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 O rubendi 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 frequen…
