News
Treasure hunters on the prowl
View(s):- Story and pix by D Gnanasiri Hettiarachchi in Ampara
The resident monk of the Girigumbira Raja Maha Vihara in Uhana and villagers have appealed for security to be provided to the temple, stating that it is under constant threat from treasure hunters.
This temple, located within the Uhana Divisional Secretariat area, about one and a half kilometers along the Wellaweli Road towards Bakki Ella on the road stretching from Ampara to Maha Oya, is an archaeological site.
According to the research of Ven Ellawala Medhananda Thera, an archaeological scholar monk, there is a connection between the historic Rajagala and this site. It is also said that there had been an underground tunnel used by arahants to travel from Rajagala westward to this location.
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- K D Weerasinghe
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- G M Bandara
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- Ven Buddama Sujatha Thera
Ven Buddama Sujatha Thera, who serves as the acting chief incumbent, said that if the stone inscription pillar, which is now broken into four pieces, is restored, it could be considered the tallest stone inscription pillar in Asia according to archaeological opinion.
“The inscription carved in Brahmi letters by King Tissa Pabbata, who resided at Rajagala Mountain, mentions that 500 arahants who lived there had also stayed at this place. According to the inscription, there had been a tunnel route for the arahants residing at Rajagala to travel here. The ruins of it can still be seen.”
The village is located only about 500 meters away.
There is also a ruined stupa at this site.
“There is a belief that treasures are hidden here. Because of that, some individuals secretly come at night and carry out illegal excavations. The monks residing here do not have sufficient security, and the archaeological site itself is unprotected. We are greatly troubled by treasure hunters,” he added.
K D Weerasinghe, a resident of the nearby Bakkiella settlement, said: “On some occasions, groups arrive in large vehicles. We do not know why. It is difficult to understand whether these activities happen with government backing or not.”
Another nearby resident, G M Bandara said: “By around 5 pm, elephants roam around the paddy field areas nearby, so villagers do not move around much. Because of that, it is impossible to come here at night even in an emergency. Even if someone shouts from the temple, nobody can hear it.”
D S A Munasinghe, Assistant Director of Archaeology for the Ampara/Batticaloa region, said: “We are facing a shortage of site guards. Only 11 guards are deployed to protect important archaeological sites across both the Ampara and Batticaloa Districts. As soon as funding is received, we hope to conduct excavations at this site and properly identify its archaeological value.”
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