Devinuwara Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya

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Devinuwara Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya
photo by : Don Chamantha

Devinuwara, the “City of Gods,” is a historic seaport at Sri Lanka’s southernmost tip. Once a glittering 13th-century pilgrimage hub, it houses the Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya, dedicated to the island’s divine guardian. The shrine is famous for the legendary red sandalwood image that drifted ashore during the reign of King Dappula.

The small coastal town of Devinuwara, meaning the “City of Gods,” lies about 6.5 kilometers (approximately 4 miles) southeast of Matara at the southernmost edge of Sri Lanka. In English it is commonly known as Dondra.

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Devinuwara reached the height of its splendor as both a bustling seaport and one of the island’s most celebrated centers of pilgrimage and worship. The town was famous for its magnificent temple, whose roof was covered with gilded copper plates that glittered in the sunlight and could be seen far out at sea, serving as a landmark for sailors crossing the vast Indian Ocean.

Numerous sculptured stone pillars that survive today testify to the grandeur of the shrines and temples that once stood overlooking the ocean until the latter half of the 16th century.

Legendary Origins

According to legend, Devinuwara was already a flourishing city during the era of King Ravana and is associated with episodes from the Indian epic Ramayana. The 15th-century poetic work Paravi Sandeshaya describes the deity worshipped at Devinuwara as a destroyer of Asura. Because of this description, some traditions identify this deity with Rama of the Ramayana.

Upulvan Deviyo as Guardian of the Island

The Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka, records how Upulvan Deviyo—identified with the Hindu god Vishnu—was appointed as the divine guardian of the island and protector of Buddhism at the time of the Buddha’s passing away. According to the chronicle, the Buddha instructed Sakka, the king of the gods, to safeguard Prince Vijaya and his followers who had arrived in Lanka from the land of Lala. In response, Sakka entrusted this duty to the lotus-hued deity Upulvan.

When the Guide of the World, having accomplished the salvation of the whole world and having reached the utmost stage of blissful rest, was lying on the bed of his nibbana; in the midst of the great assembly of gods, he, the great sage, the greatest of those who have speech, spoke to Sakka’ who stood there near him: `Vijaya, son of king Sihabahu, is come to Lanka from the country of Lala, together with seven hundred followers. In Lanka, O lord of gods, will my religion be established, therefore carefully protect him with his followers and Lanka.
When the lord of gods heard the words of the Buddha he from respect handed over the guardianship of Lanka to the god who is in colour like the lotus (Upulvan).

This passage established the belief that Upulvan Deviyo (later widely identified with Vishnu) serves as the divine protector of Sri Lanka and the Buddhist faith. In popular tradition, Vishnu is also believed to become a future Buddha after Natha, which explains the high status the deity enjoys among the gods worshipped by Sri Lankan Buddhists.

The History of Devinuwara Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya

Tradition states that the Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya at Devinuwara was founded in 790 CE (Pieris, 1913). According to the ancient text Parakumba Siritha, King Dappula once received a dream revelation that a red sandalwood log (kihiri kanda) containing the spirit of the deity Upulvan would float ashore at Sinhasana Beach in Devinuwara.

The following day the king traveled to the beach in a ceremonial procession and discovered an image of Upulvan (Vishnu) carved from a red sandalwood log that had drifted to the shore. The king carried the statue to Devinuwara in a grand procession. He also commissioned statues of Sandawatee, the consort of Upulvan, and Dhanurdhara, the son of the deity, and installed them for worship (Wanarathna Thero, 1994).

A popular piece of folklore adds that the kapurala (ritual custodian) of the Seenigama Devalaya in Hikkaduwa had dreamt the previous night that the sacred log would arrive at Seenigama. However, he overslept and failed to reach the shore in time, allowing the log to drift further along the coast until it reached Devinuwara instead (Wanarathna Thero, 1994).

Destruction and Restoration

In 1587, the sacred city suffered severe destruction when a Portuguese army led by Thome de Sonza attacked Devinuwara, looting its temples and destroying many of its sacred buildings. Later, King Rajasinghe II (1635–1687) of the Kandyan Kingdom succeeded in freeing the Matara region from foreign control and subsequently built a new devale at Devinuwara dedicated to the deity Vishnu.

Pilgrimage and the Esala Festival

Today the Devinuwara Vishnu Devalaya continues to attract devotees from across Sri Lanka throughout the year. Pilgrimage activity becomes especially intense during the Esala Poya period in July.

The origins of the annual Esala festival at Devinuwara are traditionally traced back to the reign of King Parakramabahu II (1236-1270 CE) of the Dambadeniya Kingdom, who is believed to have formally established the ritual celebrations that continue to be observed at the shrine.

Stone pillars of a ancient ling building towards the current Devinuwara Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya

Ancient stone cut gate frame with elegant intrinsic carvings at the Devinuwara Vishnu Devalaya

Also See

References

Pieris, P. E. (1913). Ceylon, the Portuguese Era : Being a History of the Island for the Period, 1505-1658 (Vol. 1). Colombo Apothecaries.
Wanarathna Thero, K. (1994). මාතර පුරා විද්‍යාත්මක ඉතිහාසය. Sri Rohana Sangha Sabha Center.

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