Thanthirimale.

A part of the Auradhapura District, Thantirimale spreads over 366 of the Mahavilachchiya Divisional Secretariat consisting of, Dematamagoda, Nelumvila, Sandamaleliya, Thuppitiyawa, Navodagama, mahaahatuwawa and Oyamaduwa Grama Niladhari Divisions.

This historical valley where the Malwatu Oya crosses the Kandara Oya, is bordered by the Malwatu Oy to the North and East,

Wilpattu National Wildlife Sanctuary to the West, and the Mahawilachchiya Main Road to the South.

Ways to rteach Thanthirimale.

01. Travel along the Anuradhapura Mahawilachchiya road, 18 kilometers, and turn right to the Sri Wimalagnana Road, 18 km ahead is 

the Thantirimale Raja Maha Viharaya.

02. Travel along the Mannarama road from the Madawachchiya town, 18 km, from the area known as Gajasinghepura and turn left and 

travel 12 km. The Thantirimale Rajamaha Viharaya could be reached this way too. 

How the name Thanthirimale was formed.

During the time of King Devanampiyatissa , this area has been known as Thivanka Bamunugama. It is beleived that the Kings son, and 

his wife from a lower stratum of society had been banished by the King to this area and later forgiven them. Since the king's gift,

a golden necklace int he shape of a butterfly known as Thanthiri had been buried here, te place is known as Thanthirimale, according

From Thanthirimale

to one story.  Another thery is that the name is an offshoot of Thangethirimale, which refers to the place where the people

accompanying the Sri Maha Bodhi had rested, in Tamil.  

The places of worship at Thanthirimale.

Ashtapala Bodhinwahanse.

An Ashtapala Bodhiwahanse, a shoot of the Sri Maha Bodhiya, from the first eight shoots is situatd on the top of a stone surface 

250 acres in extent. It is also believed that the people accomying the Sri Maha Bidhiya had rested here for a day.

Samadhi Buddha Statue.

On the right side of the Bidhiya is an eight foot high Samadhi Buddha Statue. On either sid eof the statue, two gods are present.

Behind the statue is a Makara thorana, or Dragon pandol. It is supported by two lion- figues. On the northern slope of the stone

on which the Bidhiya is situated, a special sleeping Buddha statue is sculpted on the stone. On the eastern side of the stone, near

the beautiful Nelum pond, a stone surface, on which a square monument is buiilt. This is the Pothgula.

Also, ancient cave paintings are present at Thanthirimale, which are more than 4000 years old, according to Professor Senerath

Paranavithana. After the renovations in 1960, a beautiful Cheiththiya and Vihara ge have been built. 

The priest who came formward to renovate this site in 1960, was Wimalakeerthi Sri Sumana Kudakongaskada Wimalagnana thero.

After the priest was killed in a terrorist attack in 1992, Thanthirimale Chandrarathne thero presently acts as the Cheif priest of the 

temple.

තන්තිරිමලය,තන්තිරිමලය,තන්තිරිමලය,

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Butthala

Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti comprised the ancient Tri-Sinhale. The Ruhunu Rata or Rohana Deshaya was an independent kingdom spread over about three-fourth of the country. The Uva province which belonged traditionally to Rohana, was declared in 186 to be a separate administrative unit.

When studying the religious, cultural and social history of Sri Lanka, the Uva province receives a special place. At times, the history of Uva extend beyond the Anuradhapura era, and pre-Vijayan history.

According to the Mahavamsa, by the first century A.D, Uva had been known as Huawa (Mahawamsa, Chapter 60). There is evidence to suggest that the present name, Uva had been coined in the 17 th century.

The boundaries of Uva.

The Maha Disava of Uva is as large as 3277 1/8 square miles. About 32 square miles are reserved for water reservoirs. While one boundary is the Mahaveli river, on the other side, the Walwe river, Galoya, Kubukkanoya, Manika river, Kiridi oya, Walawe river and the mountains they originate from, bring great beauty to the Uva province.

The boundaries of Uva according to a folk-song are,

From the southern and Eastern sides,

Marked by the Sripada

And the Walawe river

The bounderis of Uva were marked

Kistorical Yudaganawa.

The Historical Yudaganawa cheithya situated in the Monaragala District, is of great historical value.

The Yudaganawa temple is located about 2km from the Buttala town, on the Monaragala-Wellawaya road. Surrounding the temple are the Manik river on the East, the Puhulgala Mountai range on the North, the Yudagana river and a paddy field on the west, and Buthgal or the Buttala city on the South.

The largest templeever built in Sri Lanka is the Yudagana temple and is 1038 Square feet in circumference.

There are many legends regarding the Yudagana temple. One of them is that King Dutugemunu built the temple to ward off the sins of war with his brother Saddhathissa. The opinion of Prof. Senerath Paranawithana is that the temple is the ancient Cheeragama or Keeragama which was built for the demise of king Parakuba’s (1153-1186).

History bears evidence that the Yudaganawa temple was built in the 2 nd Century A.D. by King Mahanaga. It is believed that the king had built a thousand temples in the area. According to the Mahawamsa, the Dutugemunu-Saddhathissa war took place here.

The Maligawila Buddha Statue.

The Maligawila temple had been known in the past as Ariyakara. The villagers believe that the name was changed to Maligawila on account of the great palace and lakes in the area. The Maligawila temple is spread on 250 acres of land.

