Heritage

Ruins of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa (පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන්)

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Ruined site 03 of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa - පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන් — Ruined site 03 of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa – පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන්
photo source : Ruins in Central Eastern Area of Sri Lanka

Amban Ganga is one of the major tributaries of the Mahaweli River. After feeding the enormous Parakrama Samudraya, it merges with the Mahaweli River at Dastota, located at the northern edge of Wasgamuwa National Park and the southern edge of Floodplains National Park. The delta formed by these two rivers shows many signs of past human habitation, even though it is now covered by jungle.

The main indication of this ancient civilization is the large Dastota Wewa, an ancient reservoir covering approximately 121 acres (491,000 square meters) in the delta. Twelve kilometres upstream from this juncture lies Kalinga Nuwara, the ruins of an ancient monastery situated on a 100-acre island in the middle of the Mahaweli River. Historian R.L. Brohier identified Dastota as “Sahassatittha” mentioned in the Mahawamsa (Brohier, 2000). According to the Mahavamsa, King Parakramabahu II (1236-1270) of the Dambadeniya Kingdom sent his son, Prince Vijayabahu (later King Vijayabahu IV), to rebuild the ruined cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Prince Vijayabahu had a second coronation ceremony at Sahassatittha (Ievers, 1899).

The delta created by the two rivers at Dastota is covered in thick jungle as it lies within the boundaries of a National Park. No research has been published on any ruins in the area around the Dastota Wewa, except for a single mention in a 1:50,000-inch map. However, a detailed report in Japanese, written by a Japanese archaeology team who visited the site in 2011, documents three ruined sites within the jungles of Dastota. The information below is based on this report:

Dastota Ruins Site 1

This site is located at latitude 7 degrees 51 minutes 54.8 seconds north and longitude 81 degrees 01 minutes 36.1 seconds east. The ruins are scattered across a 30 by 30-meter area within the jungles west of Dastota Wewa. The entire area is covered by a thin forest. Among these ruins, you can see a stupa, two buildings, and a single Buddha statue.

Ruined site 01 of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa - පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන් — Ruined site 01 of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa – පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන්
photo source : Ruins in Central Eastern Area of Sri Lanka

At this site, you can see the remains of a stupa, the remains of two buildings (stone pillars and tile fragments), and a single Buddha statue. The stupa, located on the east side, is about 6 meters in diameter. Unfortunately, treasure hunters have dug a large pit in the centre of the stupa. A large stone slab, possibly a flower altar, lies beside the stupa.

Approximately 12 meters northwest of the stupa, there are remnants of a building with only five stone pillars remaining, each about 60 cm in height (photo 3-1). Another set of ruins lies about 20 meters west of the stupa, where the shape and area of the building are unknown, but five stone pillars are still standing in good condition. These pillars, a little over 2 meters in height, have a circular medallion pattern decoration on top, suggesting that this building was likely an Upostagara and part of a monastery complex (photos 13-2 to 13-4).

Midway between the second building and the stupa, parts of a standing Buddha statue were found. Only the torso remains, and according to Takashi Okamura, the fractures on the surface appear recent, indicating that treasure hunters had broken the statue only recently and the head taken away.

Dastota Ruins Site 2

This site is located between the Dastota Reservoir and the Mahaweli Ganga, situated 700 meters away from the reservoir and 400 meters from the banks of the Mahaweli River. The GPS coordinates for the site are 7 degrees 51 minutes 15 seconds north latitude and 81 degrees 02 minutes 16.9 seconds east longitude.

Ruined site 02 of Dastota in the Jungles of Polonnaruwa - පොළොන්නරුව දාස්තොට බොදු නටබුන්

This archaeological site, located in the wilderness, features only a few remaining stone pillars. Many of these pillars are collapsed or buried, and at present, only about nine stone pillars are clearly visible in their original positions. The stone pillar on the north side rises approximately 40 cm above the ground surface, while the one on the south side stands about 90 cm tall.

Dastota Ruins Site 3

This site lies about 2 km east, downstream of the Mahaweli River, from the aforementioned Dastota Ruins Site 2. The GPS coordinates are 7 degrees 51 minutes 12 seconds north latitude and 81 degrees 03 minutes 00.8 seconds east longitude. You can reach this site from Dastota Ruins Site 2 by heading east through the wilderness, keeping within viewing distance of the left bank of the Mahaweli River.

The remains of a stupa with a diameter of about 13 meters lie approximately 100 meters from the left bank of the Mahaweli Ganga River. The stupa has been severely damaged by treasure hunters, making it difficult to identify at first glance. Despite the destruction, the circular shape and weathered soil of the bricks allow the stupa’s original form to be discerned. However, most of the bricks at the base and on the surface of the dome are broken, making it impossible to measure the stupa’s exact size.

References

Okamura, T., 2015. RUINS IN CENTRAL EASTERN AREA OF SRI LANKA — at the jungle of Amban Ganga Basin and the outskirts —. Tokyo: South Asian Ruins Exploration and Research Society (SARERS).
Brohier, R.L., 2000. Seeing ceylon 4th ed., Colombo 10: Sooriya Publishers.
Ievers, R.W., 1899. Chapter II. In Manual of the North-Central Province, ceylon. Colombo: G.J.A. Skeen, Govt. Printer.

Also See

Map of Dastota Ruins

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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

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Travel Directions to Dastota

The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

Route from Colombo to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Kandy to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through: Central Highway – Kurunegala – Dambulla Distance from Colombo: 230 km Travel Time: 4.45 hours Driving Directions: See on Google map	Through : Maradankadawala – Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google map
Route from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa Sacred City	Route from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through : Maradankadawala – Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: See on Google map	Through : Maradankadawala – Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time : 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google map

Route from Polonnaruwa to Dastota

Through : Manampitiya
Distance : 31 km
Travel time : 45 minutes
Driving directions : see on Google map

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Tissamaharama Tissa Wewa: The First Oblique Dam in the World (තිස්සමහාරාම තිස්ස වැව)
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