Kossinna Yatawatta Raja Maha Viharaya

Kossinna Yatawatta Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: කොස්සින්න යටවත්ත රජ මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple located in the village of Kossinna in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.

History

During the reign of King Parakramabahu VIII (1490-1509 A.D.), many Buddhist temples were built around the country. Jayapala Deva Pathiraja, one of the ministers of the king also engaged in establishing Buddhist temples in several places on the island. The Kossinna Raja Maha Viharaya in Gampaha District is believed to be one such temple established by Jayapala Deva Pathiraja (Chandananda Thera, 2009). 

"Kossinna" is the village where the present temple is situated. The name, Kossinna is thought to have evolved from "Koswinna" meaning a grove of Jack trees (Gunasekara, 1887). According to popular beliefs, Jayapala Deva Pathiraja had removed a Madel forest that existed in the present temple area and grew a grove of Jack trees there (Chandananda Thera, 2009). He constructed a complete Buddhist temple (present Kossinna Viharaya) at a high ground within this grove and invited King Parakramabahu VIII to bestow it to Buddhist monks. The king who came for the bestowal ceremony ("Vihara Puja") planted a Bodhi tree at the place where the present Kudumirissa Viharaya stands (Chandananda Thera, 2009) and established a rock inscription at the same site to declare a royal decree.

Image house

The image house of the Kossinna temple is archaeologically important. It is about 27.3 ft long, and 14.8 ft wide and has been built on an elevated rectangular-shaped platform (Lakmali et al., 2017). 

A seated Buddha statue accompanied by two figures of Sariputta (left) and Moggallana (right), the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha, are found inside the image house. Two standing statues of Buddha are also found facing each other on both left and right walls (Lakmali et al., 2017). The inner walls of the shrine contain no empty spaces and are filled with paintings of various decorative motifs. A "Makara Thorana"(a dragon arch) with the images of deities and doorkeepers adorn the front of the entrance wall. The outer walls, except the entrance wall, are not decorated with any sculptures or murals. The existing paintings and sculptures, according to their artistic features, belong to the Kandyan Period (Lakmali et al., 2017).

A protected site

The ancient image house, Devalaya and the Stupa located on the premises of Kossinna Raja Maha Vihara in the Grama Niladari Division of Kossinna in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Gampaha are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

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See also

#) Kossinna Ambalama

References

1) Chandananda Thera, R., 2009. Siyanepuren Siyaratata Abhimanayak Vu Yatawathu Vehera Ha Kossini Sanga Parapura (In Sinhala). Abhisthava. pp.XLIII-LI.
2) Gunasekara, M. B., 1887. Three Sinhalese Inscriptions: Text, transliteration, translation and notes#Inscription at Kudumirisa. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol. X. No. 34. pp. 95-102.
3) Lakmali, A.S., Priyamali, A.S., Madhushani, E.P. and Chandrasiri, T.M.J., 2017. කොස්සින්න යටවත්ත රජමහ විහාරයෙහි ඇති ඉපැරණි විහාර මන්දිරය පිළිබඳව විමර්ශනයක්. 2nd Undergraduates' Research Conference 2017 (URACT). p.13.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.

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A short note for local school students

කොස්සින්න විහාරය

කොස්සින්න රජ මහා විහාරය යනු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ගම්පහ දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ කොස්සින්න ග්‍රාමයේ පිහිටි බෞද්ධ සිද්ධස්ථානයකි.

ඉතිහාසය

8වන පරාක්‍රමබාහු රාජ්‍ය සමයේදී (ක්‍රි.ව. 1490-1509) රටපුරා විහාරස්ථාන රැසක් ඉදිවිය. රජුගේ අමාත්‍යවරයෙකු වූ ජයපාල දේව පතිරාජ ද රටෙහි සමහර ස්ථානයන්හී විහාර ඉදිකිරීමෙහි යෙදුනු අතර ගම්පහ පිහිටි කොස්සින්න විහාරයද ඔහු විසින් ඉදිකරන්නට යෙදුණු විහාරයක් සේ සැළකෙයි.

කොස්සින්න යනු වර්තමානයේ විහාරය පිහිටි ග්‍රාමය හඳුන්වන නාමය වේ. මෙම නාමය කොස් වනය යන අරුත් දෙන කොස්වින්න යන නාමයෙන් ව්‍යුත්පන්න වන්නට ඇතැයි විශ්වාස කෙරේ. වඩාත් ප්‍රචලිත විශ්වාසයට අනූව ජයපාල දේව පතිරාජ විසින් වත්මන් විහාරය පිහිටි ප්‍රදේශයේ වූ මාදෙල් වනයක් ඉවත් කොට කොස් ගොමුවක් වැවූ බව කියවේ. ඔහු විසින් මෙහි උස්වූ භූමියක සම්පූර්ණ විහාරයක් (වත්මන් කොස්සින්න විහාරය) කරවා එය සඟ සතු කරවීමට 8වන පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජුට ආරාධනා කොට තිබේ. විහාර පූජාවට පැමිණි රජු වත්මන් කුඩුමිරිස්ස විහාරය ඉදිකර ඇති ස්ථානයේ බෝධි වෘක්ෂයක් රෝපණය කරවා එහිම රාජකීය ආඥාවක් සහිත ශිලා ලේඛනයක් පිහිටුවන ලදී.

ප්‍රතිමා ගෘහය

කොස්සින්න විහාරයෙහි ප්‍රතිමා ගෘහය පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක වටිනාකමින් යුක්ත වේ. අඩි 27.3ක දිගකින් හා අඩි 14.8ක පළලින් යුතු මෙම ප්‍රතිමා ගෘහය උස් සෘජුකෝණාස්‍රාකාර හැඩැති වේදිකාවක් මත ගොඩනංවා ඇත.

