Henakanda Biso Bandara | Queen of Beli-Fruit

Henakanda Biso Bandara | Queen of Beli-Fruit
Henakanda Biso Bandara (Sinhala: හෙනකඳ බිසෝ බණ්ඩාර) Henakada Biso Bandara is believed to be a Queen of King Wikramabahu III (1357-1374 A.D.) of Gampola Kingdom , Sri Lanka (Abeyawardana, 2004). She is credited with the construction or renovation of several prominent Buddhist temples in the country including the famous Embekke Devalaya and Hindagala Viharaya (Abeyawardana, 2004).   The miraculous birth There are no reliable archaeological or historical sources about Henakanda Biso Bandara but a number of stories in the folklore reveal her existence (Thalwatta, 2017). According to folk tradition, she was born out of a fruit bore on a Beli tree ( Aegle marmelos ) in Beligala Viharaya in Sathara Korale (Abeyawardana, 2004; Kehelgamuwe, 1935; Thalwatta, 2017). However, the place where this Beli tree was located varies according to the region of the folklore. Some believe that this tree was located in a temple in Mathgamuwa village in Udunuwara or Hendeniya village in Siduruwana (Thalwatta, 201…