Portuguese Sculpture at Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya| AmazingLanka.com

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

Be the first to rate

Maha Saman Devalaya at Ratnapura dedicated to the deity Saman is considered only second to the shrine at the peak of Sri Pada mountain. The original Saman Devalaya was destroyed by the Portuguese invaders and the Ratnapura Fort and a church were built on the ground of Saman Devalaya around 1618-1620 by the Portuguese.

King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781) of the Kandyan Kingdom recaptured the Ratnapura, destroyed the church and the Portuguese Fort at Ratnapura and built a temple (Maha Saman Devalaya) on the site. It is believed that the current temple is the temple built by King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe.

At the entrance of the Devalaya building on the lower parapet wall lies a curious sculptured stone from the Portuguese era which portrays a Portuguese soldier with a brandished sword trampling a Sinhalese soldier.

This sculpture is not a new addition to the building. In 1820, Skeen describes this curious item;

Let into a deep niche in the basement of the raised quadrangle, a little to the north of the flight of steps leading from the outer courtyard is a mural stone of some historic value, and of singular interest from the strange and unexpected position in which it is found. On it, sculptured in bold relief, are two figures, about half the size of life. They represent the closing event of a mortal combat between a Portuguese, armed cap-a-pie, and a Sinhalese warrior. Conquered in the encounter, the latter has been stricken down; his sword and shield are cast despairingly aside; and his antagonist, trampling under foot his prostrate form, is now with one final blow about to deprive him of his life. The inscription below, partly in Roman, and partly in Sinhalese characters is so much effaced as to be only very partially readable; some portions of the figures are also damaged, seemingly from the action of the weather upon the stone. The whole is, however, most spiritedly executed, and enough of the inscription remains to show that the name of the Portuguese soldier was Gomez. The Sinhalese say, the prostrate warrior was their champion, one Kuriiwita Bandara, a dreaded enemy of the Portuguese, whose soldiers he had repeatedly cut off, and that some fifty had fallen by his hand ere he himself was slain. The sculpture was no doubt executed in Europe by royal or vice-regal command and sent hither to do honour to the soldier whose valorous deed it commemorated.

(Skeen, 1820)

However, Skeen had made some mistakes in the description. The inscription is not in partly in Roman, and partly in Sinhalese characters. There are no Sinhalese characters in the inscription. It is completely written in Portuguese. Also, the name of the Portuguese solder is not Gomez.

In 1899, a detailed study was published by Ferguson who had copied most of the inscription and translated. Only a few letters have been illegible.

Portuguese Mural and the inscription at Maha Saman Devalaya in Ratnapura

This inscription states;

With this [sword] I overcame this [man], it being 23 (?) years that I have been in India, and 15 (?) that I have served as captain ; and as soon as (?) the kings and the king of Jafanapatao, I, Simao Pinhao, conquered him.
(Ferguson, 1899)

The triumphant Portuguese solder’s name obviously is Simao Pinnao (Simao Pinhao). Unfortunately, the inscription is not dated and thus the fallen Sinhalese warrior is not easily identified. The reference to the king of Jaffna is also confusing.

Some believe that the defeated warrior is to be Ratnayake Muniyanse, the custodian of the gold stores of the Maha Saman Devalaya who demolished the church inside their fort and killed many Portuguese soldiers and some believe this to be warrior Kuruwita Rala (Gnanawimala, 1942). However, there is also a belief this to be Prince Hendara Manasingham, son of Ekarajasekaram (Periyapulle) who took control of the Jaffna sub-kingdom in 1570. However, it is not clear why the Portuguese decided to sculpt an incident related to Jaffna in Sabaragamuwa (Gnanawimala, 1967).

Kuruvita Rala (also spelt Kuruwita Rala, also known as Antonio Barreto and Kuruvita Bandara) was a Sri Lankan rebel leader and prince of Uva, who served as regent in the kingdom of Kandy. However, as Ferguson states, Simao Pinhao would have been dead when Kuruwita Rala was killed while lying on a bed sick and wounded in the mountain hamlet which he had fled after the defeat of the allies.

According to Ferguson Simao Pinnao (Simao Pinhao) was a Portuguese who was convicted of cutting up the face of a man with a sword. He was imprisoned for 5 years in Africa. He escaped from the prison and his father sent him to India to work as a sailor.

Here he was again convicted for stealing from a disabled ship near Bacaim Beach (in Vasi, India). It is believed he was banished to Sri Lanka after this incident. Here he served for Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo (1560-1625), governor of Portuguese Ceylon and Viceroy of Portuguese India. In 1601 he married a granddaughter of King Rajasinhe, Dona Maria Pereira, and managed to rise to the captain of the Portuguese army.

References

Skeen, W. (1820) Adam’s Peak : Legendary, Traditional and Historic Notices of the Samanata and Sripada. With a Descriptive Account of the Pilgrims’ Route From Colombo to the Sacred Foot Print. Colombo , Ceylon: W. L. H. Skeen Co.
Gnanawimala, K. (1942) සපරගමූවේ පැරණි ලියවිලි . Colombo, Sri Lanka: Kirielle J. M. Samarakoon Bandara.
Gnanawimala, K. (1967) සපරගමු දර්ශන. Ratnapura: Kirielle Gnanawimala (self-published).
Ferguson, D.W. (1899) ‘The Inscribed Mural Stone at the Maha Saman Déválé, Ratnapura’, The Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 16(50), pp. 84–114.

Also See

Map of Portuguese Sculpture and the Inscription at Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

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

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Portuguese Sculpture and the Inscription at Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya

Route 1 from Colombo to Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya	Route 2 from Colombo to Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya
Through : Kesbewa – Horana – Ratnapura Distance : 88 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google map	Through : Kaduwela – Avissawella – Ratnapura Distance : 100 km Travel time : 2.15 hours Driving directions : see on google map