ප්‍රතිමා ගෘහය තුල සැරියුත් (වම) හා මුගලන් (දකුණ) පිළිරූ දෙකකින් පරිවාර වූ හිඳි බුද්ධ ප්‍රතිමාවක් වේ. එකිනෙකා දෙස බලා හිඳින හිටි බුද්ධ ප්‍රතිමා දෙකක් දකුණු පස හා වම් පස බිත්ති මත දැකගත හැක. ගෘහයෙහි ඇතුල් බිත්ති විවිධ සිතුවම් හා මොස්තර වලින් පුරවා තිබෙන අතර ඇතුළුවන බිත්තියෙහි ඉදිරිපස මුහුණත දොරටුපාල රූප හා දේව රූප වලින් සමන්විත මකර තොරණකින් සරසා ඇත. වත්මන් සිතුවම් හා මූර්ති මහනුවර සම්ප්‍රදායෙහි කලා ලක්ෂණ වලින් සමන්විත වේ.

පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්මාරක ස්ථානය

ගම්පහ ප්‍රාදේශීය ලේකම් කොට්ඨාශයට අයත් කොස්සින්න විහාර භූමියෙහි පිහිටි පුරාණ ප්‍රතිමා ගෘහය, දේවාලය, සහ ස්තූපය 2002 නොවැම්බර් 22වන දින ප්‍රකාශයට පත් රජයේ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් ආරක්ෂිත පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්මාරක ලෙස නම් කොට ඇත.

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Archaeological Ruins at Kotte Ananda Sastralaya

The ruins of several underground structures (probably the ruins of an underground residence of a  Buddhist monastery) made of "Kabok" (laterite) have been unearthed from the school premises of Ananda Sastralaya in Pita Kotte village in Colombo District, Sri Lanka (Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). Without certain identification, these ruins are popularly called by the locals as an ancient tunnel complex belonging to the Kingdom of Kotte (1412-1597 A.D.).

History

Folklore says that Prince Veediya Bandara who had been held inside the fort of Colombo by the Portuguese was rescued by his wife by having a tunnel dug underneath the walls of the fort (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The tunnel entrance, according to folklore, was somewhere in Kotte and the rest was extending towards the Colombo Fort and Borella Cemetery (Manathunga, 2016; Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016). The ruined structure with a door-shaped cavity exposed within the premises of Kotte Ananda Sastralaya is believed by the locals as the tunnel entrance that is mentioned in the folklore (Rajapakshe et al., 2018; Welandawe & Weerasinghe, 2016).

However, an excavation which was carried out at the premises by the Archaeological Department in 2014, revealed no single evidence of a tunnel but the ruins of a small Stupa and a chamber built of laterite rock (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). Also, a fragment of plaque with the carvings of miniature Buddha figures has been recovered from the site and that artefact is presently on the display at the Archaeological Museum of Kotte.

Ruins

The site contains two large structures, viz; a Stupa and a tall rectangular chamber. They have been built by digging the living laterite rock and hence located about 3 m below the ground level (Rajapakshe et al., 2018). The rectangular chamber, according to the local beliefs is the tunnel entrance/exit but its true identity is yet to be found. A portico is extending outwards from this rectangular chamber and its front face has been decorated with a "Makara Thorana" (a dragon arch). The floor of the ruins can be reached through a flight of steps starting from the ground level. The steps have also been cut out of living laterite rock and end with a shape similar to a Sandakada Pahana [(a moonstone) Rajapakshe et al., 2018]. 

A protected site

The ancient ruins (the gazette mentions them as the ruins of an ancient tunnel) located in the school premises of Ananda Sastralaya in the Grama Niladari Division of Pitakotte (No. 522 B) in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 27 June 1952.

Attribution

1) A Tunnel Which Supposedly Led To Colombo Fort by Indi Samarajiva is licensed under CC BY 2.0

References

1) Manathunga, S. B., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-39-9. pp.86-87.
2) Rajapakshe, S.; Bandara, T. M. C.; Vanninayake, R. M. B. T. A. B. (Editors), 2018. Puravidya Sthana Namavaliya: Kolamba Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Vol. I. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-19-2. p.4.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 10418. 27 June 1952.

4) Welandawe, H., Weerasinghe, J., 2016. Urban Heritage in the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. p.116.  

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Demalamaha Seya

Demalamaha Seya (also known as Damila Thupa) is a gigantic brick-built Stupa situated in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

History

Demalamaha Seya, according to the description in Mahawamsa, was a Stupa with a size of approximately 1300 cubits (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018). It is believed that this Stupa was built by King Parakramabahu I (1153–1186 A.D.) in the 12th century with a workforce of Cola labourers who were brought from South India as prisoners (Abeynayake et al., 1993; Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018; Prematileke, 1990).

According to scholars, this Stupa built by King Parakramabahu I was intended to surpass all other monuments of the type in the country (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018; Ray, 1960). However, due to some reason, the king has not completed the dome of Stupa and stopped its construction at a height of about 50 feet from the ground, forming an extensive circular plateau at the top (Ray, 1960). In the middle of that plateau, a smaller Stupa with a square-shaped platform has been built.

Carbon dating
A sample of charcoal that was collected from the Stupa platform during the excavations done between 2014-2017, was tested by the authorities for finding its radiocarbon date and it had yielded the date as 1155 A.D. (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018).

Stupa

The present Stupa covers an area of about 4 acres and it has a perimeter of about 700 m and a height of about 20 m (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018). It resembles architectural similarities to the Suthighara Stupa at Dedigama (Parakramabahu's birthplace) as well as to the Yudaganawa Stupa (considered to be the place of Parakramabahu's mother's cremation) at Buttala (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018).

According to the opinion of scholars, this Stupa has been built by enveloping a large existing quartzite rock (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018; Jayasuriya, 2016; Prematileke, 1990).