The history of Maligawila runs back to the 7 th century and 8 th century A.D. Historically, the statue here had been built by King Dappula.

There are many theories about the height of the Maligawila statue. It is 54 feet and 110 tons in size. There is evidence that the statue had been made in another place, and transported here. This is the only temple that has been built without any supports, and is an important Thereada Buddhist statue

Dambgoda Buddha Statue.

When travelling about a kilometer on the road near the Maligawila statue, the Dabegoda Bodhisatva statue is seen. This area was known as Kana grama in the past, referring to the healing of eye diseases.

The dabegoda Statue is an Apa Loketheesvara statue. This statue, with Mahayana influence, shows evidence of a seven storied building built around it. The two eyes of the statue depict the sun and moon. According to folklore, gems were placed in the eyes in the past.

This area was known as Dewala kanda in the past, and had been dilapidated for some time, and reconstructed in the 1990’s.

Dematamal Viharaya

From butthala

The Dematamal Vihara which is situated in the Okkampitiya Grama Sewa Wasama of the Buddata Divisional Secretatriat of the Monaragala district, is a Buddhist place of worship with great historical importance. The Dematamal Viara is recorded as the first Panchawasa Vihara in the country, ( containing Cheiththiya, Pilima Geya, Seemawa shala etc…)

According to the story, rhe Dematamal Vihara had provided protection to prince Saddhatissa. It is a famous fact that the two brothers were against each other. The prince Tissa who lost the war had hid at the temple. The priests had tried to secretly transport the prince out of the temple. Prince Gemunu having seen this had said, “Tissa, Don’t do that!” Therefore, it is thought that Dutumal became Dematamal.

It is reasonable to say that the Dematamal Vihara is a special Vihara in the country, since a Upa Pala decorated the kotha, similar to the Shanthi Stupa system of India. This is the only cheiththiya to have a Upa Pala. The Upa Gala is 18 feet in height. A rare guardstone can also be seen.

Also, after turning at the Kubukkana junction and travelling about 6 km, turning to the right from Okampitiya, this temple can be reached.

Yatiallathota.

This Vihara is situated far from the Buttala city at Palawaththa.

The history of this Vihara begins with king Mahanaga. When the queen had felt the need to deliver her child at Mannaram diya, she had said that the child should be caught. Thus, the place became Yatiallathota.

Later on, a palace, Bisokotuwa and Cheiththiya were built in the area. Another folk-tale is that the water had been brought there from the Yudaganawa tank. According to inscriptions, King Nissankamalla had renovated the vihara. The historical Kutumbala Vihara is situated nearby.

Chakrith Koththagoda-

Buttala hotels
Galapita Eco Lodge
Hena Eco Loge-0772990299

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Mannar Island

The Mannar Island which occupies an area of 1505.4 square kilometers, has been known historically by names such as, “Manthei”, “Mathota”, “Mahathiththa”, “Mahaputu” “Mawatuthota”. Mannar displays a similarity to the dry desert climate.

There are two main roads leading to Mannar. One is the road passing through Anuradhapura and Madwachchiya, along which 80km should be travelled to reach Mannar. The other is the recently opened road through Puttalam, Eluankulam, Silawatura and the Wilpattu National Park

.

From Mannar

The History of Mannar.

There exist many legends and beliefs regarding the History of Mannar. It is believed that King Vijaya and his retinue had landed in Sri Lanka at this site and that a bride from Madurai was transported between A.D. 505 and 543 across Mannar. (There is also a belief that they had com e here from the area known as Kudiramale, situated at the edge of the Wilpattu Wildlife reserve). Another folk-tale claims that King Ilanaga had escaped to Kerala due to enemy invasions, through Mannar. The Mahawamsa mentions that during the era of Kakusadha Budun, a Bo-tree had been planted at Mahathiththa.

From Mannar

Venkalai Bridge and the Bird-sanctuary

The Venkalai bridge connecting the Mannar Island is the longest island built in Sri Lanka. This bird-sanctuary is located on either side of the bride, between Paliyanthiv and Thirikenilwert, and is 4828 hectares in extent. This place which is a sanctuary of Migratory birds is a haven for about 200 types of birds. Siyakkaraya, Kabiliththa, Ranpath tharawa, Ul peda Tharawa, Petamathabatta are the main types. Apart from them, very rare species of animals have made this place their home, among them are, the Geta Kibula, and Muhudu oora. Mangrove plans and stretches of sand are found all over the Venkalai Sanctuary.

From Manna Thiruketheeswaram Kovil.

Thiruketheeswaram Kovil is one of the famous Kovils built to worship God Eeswara. The others are the Muneshwaram kovil in Halawatha, Koneshwaram Kovil in Trincomale and Rameshwaram of India. This Kovil is situated near the A-32 road. There is a legend that the Kovil was built by Mayan, Ravana’s Uncle, while it is also believed that Rama had worshipped at this temple before travelling to India with Seetha. Another belief among the villagers is that a Brahmin of King Vijaya had worshipped at the temple. The temple is one of the legendary sites where Eeswara had performed many miracles.

Donkeys of Mannar.

Donkeys had been imported to Mannar from Somalia for daft purposes. These donkeys were transported to Puttalam and Kalpitiya too. They can still be seen in herds in the area.

