GIRIHANDU SEYA , THIRIYAYA

The first ever Buddhist Stupa in the world.

 

Girihandu Seya is an important place of historic importance situated in the District of Trincomalee in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated in the small hamlet called Thiriyaya. 

 

Girihandu Seya can be reached easily on the  Tinco - Pulmudai road (43 km). The place also can be reached from Padaviya. You have to proceed along the Padaviya-Pulmudai road (30 km ) and then turn right to Pulmudai -Trinco road (11km). 

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If you are making your first visit on the Trinco-Pulmudai road you are likely to get confused as you will notice several signboards bearing the name 'Girihandu Seya'. Do not turn to those by roads, move straight ahead till you cover the given distance. 

                                                                     the stupa

The story of Girihandu Seya:

Lord Buddha spent seven weeks for paying homage to the environment which helped him attain the supreme bliss of  enlightenment. This initial period is known as the 'sath-sathiya' by the ordinary Sinhalese Buddhist. 

At the end of this period ,on the 50th day, two brothers, seafaring merchants by profession, called Thapassue and Balluka arrived at the place where the Buddha was meditating. Pleased by the sight of the Gautama Buddha they offered alms to the Buddha. This is the first ever meal offered to the Buddha after enlightenment. Hence Thapassue and Balluka are known as the first lay disciples of the Buddha. The two brothers took refuge in Dhamma while the Sanga was not still established. 

The two brothers before leaving the Buddha asked for something to keep with them and venerate it in His absence. The Buddha offered them 'sacred keshdathu' (a lock of hair relics). They made a golden casket for the relics and took it with them on their voyages. The two brothers travelled far and wide on their business activities. 

Thus on one of their journeys they arrived Sri Lanka, too. They arrived with their cargo to a lesser known place called Galwaraya which is at present known as Kallarawa .  This journey turned out to be a significant historic one in later years. This was the occasion when the seeds of Buddhist culture first fell on the island of Sri Lanka.

The story goes that the two brothers had placed the sacred relic casket upon a rock with due respect and had left the place for their business activities. On their arrival they had found that the relic casket was embedded to the rock. The two brothers then had decided to build a pagoda enshrining the relic casket. Thus the first stupa adds to the annals of the Sri Lankan history. 

The Stupa was completed 75 days after the enlightenment of the Buddha. It is also stated that king Girikandisiva and king Agbo VI later on constructed the Watadagaya and the stone steps leading up to it (300 steps). 

Girihandu Seya gradually went into oblivion for several centuries due to various reasons, specially foreign invasions which took place from time to time. Restoration of the pagoda was done in the 1950s. 

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Tamil Elam Terrorist War

Thiriyaya and the many surrounding villages were under L.T.T.E terrorists until the area was liberated from their clutches by the Mahinda Rajapaksha government. The Tamil terrorists destroyed almost all the buildings of the temple and the monks were chased away. However, miraculously ,the stupa remained unharmed. The living quarters of the monks were completely demolished by the terrorists. 

Thiriyaya ruins bear witness to the engineering skills of ancient Sri Lankans. 

Sigiriya: The Citadel of King Kashyapa

 The Eighth Wonder

    (pic. by Sajendra- 30/10/2022) 
The Eighth Wonder of The World

Location:  

Sigiriya is situated in the Mathale District ( central province ), in close proximity to Dambulla, on the borders of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura districts. If you travel on the Trincomalee-Kurunegala express way from Kurunegala you have to turn right at Inamaluwa. Sigiriya is located only 10.1 km from there. (Inamaluwa-Sigiriya) 

Sigiriya can be reached on the  Digampathaha-Kimbissa (9 Km)  road ,too.  (close to Habarana, towards Kurunegala )

The Ancient Hasthikuchchi Ruins

The Hasthikuchchi Ruins
[ The Rajangana Ruins ] 
By Sajendra Kumara

A granite trap located in the vicinity of the Hasthikuchchi ruins. 

Location: 

The picturesque Hasthikuchchi ruins are located in the North Western Province on the Anuradhapura-Padeniya road close to Galgamuwa. 

