Heritage

Ambastala Dagaba (Sela Chethiya) and the Vatadage (අම්බස්තල දාගැබ)

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Ambastala Dagoba at Mihitale
Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 by Ajith

Upon ascending the 1,840 steps of the ancient Mihintale monastery, the first significant relic to appear on the upper terrace is the Ambastala Dagaba, also known as Sela Chethiya. This stupa is built by King Mahadatika Mahanaga who ruled from 9 to 21 CE (Mahanama et al., 1912, p. 243) on the very spot where Mahinda Thero, son of Emperor Ashoka, stood when King Devanampiyatissa first encountered him. (Parker, 1909, p. 320).

Sela Chethiya is one of the 16 main sacred sites (Solosmasthana) in Sri Lanka that Buddha is believed to have visited during his three trips to the island. According to the chronicles, this stupa was constructed to enshrine a relic of the Buddha’s hair, specifically the hair between the eyebrows, known as the Urna Roma.

On the grounds of Ambastala Dagoba, there are two notable stone statues. One is a life-sized Buddha statue that is missing its head and arms, while the other is a statue believed to represent King Devanampiyatissa, which is missing arms and head.

Statue of King Devanampiyatissa

The statue of King Devanampiyatissa is notably plain, with no ornaments on the chest or waist. The only clothing depicted is a simple cloth draped from the waist to the ankles. When Mr. Smither examined the statue in the 1880s, the head was still intact, and he described the head-dress as a plain, slightly elevated pear-shaped cap encircled by a jewelled band or diadem. The ears were adorned with pendant earrings, and the neck had a jewelled neckpiece. The base of the statue was carved to resemble an expanded lotus flower, similar in design to the one found at the Thuparama Dagaba. Additionally, three octagonal pillars surrounding the statue likely supported a canopy over it (Parker, 1909, pp. 320-321).

Watadage of Ambastala Stupa

The Mahavamsa records that King Kanittha Tissa (164–192 CE) constructed a temple for the stupa (Mahanama et al., 1912, p. 256), which is likely the vatadage that has been dated to the 2nd or 3rd century. This structure was possibly repaired by King Sirimeghavanna (Kithsiri Mevan, 303–311 CE). It is assumed that the stupa was destroyed during periods of Tamil domination in the 11th and 13th centuries, and subsequently restored, along with other significant dagobas, by the two Parakramabahu kings. Today this stupa has an intermediate shape between a bell shape and a heap of paddy shape. (Parker, 1909, p. 322)

Surrounding the Ambasthala Stupa are two rows of slender, tall stone pillars, each 12 feet high and octagonal in shape, closely resembling those around the Thuparama Dagoba in Anuradhapura. These pillars feature intricately carved capitals at the top, adorned with depictions of either lions or hansa birds marching to the left, or a row of dwarfs facing forward. Interestingly there are tenons on the top of the pillars and Parker (1909, p. 322) states that “whether the roof afterwards raised over the building rested on them or not, they appear to have been erected chiefly in order to carry the festoons of lamps that were hung from them at festivals“.

A detailed description of the overall “Stupaghara” or “Chethiyaghara” architecture including vatadages of Sri Lanka can be found here.

Ancient Stone Buddha statue at Ambastala Chaitya

Remains of King Davanampiyatissa statue made of stone at Ambastala Dagoba

References

Parker, H. (1909). Ancient Ceylon: An Account of the Aborigines and of Part of the Early Civilisation (1st ed.). Luzac & Co.
Mahanama, Geiger, W., & Bode, M. H. (1912). The Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Ceylon. Translated into English by Wilhelm Geiger. For the Pali Text Society by Henry Frowde.

Also See

Mihintale – The Cradle of Buddhism
Anuradhapura – The city of the God Kings
Solosmasthana – The Sixteen Buddhist Sacred Sites Hollowed by Buddha

Map of the Ambastala Dagaba and the Vatadage

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Driving Directions to Ambastala Dagaba and the Vatadage

Mihintale can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and through Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttalam, you will pass the scenic Wilpattu area. From Kurunegala, there are two main routes to Mihintale. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is through Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the most commonly used is the Kurunegala–Dambulla route (Route 2).

Route 01 from Colombo to Mihintale (A3)	Route 02 from Colombo to Mihintale
Through : Central Expressway – Badagamuwa – Dambulla Distance: 223 km Travel Time: 4.45 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance: 227 km Travel Time: 5.15 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
Route from Kandy to Mihintale	Route from Anuradhapura to Mihintale
Through: Distance: 136 km Travel Time: 3,30 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: A12 Distance: 14 km Travel Time: 25 mins Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

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