Agriculture in Mannar.

The rainy season of Mannar is only two-months long. The day is much longer too. This climate is favorable for paddy-cultivation. Most of the cultivation is done using rain-water while 24,000 acres are nourished by the water of the Yada Wawa. The red-mixed Latirus soil is perfect for paddy cultivation, while the Data of the Agriculture department show that 170 bushels of paddy are obtained per acre.

Mannar Fort.

The Mannar Fort had been built by the Portuguese. After 1696, the Fort has been controlled by the Dutch. The English captured the fort on October 05 th, 1975. The Mannar port could be described as port that linked Sri Lanka to the world. Details about the Mannar port and fort are found in a stone inscription at Thamanhil island. Presently, the island is controlled by the Sri Lanka police.

Biobas tree.

The Biobas is a huge tree found on the Mannar island. The largest Biobas tree in Mannar is found about 2km from the entrance to Mannar island. The Biobas tree had been the favorite food of Camels brought to the island for draft.

Urumale beach

From Mannar

Urumale is a beautiful beach situated on the annar island. On a clear day, the light of the light-house situated in Rameshwaram, India could be seen at Urumale. The only place in Sri Lanka from which another country could be seen is the Urumale beach. The closest beach to India is the Urumale beach. The sand-hills of the Adam’s bridge which the legendary Hanumatha had used are seen at Urumale. A variety of fish are present in this sea-strip. Beautiful corals are also seen. Presently, this sea-strip is under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy.

-Chakrith Koththagoda-

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Jaffna Trip 02- jaffna town

Jaffna fort
The Jaffna fort, built in 1619 by the Portuguese Army to prevent enemy invasions from the sea, is a most popular site in Jaffna. The fort which was under "Yuan De Melo" during the reign of Portuguese was repaired by the Dutch in 1658 and Ian Vandelite was the officer in charge of the fort during the period of Dutch. The Dutch captured this fort from the Portuguese without much effort and the English, in their turn, captured the fort from Dutch in 1795. Though it is possible to walk around the Galle fort, it is not possible to walk around the Jaffna fort

Jaffna Library
Jaffna library which is still considered as the symbol of Jaffna, was established in 1935 and was completely destroyed by fire in 1981. The library was reconstructed and made open to the public again in 2004. Currently, the library has books worth around Rs 100 000.

The Jaffna library is open from 8.30 AM to 5.30 PM on everyday except for Mondays.

Jaffna Museum
The Jaffna museum, which is the home to many Sinhala and Tamil antiques, is open to public from 8.30 AM to 4.30 AM everyday except for Tuesdays.

Nallur Kovil

From jaffna town trip

The kovil is said to have been built by Prince Sapumal, under king Buwanekabahu who ruled Sri Lanka in 15thcentury. The Portuguese raised the kovil to the ground during their invasion in 1560 and king Sangili, the ruler of Jaffna at that time, had protected the celestial jewelry and other holy items, hiding them in a place about 01 Km off, in the road running to point Pedro.

The services are held at the kovil at 07.30 AM, 10.00 AM and 03.30 PM.

King Sangili
King Sangili is known as a warrior in the history and he is said to have protected Jaffna from all enemy invasions. The statue of a warrior on horseback, one will meet walking along the road before the Nallur Kovil, is believed to be a statue of King Sangili. Once the statue is passed, one will meet a huge gate, built by the Dutch and after the gate, the palace of king Sangili can be seen, bearing traits of a combination of Dutch and Indian architecture.

Naga Viharaya

Naga Viharaya, the only Buddhist temple in Jaffna, is situated in the Stanley road in Jaffna town. According to the history, king Devanampiyathissa and a group had been to Jaffna to receive Theri Sanghamiththa and the group bringing Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi's southern branch to Sri Lanka. On the group's way back to Anuradhapura, the king was requested by the 'Naga' tribesmen of Jaffna to let them keep the Bodhi tree branch with them for one week's time. Accordingly, the Bodhi branch had been planted in Jaffna for one week's time before it was finally brought to Anuradhapura.
It is this incident that is described in the famous verse used for worshipping the Bodhi,

"Dev lowa deviyan puda kala bodhiya,

Naa lowa sathiyak puda kala bodhiya"

Siri Vimala thero is the present incumbent of the Naga viaharaya.
Jaffna market
You can find the best Kotta kilangu, Palmyra jaggery, Palmyra yams, grape wine and Nelli crust at the Jaffna market. The most special is Jaffna ice cream, which is found only in Jaffna. 'Raja Ice Cream Parlor', 'Lingam Ice Cream Parlor and Rio Ice Cream Parlor are the most popular ice cream parlors in Jaffna. And for grapes and nelli crusts 'Arul Angram' is the best place in Jaffna.

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Jaffna Trip 03 -Out Of The Town

POINT PADRO , பருத்தித்துறை, පේදුරු තුඩුව

The point Pedro is at 432 Km distance from point Donra and most people coming to Jaffna and visiting Nagadeepa and Nallur kovil, like to visit point Pedro as well. Many of them like to take photographs at this beautiful place.