The meaning  of the word Hasthikuchchi

It is a Pali word meaning 'Elephant Stomach'. It is also known as 'The Eth - Kus - Vehera'. 

Eth - elephant 

Kus - stomach 

The place has got the  name Hasthikuchchi apparently because of a large rock situated within the ruined temple complex. 

 

 The temple complex is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in the island.  The place is said to have been constructed by king Dewanampiyathissa (307-267 BC). 

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The Self-exile 

This magnificent Buddhist temple complex is associated with the story of the king Sirisangabo(251-253 AD). 

Gotabaya, a good friend of Sirisangabo , ousted the pious king Sirisangabo and captured power. The king went into self exile in the guise of a hermit.

When the king visited this place, the old monastery had been covered with the jungle.

Meanwhile, Gotabaya feared that the ex-king would return. So he launched a massive manhunt in every nook and corner of the kingdom. 

He went into the extent of setting a prize for Sirisangabo's head and killed every one who resembled the ex-king. The kingdom was gripped with a fear-psychosis. Sirisangabo not knowing anything happening in the city of Anuradhapura was engaged in meditation at the old monastery.

 It was in the meantime that a poor traveller passing this place had stopped for lunch. He had noticed the 'hermit' and had engaged in a chat. The traveller had told the king the untold sufferings the people of the city were going through because of Gotabaya's rivalry with the ex-king. The ex-king was touched to hear all this. The traveller, then, had shared his packet of meals with the hermit. 

After that Sirisangabo had revealed himself to the traveller and he was shocked. By then the ex-king had decided to put an end to all this suffering of his people by offering his head to the poor traveller to be taken to the king. The traveller had been forced to do it through persuasion and explanations. It is said that the king had reached a developed state of his mind through constant meditation. 

 The traveller, finally , in tears, had taken the pious king's head wrapped up in a bag having left the torso in the monastery complex. 

The famous pond on top of the rock:

The pond does not go dry even during the hardest dry season. The pond is 18 feet deep. 

An old stone bridge. 

 The calm and quiet surrounding of the monastery complex.

 The picturesque rock roofing the famous pond.

  This is another popular legend about King Siri Sangabo

👉 The Story of King Siri Sangabo:

The three friends Sangabodhi, Gotabhaya and Sangathissa came to Anuradhapura to serve the king. While they were passing Thisawewa, a blind wise man who was living nearby hearing their footsteps exclaimed, “The earth bears these three kings” and the last one Gotabhaya heard this and insisted, “pray tell me. Whose reign will last long ? ” The answer was ” The last one’s my lord” Having heard this Gotabhaya joined the others without revealing the friends anything.

Three of them proceeded to the city and served to the king Vijaya very closely. Later Sangathissa conspired and killed the king and crowned himself as the king. He ruled Anuradhapura for four years.

Sangathisa was fond of eating  Damba fruit and used to travel the eastern part of the island often with his troops and this was hazardous to the peasants there and they poisoned the fruit. The king Sangathissa died eating the poisoned fruit on the spot.

Then the Prince Sangabo was crowned as the king. He was known as a virtuous king and he was very kind to his subjects. When the criminals were captured he exiled them to a remote part and the dead bodies secretly brought from the cemeteries were burned in the guise of the criminals to show the people. Once a devil called Rakthakshi ( the one with red eyes) began to kill the people and the king overpowered him by his virtues and promised him to accept offerings from people instead of killing them.

Then the prince Gotabhaya conspired and entered the city with his troops in order to get the kingdom from king Sangabo who was once his friend. The king Sirisangabo didn’t want to shed blood of the troops from the both parties ,and left the city only with a piece of cloth to filter the water. Hereafter, the king lived a simple life in Attanagalla as a hermit meditating most of the time.

His friend prince Gotabaya began searching for the ex-king and killed a number of people suspecting it was the king. One day a passing by peasant offered the king a meal not knowing it was the king , and he revealed the king about the way the innocent people were killed mistaken as the king.