Excavation and conservation attempts

The Stupa which was remained like a small hill covered with vegetation for a long period was started to investigate several times by the authorities. It was first investigated in 1930 by A.H. Longhurst of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018). In March 1983, the excavation and reconstruction of the Stupa were commenced through the UNESCO-Sri Lanka Project of the Cultural Triangle (Abeynayake et al., 1993). After that, more excavations and investigations were done under the direction of the Central Cultural Fund (CCF) during the period between 1983 - 1998 (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018).

The excavation works of the Stupa were again started on 23 March 2014 by the CCF (Gunawardhana & Perera, 2018)

A protected monument

The Demala Maha Seya located in the Sri Nissankamallapura village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Thamankaduwa is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 4 June 2004.

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References

1) Abeynayake, K., de Fonseka, R.N., Abeyratne, V. and Sandhya, R., 1993. A Survey of the Vegetation of Damila Mahasǟya in Polonnaruwa. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, 38, pp.127-140.

2) Gunawardhana, P.; Perera, N., 2018. Excavations of Demalamahaseya, Polonnaruwa: 2014-2017. Buddha Rashmi Vesak Volume. Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Education. pp.1-7.

3) Jayasuriya, E., 2016. A guide to the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. Central Cultural Fund. ISBN: 978-955-613-312-7. p.86.
4) Prematilleke, L., 1990. The architecture of the Polonnaruwa Period B.C. 800 - 1200 A.D. [Wijesekara, N. (Editor in chief)]. Archaeological Department centenary (1890-1990): Commemorative series: Volume III: Architecture. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). p.47.
5) Ray, H. C. (Editor in Chief), 1960. University of Ceylon: History of Ceylon (Vol I, part II). Ceylon University Press. pp.594-595.
6) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1344. 4 June 2004. p.15.

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This page was last updated on 5 March 2022
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St. Andrew's Church, Haputale

St. Andrew's Church is an old Church situated in Haputale in Badulla District, Sri Lanka.

History

The history of St. Andrew's Church runs back to the 19th century. The British people who migrated to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) as planters during the period of British Ceylon (1815-1948 A.D.) found their settlements at several places in the country such as Haputale, Bandarawela, Nuwara Eliya, etc. (Wijesundara, 2019). Most of these settlers were Catholic devotees and therefore, churches were built near to their settlements as the places of religious activities. The St. Andrew's Church in Haputale is one such church built on 19 September 1869 (Wijesundara, 2019).

A protected site

The St. Andrew's Church situated in the village of Kadurugamuwa in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Haputale is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002

Attribution

1) Church, Sri Lanka - panoramio by Gonzo Gooner is licensed under CC BY 3.0

References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
2) Wijesundara, R., 2019. Nilla pirunu kandu getaye deviyange nivahana (In Sinhala). Dayada newsletter. Vol.13. July 2019. Department of Archaeology. p.19.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 11 May 2020
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

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Devon Ella Falls

Devon Ella Falls is a waterfall cascading in Talawakele village in Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. A view point of this waterfall is located the Hatton-Nuwara Eliya road (A7) about 6 km distance from Talawakele town.

The waterfall is 95.4 m high and occurs 1169.23 meters above the mean sea level (Abeywardhana, 2004). Cascading in 3 segments, the waters of this fall finally enter into Kotmale Oya, a tributary of Mahaweli Ganga river (Abeywardhana, 2004).

Attribution

1) DevonFalls-Srilanka-May2015 (1) by Rehman is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

References

1) Abeywardhana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka.  p.223.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 14 February 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

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Kanniya Hot Springs and Archaeological Ruins

Kanniya Thermal Springs or Kanniya hot water wells (Sinhala: කන්නියා උණුදිය ලිං; Tamil: கன்னியா வெந்நீரூற்று) are located in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka.

Hot water springs

Commonly, thermal springs in the world are associated with volcanic terrain but the hot springs located in Sri Lanka are said to be not related to volcanic activities as the island is not in an active volcanic or tectonic region (Premasiri et al., 2006). Therefore, the waters can get heat either from subsurface heat sources such as large bodies of hot rocks or through deep percolation under the geochemical gradient of the earth (Adikaram & Dharmagunawardhane, 2013). If these waters find weak structural discontinuities leading upward they rise to the surface and emerge as naturally discharging hot water springs.

Kanniya springs

The Kanniya hot springs are located close to the boundary between Highland-Vijayan lithologic complexes (Premasiri et al., 2006). This boundary is a sub-horizontal ductile thrust zone where a number of geologic features are identified. They include major mineralization occurrences such as magnetite, serpentinite, gold, corundum and calcite as well as formations of hot water springs (Widanagamage, 2011). Seven outflowing hot water wells, each with varying temperatures, are situated close to each other at the site. The average temperature of Kanniya springs is said to be 42 °C (Premasiri et al., 2006).

Archaeological significance

The Kanniya hot water wells are situated on the premises of an ancient Buddhist monastery complex that functioned during the Anuradhapura Period. Structural ruins of an ancient Stupa and an image house which are belonging to the 2-3 centuries A.D. have been found at the site (Jayasinghe, 2019). Also, many Buddhist ruins including "Siri Pathul Gal" (Buddha's footprints), "Yupa Gal", broken images and pottery pieces have been discovered by exploratory excavations done at the site (Jayasinghe, 2019)

Kanniya hot water spring fragmentary inscription

A broken slab containing a later-Brahmi inscription was found by archaeologists from the Kanniya hot water wells premises.

Period: 2-3 centuries A.D.
Scripts: Later Brahmi                                       Language: Old Sinhala
Transcript: "(1)...Maharaja Kujaviya...(2)...Marudaviya ha Bojiya(pathi)...(3)...Bojiyapathi ha cha pala...(4)...????...(5)...Me Ethaka Thanahi...(6)...Sagahaya Dini"
Content: The water tax received from near by tanks (such as) Kuruviya, Marudaviya, Palaweva was given to Sangha (Buddhist monks) by the king (the name is not in the preserved portion).
Reference: Jayasinghe, 2019.