Dambakola Patuna

A text saying, "Lankeshwara Narendra, uttering merry words, got in to water with the people belonging to 16 different castes, bearing the maha bodhi on his head…" can be seen near the 'bodhi' at the entrance to Dambakola Patuna. The wonderful white sandy beach with dents in Dambakola Patuna is added more beauty by the bays making their way in to the land. Dambakola Patuna with its beautiful beach is a most suitable for anyone coming from India or any other country to land in and for us Sri Lankans it is an important place as it was here that Theri Sangamiththa landed in with the Sri Maha Bodhi plant. So it wouldn’t be wrong to call Dambakolapatuna the place through where Buddhism came to Sri Lanka.

Keerimali,கீரிமலை

The Keerimalai pond is situated in Keerimalai devala premises. The two ponds known as Keerimalai pond are just a few feet away from the sea but contain fresh water and even more surprisingly the water in these two ponds are blue in colour. There's a belief that it is the wall that separates the ponds from the sea that keeps their water fresh. The word 'Kiramalei' means the mountain of mongoose ('Kira' meaning mongoose and 'Malei' meaning the mountain)

According to the legend, a prince and a princess came to Sri Lanka from India and when they landed here their faces had turned to horse and mongoose faces as the result of a curse of gods. Later the prince's face had become normal again in the place called "Mawattapuram" while the princess' face turned normal after she bathed from the " Keerimalai" pond. The devala was later raised in respect of this miracle. The Hindus venerate this place with great respect and they float the ash of their cremated relatives in the sea near the pond. As they believe that the water in these ponds have the power to rejuvenate the old people and fertilize the infertile people. They venerate the ponds with such respect that some of the devotees can be seen worshipping the water as they get in to water. The Kiramalei pond was last repaired in 1969.

From jaffna out of the town

Kadurugoda temple
Route- if coming from Kiramalei, you have to turn to left from the 'Chunnakam' junction and go toward 'Sankani' to see the 'Kadurugoda' temple which is better known in the area as 'Kandarodei'.
According to the past records, there had been 60 stupas in this temple. The 60 stupas had been built to place the ash of 60 arhath theros from 'Punkudativ'. The Department of Archeology has found 56 of the stupas so far and thus the Kadurugoda temple bears a significant historical importance due to these archeological factors.

The well with no bottom.

The well with no bottom is situated in the Point Pedro- Puthur road and the well is so called because its bottom has not been discovered yet by any. There is a belief that the 'Kiramalei' pond is connected to this well beneath the ground. It is believed so as a lime, put in to this well once, had come up from the Kiramalei pond.

Casuarina beach
The beautiful shallow beach with sand was an extremely popular destination before the war. Paying just Rs 500, you can go on a boat ride in the sea near Casuarina beach.

Few of the places you can visit in Jaffna
Welikandu, Kodikaman kovil, Vallipuram stone inscription, Hanuman kovil are a few of the most popular sites in Jaffna. You can have accommodation facility at the rest house at Naga Viharaya. A single room can be taken at a price between Rs 300 to Rs 500 while a double room can be taken at Rs 750. In addition to that, there are several other places you can select to for accommodation.

View out of jaffna in a larger map

Jaffna Trip -Nagadipa and Delft Island-නාගදීපය, ඩෙල්ෆ් ,

Nagadeepa

'Nagadeepa' is probably the recognized landmark in the Jaffna peninsula for the Southeners since Buddhists, the majority of the southerners believe that lord Buddha visited Nagadeepa during his second visit to the country. According to legend Lord Buddha visited the site to resolve a conflict between 'Naga' tribesmen who build the temple to honour the settlement.

Over time the temple which has been repaired by kings like Dhathusena, Saddhathissa, and Dutugemunu. But the temple was also destroyed periodically during various invasions. The most recent of such incidents occurred in 1958 when angry Tamil rioters broke down the statue of Lord Buddha, a present from Myanmar, and threw it to the sea. The statue was later retrieved from the sea bottom and was reinstalled at Kareinagar Army camp.

'Naagapushani Amman' kovil is the other important tourist attraction in Nagadeepa. As it is said in legends, the old god statue in this kovil emerged from the earth, thousands of years ago and Indian merchants who frequented Jaffna constructed this kovil. Contributors' board of Naagapushani Amman kovil hold a 'Dansela' to provide free lunch to Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims visiting Nagadeepa and the rest house there can provide accommodation to 200 people.
To reach Nagadeepa Island, one has to take a boat from Kites, Karikattuwan jetty. One passenger is charged only Rs 20 for this 30 Km tour which lasts nearly 20 minutes.

Delft Island

To reach Delft island , one can use Karikattuwan jetty where he can take the ferry (a large boat with motors) to the island free of charge. The boat which belongs to the Road Development Authority leaves the jetty at 09.00 AM and reaches Delft in about one hour. The boat leaves Delft at 03.00 PM.
The entrance to Delft is decorated by a huge pandol. One CTB bus operates in the island and if you intend to tour the island, you can use Lorries, land masters and three-wheelers also.
The island still bears evidence of its Portuguese, Dutch influence; there are two forts, one of which is built in Portuguese time while the other one was built during the Dutch period.
The Dutch Fort which was also used as a prison has very small rooms and 2 ½ feet thick walls.
In the past, pigeons served as the medium of communication between the islands and there still is a vast pigeon population in the Portuguese fort. Limestone can be seen everywhere in the island and walls surrounding the houses in the island have been raised with these stones. Delft, which has a population of about 5000 people, is the only place with this sort of walls.
The other important sight in this island is the "growing rock'. The 'growing rock', situated fenced around at a Devala premises, grows in size according to the islanders.
The Christians believe Adam left his footprints in the island. The island has the ruins of a few old temples as well.