The king was worried and he was still more worried to hear about the bounty on his head. Because of the bounty price, people had began to kill people and bring the heads to the palace to get the money. Then the king revealed that he is the king Sirisangabo and asked to cut his head and to get the money. The peasant refused the and the king himself separated the head and offered it to the peasant.(Mahawamsa 58-97 verses)
This is the story behind the Attanagalla and the place where the king had lived and the pond he went for the water can still be seen. The place has later become a Buddhist temple and a lot of people visit it today.

     Attanagala Raja Maha Vihara 

 An old image house situated in the monastery complex.

Crowds of school children can be seen here every day.

Ridivihara , Ridigama රිදීවිහාරය

Ridivihara is an ancient  royal temple situated in the Kurunegala district. 

Kelebokka | කැලෑ බොක්ක| 360 View Point | Sri Lanka Travel

 A most picturesque place to visit in Sri Lanka. 

 Kelebokka | A bike ride to a most picturesque place in Mathale , Sri Lanka . 

If you love hiking do not miss this place. 

Location and details: 

Kelebokka is an estate belonging to the Sri Lanka State Plantation Cooperation. Kelebokka 360º viewpoint  is situated in the upper division of the estate bordering the Knuckles mountain range. The viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the surrounding. The place is situated 1350m above sea level. 

The village

There is just one small village where estate Tamil workers live between the entrance and the viewpoint. Currently, the village is almost deserted due to the immense hardships they have to face. A larger portion of the tea estate also seem to have been abandoned. The road is unattended. There is a large abandoned Kovil in a corner of the village. (Watch the video above) 

It takes about two hours to hike to the viewpoint. As there is no kiosk on the way, make sure to take your needs with you. 

The narrow path leading to the view point is not suitable for car drive. The video above tells you all about the path and the viewpoint. The effort you make to reach the viewpoint is a worthy one. It is a thrilling experience at the end of the day. 

With Knuckles in the background the whole visit paints an indelible picture. 

Yapahuwa

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Yapahuwa, the ephemeral citadel, is situated on the Anuradhpura - Padeniya road in close proximity to Mahawa. Those who travel to Anuradhapura on the Anuradhapura-Padeniya road can turn right at the Daladagama junction, pass the Mahawa Railway Station and reach the ancient citadel of  Yapahuwa.

Hulangala | Selagama | Mathale | Mini-World's End | Mathale

Hulangala | Wind Rock | Newgala Viewpoint in the Mathale district 

What is 'Hulangala'? 

Hulangala meaning 'Wind Rock' in English is one of the few better known precipices in Sri Lanka; the most popular one being the World's End located in Horton Plains in Nuwara Eliya. Madolsima Viewpoint in Welimada is another attractive place. Hulangala is also known as Newgala because of the shape of the rock there. 

Watch the video for more details of a hike to Hulangala. 

The blogger's rout

The blogger together with a few friends reached the View Point via Kurunegala, Ridigama and Yatawatta. The journey from Yatawatta to the Selagama tea estate where the Hulangala viewpoint is situated is motorable, a distance of around 9 km. 

Entrance

You have to buy a ticket at the entrance to Hulangala. The price of a ticket for a local tourist is Rs. 100. Also you can arrange for a jeep at the entrance for which they charge Rs.6000. However, motorcycles are allowed. 

Hiking is the best

Most tourists prefer hiking while enjoying the beauty of the environment. The hiking trail falls through the tea estate.  There are several improvised resting places erected for the hikers. The properly maintained tea estate provides a novel experience to the hiker specially from the low country.

The Viewpoint  

Once you reach the viewpoint , you are sure to be  bewitched by the the beauty of the unique aerial view of the vast mountain ranges. The bluish mountains tinged with patches of green is a pleasing sight which leaves an indelible memory. The view point is about 100 m long smooth rock.

The estate authorities provide facilities for camping too. 

WARNING!

There is no protective guard fence at the edge of the precipice, just a painted yellow line. As the wind is sometimes strong you have to take extra precautions for your own safety, especially , if you take your kids with you. 

More details of Hulangala available here