Silumina Seya at Aralaganwila

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The Silumina Seya Archaeological Site, hidden in the Aralaganwila jungle, is home to the largest “Chatra Gala” (Stone Umbrella) discovered in Sri Lanka. This unique site features a preserved stupa renovated by King Akbo VIII (804-815 CE), surrounded by massive granite pillars that hint at a once-grand, sprawling monastic complex.

As you journey beyond Aralaganwila, you’ll encounter a gravel road that takes you to the Aralaganwila Reservoir. Before you reach the reservoir, you’ll find the Silumina Seya Archaeological Site nestled in the heart of this jungle. There are no visible signs leading to this site, so you’ll need to rely on a GPS map to guide you. If you miss the turn-off, you’ll end up at the scenic Aralaganwila Reservoir—a beautiful destination in its own right.

The main attraction of the site is the Silumina Seya stupa, which lies on an elevated square pedestal. The importance of this site in the middle of the jungle is that the largest Gal Chatraya also known as Chatra Gala or Gal Kude (Stone Umbrella) was recovered here. These were used as the pinnacle of the earliest stupas built in the country.

This large Chatra Gala can be seen today on the side of the preserved stupa. Near it is the granite pillar (Yupa Kanuwa) which held the Chatra Gala broken into 3 pieces. There are parts of 2 other Chatra Gal in the same area and parts of 2 more Yupa Kanu which supported these stone umbrellas.

Originally, this stupa had 4 umbrellas. There is a large stone seat and a stone altar divided into four sections. There are also stone slabs with a sacred footprint around the stupa (Wikramagamage, 2004). According to the archaeology board at the site, this stupa was renovated by King Akbo VIII (804-815 CE).

The Silumina Seya premises were probably a large monastery at its peak, considering the large amount of pillars found in the jungles surrounding the stupa. These pillars are much larger in size and height compared to pillars found in similar sites. The buildings, which would have been supported by these gigantic pillars, would have been quite large.

H.C.P Bell’s Report on the site in 1897

Writing to the The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register in 1918, Bell provides the following description of the site as per his visit in 1897 ;

September 9th – Start from Kuda Ulpata for Arala-gam-vila by way of Kosgaha Ulpata, bidding farewell to the historical Dimbula-gala. A hot march for the baggage coolies. The path runs, except for one small wooded patch, almost entirely over open country (daman, &c.), – Alakana-goda, Damane-Ulpata, halan-damana-gala, Yakun-elle-vela, Godat-mulle-vela and Millatte-vela— before Arala-gam-vila forest is entered. This extends (Arala-gam-vila tank excepted) uninterruptedly to the Madara-oya at Kohombalewa.
Arala-gam-vila is a breached palu-vewa (abandoned tank), covered by short grass and ikiri (thistle), with, near the ela (stream), some ramba grass. The path strikes the vila at a breach in the bund in which there is an ancient horowwa, or sluice, with silt-trap (bisokotuwa).
A stick-and-leaf hut had been put up on the bank of the ela near a pool by the Patabenda or Chief Headman of the Tamankaduwa Veddas and a few of his men from Kohombalewa, the nearest of the Vedda hamlets, 5 miles further South-East.
In the afternoon had a preliminary look at the Arala-gam-vila ruins, which adjoin the path onto Kohombalewa. There is a completely ruined dagaba, and trees have invaded the mound.
September 10th-2th — Spent in further examination of the dagaba and its adjunct ruins; and in visiting, under Vedda guidance, from Aralagam-vila some caves (without inscriptions) and a dagaba at another site.
A huge tree surmounts the Arala-gam-vila dagaba mound, still, some 20 ft. and upwards in height, which occupies the centre of a brick-revetted maluwa, or platform, 48ft. square.
Around the foot of the dagaba lie several stone slabs, of different shapes and sizes— oblong, square and circular—the most noticeable being a large 9ft. altar-slab on short supports (gal-enda “stone bed” so termed) to the north; a second slab, moulded, 8ft. 4in. by 5ft. 6in. (divided into four partitions separated by raised cruciform bands) on the west; and the circular top of what may possibly once have been the original massive stone chatra (6ft. 5in. in diameter) of the dagaba, subsequently utilised for a flower-offering slab upside down, so as to expose the central square mortice which took the shaft tenon.
Within the encircling prakaraya boundary of stones, 118ft, four-square, at the south-west corner stood formerly a building of twenty pillars; a long, low, helix-end balustrade half buried, marks its entrance on the east.
Just below the maluwa, to the south, is a ruin, whose purpose an “ablution-slab” shaped like a “Jews-harp” sufficiently explains to the initiated.
Still further south, once existed a structure (? the vihare) on twenty-four large scappled pillars ; and on the west are signs of other building sites, some with gal-wangedi (lit, “stone -rice-mortars”) the quaint term applied by the natives at this day to these mortised supports for tenons of wooden pillars.
All these point to the existence here in old days of a Monastery somewhat large and important.
Dagaba
This dagaba had manifestly been broken into
Removal of the loose debris from a tunnel sunk diagonally by despoilers long ago exposed a cella. This held a broken karanduwa (“relic casket”) of burnt clay, containing a large gold coin of Vijaya Bahu I. (A.D. 1065-1120) and some tiny flakes of gold leaf. Round this karanduwa, inside the “relic chamber’ besides a few clay saucer lamps, four terracotta Jamp-stands had been placed, with an iron rod at each corner to support the covering slab. These stands had fallen, and all but one were in pieces.
In shape, the cella was a hollow 2 ft. cube, constructed of brick and originally covered with a stone slab 6in. thick. Its sides were built vertically of seven courses of bricks, and a niche (arched by two bricks aslant, 10 in. by 8 in. to soffit}, was let into their middle.
The top of the chamber lay some ten feet below the mound’s present summit. Excavation carried down six or seven feet to granite-and-quarts rubble revealed no other cellas.

The largest Chatra Gala discovered in Sri Lanka at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

The main Yupa Kanuwa broken in to 3 pieces at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

Ruins at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

Part of the 2nd smaller chatra gala at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

Yupa Kanu belonging to smaller chatra gal at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

Part of the 3rd smaller chatra gala at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

A granite flower alter or and Asana at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

A sri pathul stone at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

At the base of the steps leading to the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

Massive granite pillars in the surrounding jungles at the Silumina Seya of Aralaganwila

References

Bell, H. C. P. (1918). Archaeological Research in the Egoda Pattuwa, Tamankaduwa. The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, III (part III), 193–215.
Wikramagamage, C., (2004). Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural, and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp 257-258.

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Travel Directions to Silumina Seya at Aralaganwila

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

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Through: Central Highway—Kurunegala—Dambulla Distance from Colombo: 230 km Travel Time: 5 hours Driving Directions: See on Google Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time: 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
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 Maps.	Through: Maradankadawala–Habarana Distance: 103 km Travel Time : 2 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.