A protected site

Seven hot water wells located in the vicinity of Chaithya mound and other building ruins in Kanniya village situated in the Grama Niladhari Division No. 243/P, Kanniya in the Kadawath Sathara Divisional Secretary’s Division are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 9 September 2011.  

Controversy

The Kanniya hot water wells site, according to local Hindus, is a sacred Saiva site and its history is connected with King Ravana, a mythical figure found in the Indian epic Ramayana. However, the identification of this site as a Buddhist monastery complex by the Archaeological Department triggered a religious tension between the local Hindu and Buddhist devotees.

Attribution

1) Sri Lankan Hot Bath by Annette 777 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

References

1) Adikaram, A.M.N.M., Dharmagunawardhane, H.A., 2013. Diurnal temperature variations in thermal water springs: A case study at Mahaoya thermal spring cluster, Sri Lanka.
2) Jayasinghe, P., 2019. Kanniya unuwathura lin parishraye puravidyathmaka smaraka sanrakshanayata piyawara gene (In Sinhala). Dayada newsletter. Vol.13. July 2019. Department of Archaeology.  p.2.
3) Premasiri, H.M.R., Wijeyesekera, D.S., Weerawarnakula, S. and Puswewala, U.G.A., 2006. Formation of Hot Water Springs in Sri Lanka. Engineer: Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka. p.7.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1723. 9 September 2011. p.683.
5) Widanagamage, I.H., 2011. EMPA dating of monazite from high grade metamorphic rocks along the Highland-Vijayan boundary zone, Sri Lanka. MSc thesis, Kent State University. pp.17-18

Location Map

This page was last updated on 16 April 2023

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Sri Parakramabahu Raja Maha Viharaya

Sri Parakramabahu Raja Maha Viharaya, also known as Kudumirissa Viharaya or Amunugoda Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජමහා විහාරය, කුඩුමිරිස්ස විහාරය, අමුණුගොඩ රජ මහා විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple located in the village of Amunugoda in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.

History

During the reign of King Parakramabahu VIII (1490-1509 A.D.), many Buddhist temples were built around the country. Jayapala Deva Pathiraja, one of the ministers of the king also engaged in establishing Buddhist temples in several places on the island. The Kossinna Raja Maha Viharaya in Gampaha District is believed to be one such temple established by Jayapala Deva Pathiraja (Chandananda Thera, 2009). 

"Kossinna" is a nearby village of the present Kudumirissa temple. The name, Kossinna is thought to have evolved from "Koswinna" meaning a grove of Jack trees (Gunasekara, 1887). According to popular beliefs, Jayapala Deva Pathiraja had removed a Madel forest that existed in the present temple area and grew a grove of Jack trees there (Chandananda Thera, 2009). He constructed a complete Buddhist temple (present Kossinna Viharaya) at a high ground within this grove and invited King Parakramabahu VIII to bestow it to Buddhist monks. The king who came for the bestowal ceremony ("Vihara Puja") planted a Bodhi tree at the place where the present Kudumirissa Viharaya stands (Chandananda Thera, 2009) and established a rock inscription at the same site to declare a royal decree.

Kudumirissa Inscription of Vira Parakramabahu VIII

The inscription which contains 42 lines has been inscribed on a natural rock that lies near the temple image house. It records the confirmation by Siri Sangabo Sri Parakramabahu of Kotte of an endowment of certain lands granted by his royal father for the benefit of certain Brahmins (Gunasekara, 1887).

Kudumirissa Inscription

Reign: Parakramabahu VIII (1490–1509 A.D.)

Language: Modern Sinhala

Script: Modern Sinhala

Transcript: Sri Lankadhipath Parakrama- -bhujassuryanvayalankratirya cheham bhavato wachassrinuta mebhumiswara bhavinah......>>

Translation: I, Parakrama Bahu, supreme lord of the illustrious Lanka, the ornament of the Solar race, make my request to you, princes, who will......>>

Reference: Rohanadeera, 2007

Near this inscription is another epigraph written with modern Sinhala scripts. It records a grant made to the temple by a lady devotee named "Kapu Upasaka Amma".

Transcript: "Me Viharayata Kapu Upasaka Amma Ru. 40k Dunna"
Translation: Rs. 40 was given to this temple by Kapu Upaska Amma

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References

1) Chandananda Thera, R., 2009. Siyanepuren Siyaratata Abhimanayak Vu Yatawathu Vehera Ha Kossini Sanga Parapura (In Sinhala). Abhisthava. pp.XLIII-LI.
2) Gunasekara, M. B., 1887. Three Sinhalese Inscriptions: Text, transliteration, translation and notes#Inscription at Kudumirisa. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Vol. X. No. 34. pp. 95-102.
3) Rohanadeera, M., 2007. Archaeological Survey of Ceylon: Inscriptions of Ceylon. Vol. VIII. Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 978-955-91-59-64-3. pp.79-88.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 7 September 2022

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Nelum Pokuna, Polonnaruwa

The Nelum Pokuna (lit: the Lotus Pond/Lotus Bath) is an old pond situated in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

History

This pond is referred to in chronicles by the name "Paduma-nahana-kotthaka" and is located within the Jetavanarama monastery premises built by King Parakramabahu I [(1153-1186 A.D.) Nicholas, 1963; Ray, 1960; Wikramagamage, 2004]. The chronicle Mahawamsa states that King Parakramabahu built eight ponds of stone to "cleanse the outward impurity of the monks" (Jayasuriya, 2016). Of these eight ponds, the names of four are given in the chronicle; i) Vatta-nahan-kottha, ii) Guha-nahana-kottha, iii) Paduma-nahana-kottha (the present Nelum Pokuna), and iv) Bhadda-nahana-kottha (Nicholas, 1963).

 

Ruins of several ponds similar in structure to Nelum Pokuna have been found within the limits of the Jetavanarama monastery (Ray, 1960).

