.
It might be interesting to note how the name Thanthirimale originated.
When Prince Vijiya arrived in Thambapanni, he had advised his followers to establish settlements in different areas. According to his advice, a minister known as Upatissa has set up a settlement in this area. Thus, this area was once called Upatissa Grama.
According to folklore, Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu, who was expelled from the royal family for marrying Asokamala, a girl from a lower caste, lived in Thanthirimale for years.
The cross-legged Buddha statue flanked
by unfinished rock carvings
Eventually, the young couple was forgiven and restored to the king’s good graces. The king had given them a gold necklace having a shape of a butterfly known as Thanthiri from which the name Thanthirimale was derived.
History has it that when King Devanampiyatissa first visited Thanthirimale, it was known as – Tiwakka Bamunugama, home to a Brahmin known as Tiwakka. The name of this village came from the Brahmin’s name.
Ven. Sanghamitta Therani, a daughter of Emperor Asoka in India and her entourage were taking the sacred Bo sapling to Anuradhapura via the Malwathu Oya and when they were passing the village of Thiwakka Bamunugama, now known as Thanthirimale, they were received by Thiwakka Brahamin, the chief of that village, who provided food and shelter to them for the night, allocating the sapling the highest point of his village for public veneration. The shrine was abandoned due to South Indian invasion during the end of the Anuradhapura era.
The Bodhi tree in Thanthirimale counts nearly 2,500 years and still stands majestically on the top of a rock boulder and venerated by thousands of pilgrims. It is said that one of the eight offshoots of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura was planted at Tiwakka Bamunugama in the 3rd Century BC.
Ancient splendour
The small but beautiful Dagaba which lies on the rocky landscape adds beauty to Thanthirimale. The two Buddha statues carved out of rock gives ancient splendour to the site. The reclining Buddha statue carved on the Northern slope of the rock is 45 feet long and is said to be similar to the statue of the Gal Vihara, but not many details are visible on the figure.
Sadly, we saw that the face of the statue had been destroyed by treasure hunters, though it has now been restored. The 2.16-metre-high cross-legged statue is in a cave carved out of rock, well-preserved from the sun and rain in the Southern side of the rock boulder.
The sacred Bo Tree on the summit of the rock boulder
Stone pillars in front of the statue indicate a stone structure or roof made to cover the statue in the past. Beside the statue, there are three unfinished images of deities dimly visible in the rock surface. Archaeologists believed that these unfinished images indicate that sculptors had abandoned their task unexpectedly, perhaps, due to sudden enemy invasion.
When we climbed down the rock, we saw a museum housing numerous stone artefacts found in the site. The most important were the Bodhisatva head and guard stones belonging to the 3rd Century. Further below, there is a natural pond filled with lotus blossoms to add beauty to the rocky landscape and serve as a bathing pond for bhikkhus at the temple and villagers.
The water is fresh and remains so even during the drought. Passing the pond, we walked into the forest canopy and found a stone structure called Pothgula, the library of the temple built on a rock. The stone structure served for meditating bhikkhus in the past to live and continue their rituals. We saw a few rock caves deep in the forest of Thanthirimale and one of these caves had aboriginal paintings which were a sight to behold.
Renovation
The reclining Buddha statue
In 1960, the Thanthrimale historical site and the village were renovated by the founding bhikkhu of the Thanthirimale Raja Maha Vihara and Chief Bhikkhu of the North and the East Ven. Kudakongaskada Wimalagnana Thera who got down families from areas like Medawachchiya and Vavuniya to settle down in the village surrounding the temple. The Thera cleared a part of the jungle and got the tanks repaired to build a settlement.
In the days gone by, it was a thick jungle and no one knew that this place existed. The temple and the village came under LTTE attack several times including the 1992 bomb blast which claimed the life of the then chief bhikkhu.
As pilgrims visit Thanthirimale during the Poson season in Anuradhapura, facilities such as water, electricity, sanitary and accommodation are in place while roads have been renovated to ensure hassle-free access for the devotees. Medical facilities have also been strengthened at the hospital close to the temple.
The present Chief Bhikkhu, Ven. Thanthirimale Chandrarathana Thera works hard to develop and restore the temple into its past glory and uplift the living conditions of the farming families in surrounding villages.