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GALLE FORT

· Galle fort was first build by the Portuguese,then modified by the Dutch during the 17^th century.

• Galle fort is made from gneisses and coral limestheones.
• One of the main places in Galle fort is the black spot. It had used as a main defence centre in the past.
• In the past,Galle town had used as a trade centre.
• There are various religious places which belong to various religions in the fort.
• Sun spot is another place in the Galle fort.
• And also we can see Galle habour,Rumassala mountion and Dutch store complex in the Galle fort.
• There are many tunnels in the Galle fort.People can walk through those tunnels.Although nowadays people cannot visit those tunnels,in the future people will be able to visit them.
• Galle fort covers an area of 36 hectares and encloses several museums,a clock tower,churches,mosques,a light house and several hundred private dwellins.

• From GALLE FOR Tsunami of 2004 had a devastating effect on Galle Fort. Most of the buildings were either completely destroyed or were damaged to a large extent. Those that were completely destroyed are being rebuilt afresh and those which were damaged are being renovated now. These are being done under the supervision of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs so that the new buildings and the renovations retain the old appearance which was there prior to Tsunami-Imalka

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Maduwanwela Walawwa-මඩුවන්වෙල වලව්ව

_____________ VIDEO CLIPS__________________

If you are interested in discovering about noble families in the history of Sri Lanka, Maduwanwela Walawwa is a place which you must visit in your life. Maduwanwela Walawwa was the official residence of Maduwanwela family. It was built by “Maduwanwela Maha Disawe” after facing a strange experience at that place (when he went on hunting one day he has seen a rabbit was chased by a fox. But all of a sudden, the rabbit has started chasing the fox. Supposing that it was a victorious place, he has built his mansion at the same location.)

But the most popular owner of this mansion was Wickramasinghe Wijesundara Ekanayake Abeykoon Mudiyanse Ralahamilage Sir James Williams Maduwanwela who was known as Maduwanwela Disawe, even among British rulers. Sir Francis Molamure became the owner of this mansion after the inherits of Maduwanwela family. Construction work of this huge mansion was started in 1700 and was completed in 1905. This place consisted of 121 rooms and 21 central gardens during its glorious era, though 43 rooms and 7 central gardens only remains at present.

When you enter this great mansion, you will find that it has very low door frames at each entrance. So when the British Agents visit this place, they had to bow their heads to enter this house which meant to honour the Disawe.

Once you enter this place you will be able to see several significant places. One of this mansion’s central gardens has been beautified by tiles (taken from breaking Dutch plates). At one end of this garden, there is a tile of Queen Victoria placed on floor, which is supposed to be treaded unknowingly. According to the archaeologists, there has been a secret upper floor (attic) which enables some one to move over each room secretly. Most of the rooms of the mansion have many similar characteristics, though they differ from each other by fewer aspects
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A separate Pirith Mandapa, shrine room, machine room, living room, dining hall for nobles, court hall also still remains there to be seen. The lively portrait of the Disawe in the living room is a special one which makes you to think that Disawe looks at you, from whatever the direction or angle you face the picture.

The water management system of the mansion has been based on a special well (Kumbuke Linda) which releases water with a high pressure.

If you need to visit this mansion with historical value, firstly you will have to get to Pelmadulla, from Rathnapura. Then get to Madampe junction, which leads you to Rakwana. Then get to Sooriyakanda to Kolonna Maduwanwela. It is a place really worth visiting as it depicts a grand picture about the nobles in our history.
විජේසේකර මුදියන්සේලාගේ මඩුවන්වෙල දිසාවේ නම් මහා ක`ඵ සිංහලයා වාසය කළ මේ මහ මන්දිරය අධිරාජ්‍යවාදීන් හමුවේත් රට ගැන හැ`ගීමකින් ඔවුන්ටම වැඩ කළ අභීත ලාංකිකයකුගේ සුඛිත මුදිත ජීවිතය පිළිබඳ අපට සාධක සපයන මධ්‍යස්ථානයකි. ඇඹිලිපිටියේ පිහිටි මඩුවන්වෙල වලව්ව ඔබ එක්වරක් හෝ යා යුතුම ස්ථානයකි. ඒ ගමනේදී මෙවැනිම අභීත නායකයකු ලෙස අපේ මතකයේ සිටින පනාමුරේ ඇත් රාජා සිහි කරවන පනාමුරේ ඇත්ගාලද නෙතට හසු කර ගන්න අමතක නොකරන්න.

Sankapala Raja Maha Viharaya-සංඛපාල රජමහා විහාරය

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Sankapala Raja Maha Viharaya is an ancient temple situated in Pallebedda in Rathnapura district.

The history of this temple expands to Anuradhapura era. During the period of king Dutugamunu this temple has been built by the giant Pussadeva. The giant Pussadeva is one of the great ten giants (Dasamahayodayo), who was awarded a Gamvara by the king after the war. That was the Pallebedda Gamvara. Later the giant Pussadeva built a temple in Pallebedda and offered it to Buddha shasana, which is Sankapala Viharaya. This history has been revealed by a stone pillar erected in the temple.