Pond

The circular stepped Nelum Pokuna pond has been built in the form of a full-blown lotus flower (Wikramagamage, 2004). The tiers indicating the petals of the lotus gradually became small as they go down the pond. The filling method of the pond is not known (Wikramagamage, 2004).

Attribution

1) Lotosbad polonnaruwa 2017-10-17 (2) by Z thomas is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0

References

1) Jayasuriya, E., 2016. A guide to the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. Central Cultural Fund. ISBN: 978-955-613-312-7. p.85.

2) Nicholas, C. W., 1963. Historical topography of ancient and medieval Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol VI). Special Number: Colombo. Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch). p.179. 

3) Ray, H. C. (Editor in Chief), 1960. University of Ceylon: History of Ceylon (Vol 1, part II). Ceylon University Press. p.600.
4) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.225.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 27 November 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

A short note for local school students

පොළොන්නරුව නෙළුම් පොකුණ

නෙළුම් පොකුණ යනු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පුරාණ පොළොන්නරුව නගරයේ පිහිටි පැරණි පොකුණකි.

ඉතිහාසය

පදුම නහන කොත්තක වශයෙන් පැරණි වංශකතාහී සඳහන් වන මෙම පොකුණ මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජු (ක්‍රි.ව. 1153-1186) විසින් පොළොන්නරුවේ ඉදිකරන ලද ජේතවනාරාම ආරාම පරිශ්‍රයට අයත්වන භූමියෙහි පිහිටා තිබේ. භික්ෂූන් වහන්සේගේ භාහිර අපවිත්‍ර පිරිසිදු කරනු වස් පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජු විසින් ශිලාමය පොකුණ අටක් ඉදිකරන ලද බව මහාවංශයෙහි දැක්වෙයි. නෙළුම් පොකුණේ ආකෘතියට සමාන තවත් පොකුණු කිහිපයක නටඹුන් පොළොන්නරුව ජේතවනාරාම ආරාම පරිශ්‍රයෙන් හමුව තිබේ.

පොකුණ

වෘත්තාකාර පියගැට යෙදූ නෙළුම් පොකුණ සම්පූර්ණයෙන් පිපුණු නෙළුම් මලක ආකාරයට නිමවා ඇත. නෙළුම් මලෙහි පෙති හැඟවෙන සේ ඉදිකල වෘත්තාකාර වළලු පොකුණෙහි පතුල දෙසට යන විට කුඩා වෙයි. කෙසේනමුදු පොකුණට ජලය පිරවූ ආකාරය අවිනිශ්චිතය.

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Eth Pokuna

The Eth Pokuna (lit: the Elephant Pond) is an old pond situated in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Located to the southwest of the Abhayagiri Stupa in close proximity to Lankarama Viharaya, the pond is considered one of the largest man-made ponds in the country (Jayasuriya, 2016).

History

The pond which is believed to be the ancient Maspotha Pokuna is presently called "Eth Pokuna" (the Elephant Pond) because of its gigantic size. It is said to have been built to store water for the usage of Buddhist monks who were living in the Abhayagiriya Monastery Complex.

Pond

The rectangular-shaped pond is 159 m long, 53 m wide and 10 m deep. The size is said to be six times larger than the size of the Olympic swimming pool. Several flights of steps on all four sides provide access to the bottom of the pond.

The water to this pond had been supplied from nearby reservoirs through underground conduits and one of which functions even today (Jayasuriya, 2016). The Gamani Wewa (modern Perimiyankulama Wewa) located to the north, supplies water to the pond through a conduit when it is overflowing (Wikramagamage, 2004). The water which comes through conduits first flows into a cistern sluice ("Bisokotuwa") located in the southwest corner of the pond and after slowing the speed, the water then flows to the pond along a stone-made drain. The existing sluice suggests that the water of Eth Pokuna may have been distributed to other ponds in the vicinity (Jayasuriya, 2016). A channel taking the water out of the pond has also been discovered to the south of the pond at the bottom to the east (Wikramagamage, 2004).

 

A Cobra sculpture

A fragmentary stone sculpture of a cobra was discovered from the Eth Pokuna with a slight projection upwards by the Cultural Triangle (Wikramagamage, 2004). 

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Attribution

1) Eth Pokuna in Anuradhapuraya by Kurun is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0

References

1) Jayasuriya, E., 2016. A guide to the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka. Central Cultural Fund. ISBN: 978-955-613-312-7. p.25.
2) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp.105,115.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 14 January 2023

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Surathali Ella Falls

Surathali Ella Falls is a waterfall cascading in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. The fall is situated on the roadside of the Balangoda-Beragala road (A4 road) approximately 9.5 km distance from the Belihuloya town.

The fall is about 50 m tall and mainly has two segments. It is named as “Surathali Ella” after the film that was shot in that area.   

Attribution
1) Walhaputenna, Sri Lanka - panoramio by sanjana.sudam is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Location Map

This page was last updated on 14 November 2019

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Kirindi Ella Falls

Kirindi Ella Falls is a waterfall cascading in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. Situated in Kuttapitiya village, the fall can be reached by traveling along the Pelmadulla-Kuttapitiya road about 7.8 km distance from the Pelmadulla bus stand.

The fall

The waterfall originates from Kirindi Ela, a stream flowing from the Kuttapitiya Kanda mountain (940 m). The fall is considered to be the 7th tallest waterfalls in Sri Lanka with a drop of 116 m (Abeyawardana, 2002).

Attribution
1) Kirindi Ella Water fall- Rathnapura District, Sri Lanka 08 by WMKKalhara is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
2) Kirindi Ella Water fall- Rathnapura District, Sri Lanka 07 by WMKKalhara is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
3) Kirindi Ella Water fall- Rathnapura District, Sri Lanka 03 by WMKKalhara is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
 
References

1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2002. Heritage of Sabaragamuwa: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Sabaragamuwa Development Bank and The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-077-7. p.24.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 12 November 2019

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Brahmana Ella Falls, Lankagama

Brahmana Ella Falls is a waterfall situated near the border of the Sinharaja Forest Reserve in Galle District, Sri Lanka. The fall can be reached via Sinharaja Lankagama entrance. 

