Orubendi Siyambalawa

Ancient tamarind tree in Polonnaruwa, tied to King Mahasen's travels; now a revered site with a shrine, protected for its historical significance.
Orubendi Siyambalawa
Orubendi Siyambalawa Tamarind tree

Orubendi Siyambalawa (Sinhala: ඔරුබැඳි සියඹලාව; lit: Tamarind tree to which boats were tied) is a Tamarind tree (scientific name: Tamarindus indica), a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit, situated between Elahera-Bakamuna villages in Polonnaruwa District is believed to be one of the Historic and Ancient Trees in Sri Lanka. It is located on the bank of Elahera-Minneriya Yodha Ela or the wayside of Elahera-Giritale road nearly 10 km north of Old Elahera Amuna.

History

As per the beliefs of locals, this tree has a history associated to King Mahasen (276-303 A.D.) of Anuradhapura and the Elahera Amuna which was known in ancient times as Alisara Canal. The chronicle Mahavamsa states that the Alisara canal was in existence during the reign of King Valagamba (103, 89-77 B.C.) of Anuradhapura and King Mahasen built Minneriya Wewa and Giritale Wewa reservoirs at the tail end of that canal (Arumugam, 1969, Mendis, 2007; Nicholas, 1963; Withanachchi, 2015). It is siad that the canal was frequently used by King Mahasen to travel between Polonnaruwa and Elahera and his royal barge was often moored to this particular tree, which led to it being named Orubendi Siyambalawa. Over time, the surrounding area also came to be known by the same name.

Villagers believe that King Mahasen's spirit still dwells near the tree. Over time, numerous mythical stories have emerged surrounding the king, and he is affectionately revered as Minneri Deviyo or Sath Rajjuru Bandara by the local people. Presently, people worship the tree and perform rituals at the small shrine room dedicated to the king that was refurbished in 1933 by D. S. Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of Ceylon (1947-1952). The politician Gamini Dissanayake (1942-1994) donated a massive 'Dolosmahe Pahana' to the shrine in 1987.

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References

Books, Journal Articles

1) Arumugam, S., 1969. Water resources of Ceylon: its utilisation and development. Water Resources Board. p.239.
2) Mendis, D., 2007, May. Ancient Water and soil conservation ecosystems of Sri Lanka. In Conference Paper Presentation In International History Seminar on Irrigation and Drainage. Tehran, Iran. pp.215-237.
3) 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.183.
4) Withanachchi, C.R., 2015. Ancient irrigation system of dry and intermediate zones as revealed from ancient canals. Rajarata University Journal 2015, 3. pp.4-16.

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Attribution

To Whom

LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mrs Badra Kamaladasa (Former Director General of Irrigation) for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.

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