Later during the Kandian era a Buddhist monk named Karathota Dhammarama was offered with this temple. That was during the period of king Rajadhi Rajasinghe. But due to a dispute aroused between the king and the monk, the monk was taken into custody and kept under house arrest. At that time the monk Karathota Dhammarama wrote a 'Harasa Kawya' (a peice of poetry which includes 12 poems in one poem which is written in a circular shape) to show his intelligence. Afterwards king begun to respect the monk evenmore and monk was offered the Gamvara again by the king.

This temple includes a Sathsathi Vihara Mandira which has two Buddha statues in sitting posture and an ancient Buddha statue in standing posture. All of these statues have similarities to the statues of Kandian era. And the paintings on walls of the Viharaya, which were painted with indigenous material, also resembles Kandian era.

Apart from Sathsathi vihara mandiraya there is another shrine room in the middle of the temple, which is called 'Maha Viharaya'. This shrine room also consists of several Buddha statues as well as two statues of God Katharagama and God Vishnu.

This is an ancient temple, which should be preserved and which must be seen by you despite religious differences.-Dilan Dharshana
රත්නපුර සිට ඇඹිලිපිටිය දෙසට ගමන් කරද්දී කොළඹගෙආර ප‍්‍රදේශයේදී කුඹුක් සෙවණට ඉහළින් හුදකලා කඳුවැටියක් අසල අපේ නෙත ගැටෙන සංඛපාල රජමහා විහාරය දිගු ඉතිහාසයක් ඇති අප යා යුතුම තැනකි. මෙය දුටුගැමුණු රජතුමාගේ දස මහ යෝධයන්ගෙන් කෙනෙකු වන පුස්සදේව යෝධයා විසින් සසුනට පරිත්‍යාග කළ මහා පිංකමක සාධකයකි. පසුව පුස්සදේව රහතන් වහන්සේ බවට පත් වූ පුස්සදේව යෝධයාගේ සොහොන ද ඒ අසලම තවමත් අපට දැකිය හැකිය. එමෙන්ම අනුරාධපුර යුගයේ සිට නුවර දයුගය දක්වා විශ්මය දනවන බොහෝ දෑ ද, ගල් ලෙන් ද, හක්ගෙඩි ගළ ද එහි යන්නවුන්ගේ නෙත් සිත් පිනවයි

Hulan Nuge -හුලන් නුගේ-ஹுலன் னுகே

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Hulan Nuge Tharulengala Raja Maha Viharaya is situated in Lahugala Divisional secretariat area in Ampara district in Southern province.The history of this temple extends beyond 2300 B.C. The Buddha statue depicting sleeping posture situated in this temple is the oldest Buddha statue in Sri Lanka(Pidurangala is the first Buddha statue). There are five Buddha statues in Eastern province. But this Buddha statue has a special significance. That is though all other statues are facing either northern or western direction the Tharulengala statue faces eastern direction.Thus when sun rises the light beams of the sun falls directly on the face of the Buddha statue. Apart from the statue it has been revealed that this temple consists of paintings from prehistoric era. Many rock caves are situated in Tharulengala temple. The longest cave (720 ft)in south Asia is among them. Other than these caves 3 pillars which has ancient letters have been found. In accordance with one of them this temple has been built by king Kavanthissa. -Dilan Dharshana-

හුලං නුගේඅම්පාර දිස්ති‍්‍රක්කයේ ලාහුගල මැතිවරණ කොට්ඨාසයේ ලාහුගල ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය අසබඩ පිහිටි මේ සුන්දර හුදකලා කඳුවැටිය ඓතිහාසික සහ පාරිසරික වැදගත්කම්වලින් අනූන තැනකි. දකුණු ආසියාවේ දිගම කටාරන් කෙටූ ගල් ලෙනත්, ශී‍්‍ර ලංකාවේ දෙවැනියට ඉපැරණිම පිළිම වහන්සේත් මෙහි ඇති සුවිශේෂිත්වයන්ය. හුලං නුගේ කඳුවැටිය මුදුනේ ඇති ආකාස ෙඓත්‍යය අසල සිට නැෙ`ගනහිර පළාතේ ඈත පොතුවිල් මුහුදු තීරයත් අනෙක් පසින් ඌව පළාතේ නමුනුකුල කඳුවැටියත් හතර වටේ ලාහුගල වනෝද්‍යානයේ සහ සුන්දර හුලං නුගේ කෙත් යායේ නෙත් පහසත් විදිමින් වරුවක් ගත කරන්න හුලං නුගේ යන්න. සිවුවරු මුල්ලේ ලොකු හාමුදුරුවන් ඔබව සතුටින් පිළිගන්න බලා සිටින බව නිසැකයි
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Maligathanna - මාලිගාතැන්න

Maligathanna - මාලිගාතැන්න

මන්නාරම

වර්ග කිලෝමීටර් 1505.4 ක වපසරියක් පුරා විසිරී පැතිරී ඇති මන්නාරම දපත

මාන්තෙයි, මාතොට, ය මහාතිත්ත, මාන්තොට, මහපුටු, මාවටුතොට ආදී විවිධ

ගම්වලින් හැදින්වූ බව ඉතිහාසයේ දැක්වෙයි. මන්නාරමේ ශුෂ්ක කාන්තාර

දේශගුණික තත්වයකට වඩාත් සමානතාවක් දක්වයි.