 

The fall is 31 m high and originates from Hariyawa stream (හැරියාව දොල), a tributary of Gin Ganga river. It occurs 237 meters above the sea level.

Attribution

1) Brahmana Ella by Kalindu ashirwada is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Location Map

This page was last updated on 19 December 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map

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Udawatta Kele Sanctuary

Udawattakele Forest Reserve (also known as Udawattakele Sanctuary, Udawattakele Royal Forest Park) is a historic forest located behind the premises of the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy, Sri Lanka. During the Kandyan Period, the Udawattakele forest was considered a part of the Kandy Royal Palace and the ruling kings and their royal families used this forest as a pleasure garden. Presently, it is one of the Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka protected under the authority of the Forest Department (Weerakoon, 2015).

History

During the reign of King Gajabahu I (114-136 A.D.), there were no human settlements in Kandy and the area was covered by thick forest. The king ordered his nephew Siriwardana Seneviratna to change a part of the existing land use in Kandy and to build a village there. More than 1000 years later, King Panditha Parakramabahu (1302-1326 A.D.) who reigned in Kurunegala took measures to settle people in the area. During the mid-14th century, King Wikramabahu III who ruled from 1357 to 1374, established his kingdom in Kandy and named it "Senkadagala" in remembrance of the Brahmin named "Senkanda" who lived in a rock cave in Udawattakele forest during the reign of King Gajabahu I at Anuradhapura.

The Kingdom of Kandy (1469-1815 A.D.) was the last independent monarchy of Sri Lanka. King Senasammata Vikramabahu (1469-1511 A.D.), the first king of the Kandy Kingdom, built his palace within this forest and named it Uda-wasala-watta. After that, the forest was exclusively utilized by the members of the royal family for aesthetic purposes. As a result of that, the rulers declared the forest area a restricted zone for the general public. During the royal era, the forest was the main source of firewood for the palace.

Later on, the condition of the forest became deteriorate due to the felling down of Kitul trees and other edible foliage for the elephants of the Kandy Perahera pageant. It was further intensified during the 19th and early 20th centuries when a large amount of timber was extracted to supply firewood for the adjoining British Governor's residence (Nyanatusita & Dissanayake, 2013).

In 1856, the then government declared the Udawattakele as a forest reserve and in 1938, it was declared again as a sanctuary (Nyanatusita & Dissanayake, 2013; Weerakoon, 2015). In 1940, several valuable trees such as Jack and Mahogani were planted on this site by the Department of Forest (Weerakoon, 2015).

Forest

Udawatta Kele belongs to the mid-country wet zone and is situated about 635 m above the mean sea level (Abeysekara et al., 2018; Weerakoon, 2015). Located behind the sacred Temple of Tooth premises, the forest stretches over an area of about 113 hectares [(279.229 acres) Abeysekara et al., 2018]. The forest receives an annual mean rainfall of more than 2000 mm (Abeysekara et al., 2018).

A large number of endemic flora [(about 460 plant species including 135 tree species, 11 liana species) Wedathanthri & Hitinayake, 1999] and fauna species are found in the forest reserve. Three vegetation strata namely the canopy (dominant), sub-canopy and underground layers are identified in the forest reserve.

The Udawattakele forest is surrounded by a highly urbanized area. Therefore, the forest is considered very important in controlling the pollution of Kandy city. It also acts as the catchment area for the supply of water to Kandy city. 

Important locations within the forest

The Senkanda cave

A rock cave that is said to be used by an ascetic named Senkanda is found in the Udawattakele forest. According to "Asigiri Upatha", this Brahmin was practising asceticism in a cave in Maya rata during the reign of King Gajabahu I of Anuradhapura (Karunaratna, 1986). Besides the Senkanda cave, two rock caves (named Chitta Visuddhi Lena and Maithree Lena) used by Buddhist monks are also found in the forest.

The Senkanda cave has been designated as an archaeological protected monument by the government gazette notification no.23 on 1 October 1972.

Lady Horton street

This is the first street constructed within the forest. It was built in 1834 by Horton, the then Governor of Ceylon (1831-1837), in memory of his beloved wife (Karunaratna, 1986). 

Kodimale Kanda mountain

This is the highest point (1800 feet from the mean sea level) situated within the forest. This spot is believed to be used to hoist the national flag and religious flags during ancient times. A giant endemic liana called "Pus Wela" (Entada pusaetha) which is said to be about 200-300 years old can be seen near Kodimale Kanda.

Garrison Cemetery

The dead bodies of the British nationals who died in Sri Lanka have been buried in this cemetery. 

 

The Marble seat

A flat marble rock that had been used as a resting place was in the forest (Karunaratna, 1986), but today is at the Sri Dalada Sylvan as an altar for offering flowers.

The pond

The pond which is found in the forest, during the royal era, was used by the queen and other members of the royal family (Karunaratna, 1986). The earliest reference to the pond is found with regard to an expenditure incurred in August 1824 (Karunaratna, 1986). It is presently encircled by a narrow lane known as Lover's Walk.

Ironwood forest
A patch of forest consisting of Na-trees (ironwood: Mesua ferrea) is found within the Udawattakele forest. These trees are believed to be planted in 1926.

See also

#) Historical and Memorial Trees in Sri Lanka

Attribution

1) This image (Dalada Maligawa Sri Lanka B) has been released into the public domain by its creator, Wouterhagens.

2) Maitri Lena by Nyanatusita is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0

3) Garrison Cemetery by Nyanatusita is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0

References

1) Abeysekara, A.M.S.K., Yatigammana, S.K. and Premakantha, K.T., 2018. Biomass and Carbon Stock Estimation of Udawattakele Forest Reserve in Kandy District of Sri Lanka. Journal of Tropical Forestry and Environment, 8(2). pp.13-28.
2) Karunaratna N., 1986. Udavattakälē: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy, Colombo: Department of National Archives. pp.1,91,97,103.
3)  Nyanatusita, B. and Dissanayake, R., 2013. Udawattakele: A Sanctuary Destroyed From Within. Loris, Journal of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, 26(5), pp.39-40.

