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This
article is part of a continuing series on the ‘Mahavamsa’,
the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history
King Valagamba turns a rock
into a place of worship
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When King Valagamba was living in the forest, he met a hunter.
This hunter helped the king. Accompanied by this hunter, the king
roamed about in the jungles of Matale. There they saw a huge rock
and both of them climbed it. It was about 700 feet in height and
spread to an area of about 2000 feet. When one climbed to the
top, one could enjoy the beautiful scenery around.
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It was simply fascinating to watch the surroundings from the summit
of the rock and so the king liked this place very much. To the
south you could see Kandy and the range of mountains that surrounded
the city. To the east were the thick jungles. One could see Sigiriya
rock through these jungles. Around Sigiriya were acres and acres
of paddy fields. Admiring all this beauty, the king made a firm
decision one day. It was to make this, a place of religious significance.
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When the ceremonies connected to Abhayagiri were complete, the
king thought of this rock. But it had to be delayed because the
temples built by the commanders had to be gifted to Rev. Tissa
of Hambugalla. When that too was over, the king assembled his
Council of Ministers and addressed them thus. “Dear Ministers,
I’m really happy to see you working day and night. You have
brought good luck to our country. I’m greatly thankful to
you, for all that you have done”.
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All the ministers were delighted with these words of the king.
They cheered. The king sat quiet for a while and started addressing
them again. “Now there is enough food for the people. What
they need next is spiritual happiness. We should provide that
too. We also should make them admire the beauty of nature”.
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The Chief Minister said that it was a great idea. The other ministers
approved of it. The king was happy that all his ministers agreed
with him. When the king said that he had already thought of a
place, the ministers asked what it was. The king said, “It
is a place close to Matale. It is the rock at Dambulla”.
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The ministers were silent. The king went on. “We shall make
this rock a sacred place and a cultural centre too”. The
ministers who agreed to his suggestion wished to go and see the
place. The king agreed and all of them went to the rock at Dambulla.
They were fascinated with the beauty of the place. The ministers
wished to commence work on this project immediately.
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The king entrusted the work to the Chief Minister, who very willingly
undertook the task. He got skilled sculptors and other craftsmen,
from all over the country. They were made to assemble at Anuradhapura.
The people too gathered in their thousands. They cleared the jungle
right round. Stone steps were cut up to the site.
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Five caves were done up to build viharas. Next, they started work
on statues and other carvings. Temples were erected. ‘Raja-maha
Vihara’, ‘Devram Vihara’ and ‘Paschima
Vihara’, were the more important of the viharas. Buddha
statues and other rock carvings added to the beauty of these viharas.
By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by
Kamala Silva
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