Ratnapura Handagiriya Archaeological Site

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හඳගිරිය පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානය - රත්නපුර - Ratnapura Handagiriya Archaeological Site — Ratnapura Handagiriya Archaeological Site

Located in the Girimadola and Katupatoya valleys within the Sandagiriya Grama Seva Division of the Weligepola Divisional Secretariat in the Ratnapura District of the Sabaragamuwa Province, present-day Handagiriya is believed to be the ancient Chandana village (Sandungama) belonging to the Batthiya Janapada in the ancient Dakkhinagiri Mandala.

This Buddhist site, known by various names at different times—Girinuwara, Sandagirinuwara, Sandamahanuwara, Sandagamnuwara, Sadagananuwara, Chandana Grama, and Handagiriya—is emerging from beneath the sands of time.

The Buddhist ruins of Handagiriya, situated amidst a beautiful paddy field, are spread over an area of about 5 acres. Farmers who cultivate the fields say that building foundations, clay tools, stone, brick, and tile fragments emerge from the ground from time to time throughout the paddy field.

The ruins of Handagiriya were first documented by C. H. Collins, who served as the Sabaragamuwa Maha Disapathi. In his report “THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SABARAGAMUWA BINTENNA,” presented to the 31st volume (1932) of the Journal of the Sri Lanka Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. he mentions observing groups of stone pillars scattered over several square miles, a large circular platform on a high ground, the remains of a dilapidated dagoba, a Bodhi tree surrounded by a destroyed brick wall, and the ruins of five destroyed tanks covering 20-40 acres.

Collins concluded that the place names like Maligagodella and Murapolathura near Handagiriya, and the surrounding rock caves, reflect the characteristics of a populated metropolis around 200 BC.

In 1942, Panditha Kirielle Gnanawimala Thero also made a record of Handagiriya in his book “Sapragamuwe Perani Liyawili” (සපරගමුවේ පැරණි ලියවිලි). This record mentions several carved stone pillars, some ordinary stone pillars scattered in the fields of Bandagiriya, the ruins of a dilapidated stupa on a high ground in the middle of the field, and the ruins of several dilapidated irregation reserviors.

Information about an exploration of Handagiriya is recorded in the 1960-61 administrative report of the Archaeological Commissioner of the Department of Archeology of Sri Lanka. It mentions that the ruins include the remains of a 25-foot-high dagoba, a 25-foot square building with stone columns, a 37×17-foot building with stone columns, several other scattered stone carvings, and a Bodhi tree surrounded by an ancient brick wall.

A formal excavation was conducted here again in 2003. The stupa, which was 25 feet high in 1960, had been reduced to 11 feet. A pit about 15 feet deep had been dug in the middle of the stupa by treasure hunters. The 119 stone columns recorded by Ven. Wikiliye Narada Thero in 1992 had been reduced to 52. A stone pillar carved with a fan and a sickle, which had been broken in two, is currently placed in the archaeological department guard house.

Four main centers can be identified among the Handagiriya ruins:

The Stupa
The Image House
The Main Monastery and Remaining Cells
The Bodhi Tree and Bodhigara

The remains of the stupa are located at a place called Weheragodella. This dilapidated stupa has been targeted by treasure hunters. Therefore, it has become a pile of bricks. Its size may have been similar to the Thuparama Stupa in Anuradhapura.

Many of the buildings around the stupa have disappeared. The ruins of an image house can be identified about 60 meters northwest of the dagoba. About 50 yards east of the stupa, there appears to have been the main monastery and two 10×10-foot cells on either side of it.

About 150 yards southwest of the stupa are the Bodhi tree and the Bodhigara. It is widely believed that the Bodhi tree, planted in a Bodhi Malaka and Bodhigara on a stone platform, is one of the Ashta Phala Ruha Bodhis. The circular moonstone with a karnikā and seven fully bloomed and small lotus petals has been removed and used for offering flowers on the Bodhi platform. The entrance appears to have had two elephant trunk balustrades and four steps. The Bodhigara is octagonal in shape. There is evidence of a brick wall with a sandy courtyard around it.

There are many folk tales about Handagiriya among the villagers around. Once, a woman who offered alms to this Bodhi tree died, and a piece of cloth belonging to her was hung on the Bodhi tree for her merit. That night, an elephant broke a branch of the Bodhi tree with the cloth. The next day, the villagers who investigated found the elephant dead with the Bodhi branch on its head. This place on the Katupatoya is now known as “Ethinige Mankada.”

When you go down the footpath from the Kapugala Diyainna road, you will first come to an area called Maligagodella. Here are the remaining stone pillars of an image house. It appears that the roof was built on stone pillars located at the four corners of a 6-foot-6-inch high, 8×6-inch square cell measuring 10×10 feet. During the post-Anuradhapura period, this image house was enlarged to 31×26 feet. There is evidence that the initially small image house was converted into a multi-storied palace with twenty-four stone columns.

According to legend, it is believed that the Buddha’s Tooth Relic resided at this place. Venerable Ellawala Medhananda Thero believes that if this legend is true, then this place must have been the Dalada Madura built on sixteen pillars. He believes that this could be the place where King Mihindu V (982-1029) protected the Tooth Relic, which was not captured by the Cholas during the latter part of the Anuradhapura period, by building a Dalada Madura with twenty-four stone pillars, six pillars at each of the four corners, surrounding the original image house.

In front of the stupa and to the right of the image house, there is a monastery building with twenty-four pillars in four rows of six pillars each, measuring 20×30 feet. Only nine of the stone pillars remain. The number of fallen pillars is 6. It is evident from the remaining pillars that there were two 10×10-foot cells about twenty feet north and about twenty feet south of it. It is thought that this could be the remains of a Tampita image house belonging to the Kandyan era, with sixteen pillars, four at each corner, six inches high and 4.5 feet long and wide, with a ladder for climbing up.

හඳගිරිය පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානය - රත්නපුර - Ratnapura Handagiriya Archaeological Site හඳගිරිය පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානය - රත්නපුර - Ratnapura Handagiriya Archaeological Site

References

Binaragama, D. (2006). සබරගමුව පැරණි රජදහන (මද්‍ය වලව නිම්නය) මහ බින්තැන්න. S Godage & Brothers Private Ltd.
Collins, C. H. (1932). THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SABARAGAMUWA BINTENNA. The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 32(85), 158–184.
Godakumbure, C. (1962). 1960-61 මුදල් වර්ෂය සඳහා පුරාවිද්‍යා කොමසාරිස් තැනගේ පාලන වාර්තාව. Government of Ceylon.
Gnanawimala Thero, K. (1942). සපරගමුවේ පැරණි ලියවිලි. Ginalankara Press.

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Traveling Directions to Handagiriya Archaeological Site

From Balangoda to Handagiriya Archaeological Site

Via: Kaltota Road – Rajawaka
Total Distance: 23 km
Duration: 45 minutes
Time to spend: Approximately 30-45 minutes
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References

Map of Handagiriya Archaeological Site

Traveling Directions to Handagiriya Archaeological Site

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