4) Wedathanthri, H.P. and Hitinayake, H.M.G.S.B., 1999. Invasive behaviour of Myroxylon balsamum at Udawattakele forest reserve. In Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium. p.14.

5) Weerakoon, W.M.B.M.B., 2015. Avifaunal diversity of Udawattakele, an urban forest reserve in the Kandy District. Sciscitator 2015 / Volume 2. pp. 19-21.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 14 January 2023

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Jathika Namal Uyana

Jathika Namal Uyana (Sinhala: ජාතික නාමල් උයන රෝස තිරිවාණ නිධිය) is a famous ironwood forest and a large rose quartz mountain situated in the village of Ulpathgama at Galkiriyagama in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. The site which was developed under the direction of Vanavasi Rahula Thera is presently maintained under the authority of the Central Cultural Fund.

The site

The Jathika Namal Uyana is situated in the Highland Series of crystalline rocks close to the Vijayan-Highland Boundary (Mahinda, 2002). The exposed rose quartz deposit which is estimated to be over five hundred million years old (Mahinda, 2002) is believed to be the largest one of its kind found in the South Asian region (Wickramaratne & Ranawana, 2002). The site receives the dichotomous climate conditions of dryness associated with the Dry Zone and wet weather associated with the Wet Zone. However, the area including the Jathika Namal Uyana belongs to the Tropical Lowland Seasonal Rain Forest (Mahinda, 2002).

The site is totally extending in an area of about 1200 hectares (Mahinda, 2002) and a portion of about 105 hectares near its northern boundary has a lushly grown Na-tree (Mesua ferrea) grove (Wickramaratne & Ranawana, 2002). Some suggest that this Na grove could be a horticultural garden with historical value (Mahinda, 2002; Wickramaratne & Ranawana, 2002). Several ancient buildings and monuments belonging to a Buddhist monastery or a similar complex are found scattered in an area of about 24 hectares located within this Na grove (Wickramaratne & Ranawana, 2002).

Archaeological monuments

A number of archaeological monuments are found at the southwest boundary of the Namal Uyana forest reserve. They include the ruins of a Stupa, a Bodhighara, an Uposathagara, an image house, an Asanaghara, other building foundations and rock-cut steps etc. Besides that, an "Attani Kanuwa" known as the "Ranawa Pillar Inscription" is located on the road in front of the Ranawa Devurada Ranrada Viharaya premises, a Buddhist temple site situated in close proximity to the Jathika Namal Uyana. The inscription which is dated to the reign of King Dappula IV (923-935 A.D.) records a decree granting certain immunities in respect of twelve Payalas of lands in a village named Rana [(modern Ranava village) Ranawella, 2004]. According to the inscription, it is prohibited to cut down the trees such as Palmyra-palms and Mi within this particular area and to arrest those who may come into this village after having committed murder outside (Ranawella, 2004). [Note: Many have misidentified this inscription with the Andiyagala Pillar Inscription of King Udaya II (887-898 A.D.).]

Some identify the Ranawa Inscription as a record that mentions a kind of sanctuary that existed in the 10th century. As it is located very close to the Jathika Namal Uyana, some believe that this sanctuary may have had a connection with it in the past.

Namal Seya Stupa

The ancient Stupa which has been built on a square-shaped terrace is completely conserved. The terrace is about 4-5 feet tall from the ground level and can be accessed through four entrances. The Sandakada Pahana (the moonstone) is visible at each entrance.

Bodhigharaya

Although there is no Bo tree today, the Bodhighara or Bodhi tree shrine at Jathika Namal Uyana provides evidence of the presence of a Bo tree in the past. The outer parapet of the Bodhighara which makes a square-shaped terrace is built of rose quartz. From the available archaeological evidence, this ancient structure is said to be a work belonging to the 8th century A.D.

Padhanagharaya

During the latter part of the Anuradhapura Period, Padhanagharas became popular and were built in several places in Sri Lanka (such as Arankele, Ritigala, Batahirarama, and Veherabendigala) to accommodate the Buddhist monks who devoted themselves to meditation. A number of cubicles known as Padhanaghara are found in the Jathika Namal Uyana premises.

Gal Pathraya & Gal Pahana

A stone begging bowl (Gal Pathraya) type implement can be seen at the bottom of the rose quartz outcrop collecting the water flowing down from the mountain. Also, a stone lamp (Gal Pahana) with eight wick holders has been found at the site.

A protected site

• An area of 24.111 hectares within the Jathika Namal Uyana was designated as an archaeological reserve on 12 November 2001, by a Gazette notification No. LDB 277/40 (Mahinda, 2002).
• The Ranawa mountain or Namal Uyana was declared as a protected forest on 26 April 2005, by an Extraordinary Gazette notification no. 138/137.

.

See also

#) Jathika Sandun Uyana

References

1) Mahinda, W., 2002. A Preliminary Archaeological Study of the Jatika Namal Uyana. Annual Research Sessions, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Vol. 7. p.45.

2) Ranawella, G.S., 2004. Inscription of Ceylon. Volume V, Part II. Department of Archaeology. pp.98-103.

3) Wickramaratne, S.N. and Ranawana, K.B., 2002. A Preliminary Ecological Survey of the Jatika Namal Uyana, Galkiriyagama. Annual Research Sessions, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Vol. 7. p.44.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 19 February 2023

A short note for local school students

ජාතික නාමල් උයන

ජාතික නාමල් උයන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අනුරාධපුර දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ ගල්කිරියාගම උල්පත්ගම ගම්මානයේ පිහිටි ප්‍රචලිත නා අරණක් සහ විශාල රෝස තිරිවාණ කන්දක් වේ. වනවාසී රාහුල තෙරුන් යටතේ සංවර්ධනය කරනු ලැබූ මෙම භූමිය වර්තමානයේදී මධ්‍යම සංස්කෘතික අරමුදල යටතේ පාලනය වේ.