මන්නාරමට පැමිණිය හැකි ප‍්‍රධාන මාර්ග දෙකකි. එනම් අනුරාධපුරය, මැදවච්චිය

හරහා කිලෝමීටර් 80 ක් පැමිණ ගමන් කිරීමෙන් පසු ළගා විය හැකි පාර මාර්ගය

වන අතර අනෙක් මාර්ගය වන්නේ මෑතකදී විවෘත වුණු පුත්තලම එළුවන්කුලම

සිලාවතුර හරහා විල්පත්තු වනෝiානය මැදින් තනා ඇති නව මාවතයි.

From Mannar 02

මන්නාරම පිළිබද ඓතිහාසික පුරාවෘර්ථ

මාතොට පිළිබඳව ඉතිහාස පුරාවෘර්ථ සහ ජනකෘති රැුසක් පවතියි. විජයාව තරණය

සිදු වූයේ මා තොටින් බවට මන්නාරම වැසියන් තුළ විශ්වාසයක් පවතියි. එමෙන්ම

විජය රජුට කි‍්‍ර පූ 505-543 කාලේයදී ඉන්දියාවේ මදුරා දේශයෙන් අග බිසවක්

ගෙන්වා ගෙන ඇත්තේ ද මා තොට හරහා බවට ජනප‍්‍රවාදයෙන් පවතියි. (විල්පත්තු

අභයභූමිය කෙලවරක පිහිටි කුදිරමලේ නම් ස්ථානයෙන් පැමිණි බවට ද මතයක්

පවතියි.*

එමෙන්ම ඉලනාග රජු සතුරු ආක‍්‍රමන හේතුවෙන් කේරලයට පැන ගියේ ද මාතොටින්

බවට ද තවත් ජනප‍්‍රවාදයකි. මහා වංශයෙහි සඳහන් වන්නේ කකුසඳ බුදුන් සමයෙහි

මහා තිත්තයෙහි බෝධියක් රෝපනය කළ බවයි.

වෙන්කාලෙයි පාලම සහ කුරුලූ අභයභූමිය

මන්නාරම ¥පත යා කෙරෙන වෙන්කාලෙයි පාලම දැනට ලංකාව තුළ ඉදි කර ඇති දිගම

පාලමයි. මෙම පාලම දෙපස වර්ග හෙක්ටාර් 4828 වපසරියක් පුරා වෙන්කාලෙයි

–පලියන්තිව් සහ තිරිකේනිල්වර්ට් අතර මෙම වෙන්කාලෙයි කුරුලූ අභයභූමිය

පිහිටා ඇත. දේශාටනය කරන පක්ෂීන්ගේ රජ දහසක් ලෙස හඳුන්වා දිය හැකි මෙම

කුරුලූ අභයභූමිය තුළ දෙස් විදෙස් පක්ෂීන් වර්ග 200ක් පමණ දැක ගත හැකි වේ.

සියක්කාරය, කැබිලිත්තයා, රන්පත් තාරාවා, උල් පෙද තාරාවා, පෙද ක`ථ මත

බට්ටා ඒ අතර ප‍්‍රධාන වේ. ඊට අමතරව ඉතා දුර්ලභ සත්ත්ව ප‍්‍රභේද කිහිපයක්

ද වෙන්කාලෙයි අභයභූමිය නිජබිම කරගෙන සිටිති. ගැට කිඹුලන් මෙන්ම මුහුදු

ඌරන් ද මේ අතර වෙති. කඩොලාන ශාක සහ වැලි තීරයන් වෙන්කාලෙයි අභයභූමිය

පුරා පිහිටා ඇත.

From Mannar තිරුකේතීස්වරම් කෝවිල

ඊස්වර දෙවිදුන් මුල් කර ගනිමින් පිහිටුවා ඇති සුප‍්‍රසිද්ධ කෝවිල්

කිහිපයකි. එනම් හලාවත මුන්නේෂ්වරම්, ති‍්‍රකුණාමලයේ කෝනේෂ්වරම්,

ඉන්දියාවේ රාමේෂ්වරම් හා මන්නාරමේ තිරුකේතීස්වරම් වේ. මන්නාරම ්-32

මාර්ගය ආසන්නයේම මෙම කෝවිල පිහිටා තිබේ. රාවනාගේ මාමණ්ඩිය වන මායන්

විසින් මෙම කෝවිල ඉදි කළ බවට ජනප‍්‍රවාදයක් පවතියි. එමෙන්ම රාමා-රාවනා

යුද්ධයේදී, රාම කුමරුන් සීතාව රැුගෙන ඉන්දියාවට නැවත ගමන් කරද්දී මෙම

දෙවොළ මැද නමස්කාර කළ බවට ද ජනප‍්‍රවාදයෙහි දැක්වේ. විජය කුමරු සම`ග

ලංකාවට පැමිණි බ‍්‍රාශ්මනයෙකු මෙම දෙවොලේ පුද සත්කාර සඳහා නතර කර ගිය බවට

ද තවත් ජනප‍්‍රවාදයකි. මෙම තිරුකේතීෂ්වරම් කෝවිල ඊෂ්වර දෙවියන්ගේ මහා

හාස්කම් පවතින කෝවිල් අතර ප‍්‍රධාන තැනක් ගන්නා බව අදත් මන්නාරම වැසියන්

අතර විශ්වාසයක් පවතියි.

