Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya| AmazingLanka.com

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The current Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya was built by a Buddhist priest called Poholiyadde Thero and completed by Ven. Doratiyawe Thero. The stupa of the temple is attributed to Ven. Sri Attadassi Thero. The Buddha relics of the stupa is deposited in a golden casket, donated by his sister who lived in Bulankulama Walawwa at Anuradhapura, and includes a gem received from Ratnapura, along with Buddhist scriptures recorded on Gold and Silver plates. (Abeyawardhana, 2004)

It is also believed that this temple is built on the ruins of Devram Vehera, which was in existence during the Polonnaruwa Kingdom (1070 – 1236) . (Seneviratna, 1983)

It is recorded that the kings Sri Weera Parakrama Narendrasinghe (1707 – 1739) and Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe (1739 -1747) used Hanguranketha as the second capital of Kandy and had a palace built in this town.

But in 1808, this palace, which was then used by Sri Wickrama Rajasinhe (1798 – 1815), the last king of Sri Lanka, was burned to the ground by the British forces under Major Johnson.

Knox’s Description of Hanguranketha Royal Palace

This palace would have been grand based on the writings of Robert Knox (1681, pp. 34–35), who was a free-roaming prisoner of King Rajasinhe. Knox describes the palace as below ;

His Palace, Situation and Description of it : He keeps his Court at Digligy-nour (Diyathilaka Nuwara, now Hanguranketha), whither he fled in a Rebellion against him. His Palace stands adjoining to a great Hill, which was before mentioned; near unto that part of the Hill next abutting upon his Court none dares presume to set his foot: that being for his safeguard to fly unto in time of need.

The Palace is walled about with a Clay Wall, and Thatched, to prevent the Claye’s being melted by the Rains, which are great and violent: Within this Wall, it is all full of houses; most of which are low and thatched; but some are two Stories high, and tyled very handsomely, with open Galleries for Air, rayled about with turned Banisters, one Ebony, and one painted, but not much Prospect, standing between two Hills. And indeed the King lives there not so much for pleasure as security.

The Palace it self hath many large and stately Gates two leaved; these Gates, with their Posts excellently carved; the Iron work thereunto belonging, as Bolts and Locks, all rarely engraven. The Windows inlayd with Silver Plates and Ebony. On the top of the houses of his Palace and Treasury, stand Earthen Pots at each corner; which are for ornament; or which is a newer fashion, something made of Earth resembling Flowers and Branches. And no Houses besides, except Temples, may have these placed upon them.

The contrivance of his Palace is, as I may say, like Woodstock Bower, with many turnings and windings, and doors, he himself having ordered and contrived all these Buildings, and the manner of them.

At all the Doors and Passages stand Watches: and they who thus give attendance are not to pass without special Order from one place to another, but are to remain in that place or at that Gate, where the King hath appointed them. By means of these contrivances it is not easie to know in what part or place his Person is, neither doth he care they should.

Rise of Hanguranketha Pothgul Viharaya from the Rubble of the Royal Palace

From this fabulous palace, only the parts made of granite survived, and much of these parts were used in the construction of the Pothgul Viharaya, which was a massive library of historic Buddhist writings.

Today you can see the massive granite entrance, door frames, dragon carvings, moonstones, finely decorated pillars, steps and many other granite artefacts which has been used to build the Pothgul Viharaya which became the Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya since the temple was built with the material from the ‘Hanguranketha Maligawa‘ (Hanguranketha palace). It is also said that special copper tiles were imported from Spain to tile the roof.

Tamil Pillar Inscription

Tamil Inscription at Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

Regarding the Tamil script written in the South Indian Grantha script currently kept in the Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Viharaya, Wedderburn quotes an entry from the diary of Mr. Lamasheer, the Deputy District Attorney of Nuwara Eliya: (Dissanayake, 1997)

On the way from Hanguranketta to Bowala, I was shown a pillar, or a portion of a pillar, used as an edanda across a small ela (water stream), with an inscription in archaic characters and a representation of the sun and moon side by side. Some few hundred yards away, there is a Bo-tree, at the foot of which some treasure was found when Mr Mesurier was A G. A., Nuwara Eliya.

I have arranged to have the pillar, which is small (about 2′.6″ x 1’3″ x 9″), removed and set up inside the Hanguranketta Maligawa premises and shall try to get a “squeeze” of the inscription, so that its date may be ascertained. (Wedderburn, 1918)

This pillar consists of 9 lines on each side. Veluppillai (1972, pp. 88–89) has read this inscription and states that very little could be read from the inscription.

Transliteration

Side A

SRI SUDSA KATAJA
VARSA GO-KSA
DAHASSA-LATA
LILLAPADA SAMINI
CASALAYA ……..
- …… SA …… PRRA
DSA PA …… JHEPRHA
SPATI DDA MEDAVASA
VIJAYA SRI

Side B

VARATANAGARA
…… NESA
GARU U KETA
NA CA VEKODA
KHEHI SADASI
DA PANNA THANAGARA
HI TAVA E SEMA
SVARNNA HYAKAMA
…… MA ……

Vaursa in line 2 of side A means year. Lines 7-8 in Side A refer to Thursday. The first line in Side B may be the name of a town. Line 8 in Side B seems to refer to giving away gold. (Veluppillai. 1972, pp. 88–89)

Stone carved door frame of Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

Remains of the British occupation at Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

An ancient moonstone at Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

Ruins of The stupa of Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

The stupa of Hanguranketha Pothgul Maliga Rajamaha Viharaya

Rererences

Abeyawardhana, H. a. P. (2004). Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural, and historic sites. Kandurata Development Bank, in association with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Dissanayake, S. B. (1997). දියතිලක නුවර : පැරණි ස්මාරක හා ස්ථාන. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Knox, R. (1681). An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon, in the East-indies: Together, With an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers Other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author’s Miraculous Escape. Richard Chifwell.
Seneviratna, A. (1983). Kandy: an Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments With Historical, Archaeological and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Veluppillai, A. (1972). Ceylon Tamil inscriptions (1st ed., Vols. 2–2). Royal Printers.
Wedderburn, M. M. (1918). Extracts From Diaries of Government Agents : An Inscribed Pillar. The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, IV : 1918:1919(II), 111.

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