භූමි ප්‍රදේශය

විජයාන්-හයිලන්ඩ් මායිමට ආසන්නව හයිලන්ඩ් සංකීර්ණය තුල ජාතික නාමල් උයන පිහිටා තිබේ. වසර මිලියන පන්සියයකට වඩා පැරණි යැයි තක්සේරු කෙරෙන මෙම භූමි ප්‍රදේශයෙන් මතුව ඇති රෝස තිරිවාණ නිධිය දකුණු ආසියා කලාපයෙන් හමුවන මේ වර්ගයේ විශාලතම නිධිය ලෙස විශ්වාස කෙරේ. වියලි කලාපීය ශුෂ්ක හා තෙත් කලාපීය වැසි යන දෙවර්ගයටම අයත් කාලගුණ තත්වයන් මෙම ප්‍රදේශයට හිමිය. කෙසේනමුදු, ජාතික නාමල් උයන ඇතුලත් මෙම ප්‍රදේශය නිවර්තන පහත්බිම් සෘතුමය වැසි වනාන්තර දේශගුණික කලාපයට අයත් වේ.

හෙක්ට්යාර 1200ක පමණ වපසරියක පැතිරී පවතින මෙම භූමි ප්‍රදේශයේ උතුරු මායිමට ආසන්න හෙක්ට්යාර 105ක පමණ කොටසක ඉතා හොඳින් වැඩුනු නා ගස් ගොන්නක්/ නා අරණක් වේ. මෙය ඵෙතිහාසික වටිනාකමකින් යුත් උයන් වගාවක් විය හැකි බව සමහරුන්ගේ මතයයි. බෞද්ධ විහාරයකට හෝ එවැනි සංකීර්ණයකට අයත්වන පුරාණ ඉදිකිරීම් හා ස්මාරක ප්‍රමාණයක් මෙම නා අරණ තුල හෙක්ට්යාර 24ක පමණ වපසරියකින් යුතු භූමි භාගයක විසිරී පවතී.

පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්මාරක

නාමල් උයන වන රක්ෂිතයෙහි නිරිතදිග මායිම් කොටස තුල පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්මාරක ප්‍රමාණයක් හමුවේ. ස්තූපයක, බෝධිඝරයක, උපෝසතාඝාරයක, ගොඩනැගිලි වල පාදම් හා ශිලා පඩිපෙළ ආදී නටඹුන් ඒවාට ඇතුලත්ය. මේ හැරුණුවිට, ජාතික නාමල් උයනට ආසන්නව පිහිටි බෞද්ධ විහාරයක් වූ රණාව දෙව්රද රන්රද විහාරය අසල මාර්ගය මධ්‍යයේ අශ්ඨාකාර අත්තාණි කණුවක් (ටැම් ලිපියක්) ස්ථාපනය කොට තිබේ.

නාමල් සෑය ස්තූපය

චතුරස්‍රාකාර මළුවක් මත ඉදිකොට තිබෙන පුරාණ ස්තූපය සම්පූර්ණයෙන් සංරක්ෂණය කොට තිබේ. මළුව පොළව මට්ටමේ සිට අඩි 4-5ක් පමණ උසින් පිහිටන අතර ප්‍රවිශ්ඨයන් හතරක් ඔස්සේ ඊටපිවිසිය හැක. එක් එක් ප්‍රවිශ්ඨය පාමුල සඳකඩ පහණ බැගින් දැකගත හැක.

බෝධිඝරය

අද වන විට බෝ ගසක් නොපැවතියද, අතීතයේ මෙහි බෝ ගසක් පැවති බවට සාක්ෂි බෝධිඝරය මගින් සපයයි. චතුරස්‍රාකාර මළුව තනන බෝධිඝරයෙහි පිටත පවුර රෝස තිරිවාණයෙන් නිර්මිතය. දැකිය හැකි පුරාවිද්‍යා සාධක අනූව මෙම පුරාණ ඉදිකිරීම ක්‍රි.ව. 8වන සියවසට අයත් යැයි පැවසෙයි.

පධානඝරය

අනුරාධපුර යුගයේ අගභාගය වන විට ජනප්‍රිය වූ පධානඝර භාවනායෝගී බෞද්ධ භික්ෂූන්ගේ භාවිතය පිණිස ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සමහර ස්ථානයන්හී (අරංකැලේ, රිටිගල, බටහිරාරාම, වෙහෙරබැඳිගල වැනි) ඉදිකෙරිණි. මෙවැනි පධානඝර ප්‍රමාණයක් ජාතික නාමල් උයන පරිශ්‍රයෙන්ද හමුවේ.

ගල් පාත්‍රය

තිරිවාණ පර්වතය ඔස්සේ ගලා බසින ජලය රැස්වීම පිණිස ගලින් නිමවූ පාත්‍රයක් කඳු පර්වතය පාමුල තබා තිබෙනු දැකගත හැක.

ආරක්ෂිත ප්‍රදේශය

ජාතික නාමල් උයනෙහි හෙක්ට්යාර 24.111 භූමි ප්‍රමාණයක් 2001 නොවැම්බර් 12වන දින අංක LDB 277/40 දරණ ගැසට් පත්‍රය යටතේ පුරාවිද්‍යා රක්ෂිතයක් ලෙස ප්‍රකාශයට පත්කර තිබේ. එසේම 2005 අප්‍රේල් 26 වන දින නිකුත් කරන ලද අංක 138/137 දරණ අතිවිශේෂ ගැසට් නිවේදනය මගින් රණව පර්වතය (නාමල් උයන) වන රක්ෂිතයක් ලෙස නම් කොට තිබේ.

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