මන්නාරම බූරුවෝ

මන්නාරම් ¥පතට බූරුවන් රැුගෙන විත් ඇත්තේ සෝමාලියාවෙන්. ඒ භාණ්ඩ

ප‍්‍රවාහන කටයුතු පහසු කර ගැනීම සඳහායි. පසුව පුත්තලමට සහ කල්පිටිය

ප‍්‍රදේශ වලට ද මෙම බූරුවන් රැුගෙන ගොස් මන්නාරම ¥පත පුරාම අදටත් මෙම

බූරුවන් රංචු වශයෙන් දැක ගත හැකියි.

මන්නාරමේ කෘෂිකර්මය

මන්නාරමට වර්ෂාපතනය ලැබෙනුයේ වසරකට මාස දෙකක කාලයක් පමණි. දිවා කාලය

වඩාත් දිගු වේ. මෙම දේශගුණික තත්ත්වය වාඩත් යෝග්‍ය වන්නේ, වී වගාව

සඳහායි. මන්නාරමේ වගා කටුයතු සඳහා බහුල වශයෙන් යොදා ගැනෙනුයේ අහස්

ජලයයි. එමෙන්ම යෝධ වැවේ ජලයෙන් මන්නාරම ¥පතේ අක්කර 24,000 ක් පෝෂණය වේ.

රතු මිශ‍්‍ර ලැටරයිස් පසකින් යුක්ත මන්නාරම ¥පතෙහි පස ඉතා සාරවත් වන අතර

මෙහි අක්කරයකින් වී බුසල් 170කට ආසන්න අස්වැන්නක් ලැබෙන බව කෘෂිකර්ම

දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ සංඛ්‍යා දත්ත දක්වයි.

මන්නාරම කොටුව

මන්නාරම කොටුව පෘතුගීසීන් විසින් ඉදි කරන ලද්දකි. පෘතුගීසින්ට පසුව

කී‍්‍ර ව 1696 දී ලන්දේසීන් විසි්න මෙම මන්නාරම කොටුව පාලනය කර තිබේ.

1975 ඔක්තෝබර් 05 වැනිදා මන්නාරම කොටුව තම ආධිපත්‍යයට හසු කර ගන්නා

ඉංගී‍්‍රසීන් විසින්, එය වඩාත් සංවර්ධනය කරන ලදී. මන්නාරම් තොට එදා

ලංකාව ලෝකය හා යා කරන කුලූන තොටුපොළ ලෙස හැඳින්විය හැක. මන්නාරම කොටුව

හා තොට පිළිබඳව තොරතුරු යාපනයේ තාමන්හිල් ¥පතේ පිහිටි සෙල්ලිපියක ද

දැක්වේ. වර්තමානයේ මෙම කොටුව ශි‍්‍ර ලංකා පොලිස් දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ පාලනය

යටතේ පවති.

බයෝ බැස් ශාකය

බයෝ බැස් යනු මන්නාරම් ¥පත තුළ පිහිටි සුවිසල් වෘක්ෂයකි. මන්නාරමේ

පිහිටි විශාලතම බයෝ බැස් ගස හමුවෙනුයේ මන්නාරම් ¥පතට පිවිසීමට කිලෝමීටර්

02කට පමණ පෙරාතුවයි. බයෝ බැස් ගස භාණ්ඩ ප‍්‍රවාහනය සඳහා මෙරටට රැුගෙන ආ

ඔටුවන්ගේ පි‍්‍රයතම ආහාරයකි.

From Mannar 02

ඌරුමලේ වෙරළ තීරය

ඌරුමලේ යනු මන්නාරම් ¥පතේ පිහිටි ඉතා රමණීය වෙරළ තීරයකි. පැහැදිලි අහසක්

ඇති දිනෙක ඉන්දියාවේ රාමේෂ්වරම්හි පිහිටි ප‍්‍රදීපාගාරයෙහි ආලෝකය ඌරුමලේ

වෙරළ තීරයට ඉතා හොඳින් දිස්වේ. ලංකාවේ වෙරළ තීරයක සිට වෙනත් රටක් දැකගත

හැකි ලංකාවේ එකම වෙරළ තීරය ඌරුමලේ වෙරළ තීරයයි. එනම් මෙරට සිට ඉන්දියාවට

ළ`ගින්ම පිහිටි වෙරළ තීරය ඌරුමලේ වෙරළ තීරයයි.

රාම රාවනා කතා පුවතෙහි කියැවෙන හනුමන්තා මෙරටට පැමිණියේ යැයි

ජනප‍්‍රවාදයෙහි සඳහන්වන ආදම්ගේ පාලමේ වැලිකඳුද ඌරුමලේ මුහුදු තීරයේ අදටත්

දැක ගත හැකිවේ. මෙම වැලිකඳු සහිත මුහුදු තීරයේ විවිධ වර්ගවල මත්‍යසයින්

දැකිය හැකි අතර ඉතා සිත්ගන්නා සු`ථ කොරල් පර ද විශාල වශයෙන් පිහිටා ඇත.

වර්තමානයේ මෙම වෙරළ තීරය ශී‍්‍ර ලංකා නාවික හමුදාවේ ආරක්ෂාව

ටතෙහි පාලනයවේ.