The rock citadel of YAPAHUWA

heritage
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The rock citadel of
YAPAHUWA
The monument
in stone
It might have been Sri Lanka’s capital for the
shortest period, but few capitals that followed
have left such a glorious mark as the rock citadel
of Yapahuwa…
By Theja De Silva
Yapahuwa may have been the
capital of this land for less than
quarter of a century but it managed to leave its indelible mark in
stone for all eternity. Reeling from
the glorious days of Anuradhapura
and Polonnaruwa, the scale of
the capital of Yapahuwa may not
seem impressive. At least by what
archaeologists have found so far,
the capital was confined to a small
region surrounding the Yapahuwa
rock with evidence of its greater
reach being limited. However the
architects and engineers since were
not able to match the excellence
of the work seen there. Although
Kurunegala, Kotte and Kandy were
to emerge as capitals, none of these
places left their mark in granite like
Yapahuwa. In fact for Sri Lankan
history written in stone, Yapahuwa
was the last glorious breath.
The most remarkable aspect of
the Yapahuwa ruins is the absolute
uniqueness of its creation. With
just one glance at a postcard many
Sri Lankans are able to recognise
the unique monuments of this
capital. Whether it is the majestic
Yapahuwa Lion standing guard at
the foot of the hill, the magnificent
stairway that leads to the temple
or the Dalada Maliga itself with
its wonderful stone carvings of
dancers musicians and performers, there is no other place in this
country similar in style to the great
works of art that have made Yapahuwa stand out.
The impressive steep staircase up
the rock face, leads to the ancient
temple. At the top of the first rock
stair lays a plateau with good views
across the plains. Up a more ornamental stairway rests the remains
of the ancient temple. This temple
was once the shrine for the most
venerated object for Buddhists in
the island, the Sacred Tooth Relic
of the Buddha. Rather than following the traditional design of a two
storied Temple of the Tooth which
had been the practice since the
days of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, the Yapahuwa builders
ventured into unknown territory
and proceeded the carve the temple
halfway up a massive rock face.
The result is what we see today, a
magnificent edifice of fine art comprising South Indian, Vijaynagar
influence but with an uniquely Sri
Lankan touch.
Yapahuwa had faded in memory
after the capital moved on to other
regions. It was rediscovered by the
H.C.P. Bell, the first archaeological commissioner in the early 20th
Century. Bell reported the discovery
of a beautiful entrance to the rock
fortress and gave details of the
ruins that were scattered at the foot
of the hill.
To most, this early 13th Century
stronghold is reminiscent of Sigiriya, the more famous and elaborate rock fortress in the country.
Yapahuwa rises over 100 feet from
the plains. Beyond the Dalada Maligawa situated halfway up the rock
face, there is a path which leads
to the summit of the rock which
is remarkably flat and extensive.
Though a small pagoda remains at
the top there is no other evidence of
any buildings. However this place
no doubt would have been used as a
strategic look out post with its panoramic view of the whole area.
Even though the primary objective of moving the capital city to
Yapahuwa was defence, there now
appears evidence to show that there
were vibrant trade relations during
this period with other countries. Recent excavations have revealed that
Yapahuwa had close diplomatic and
trade relations with China. This
would of course explain the close
resemblance of the Yapahuwa Lion
to similar lion sculptures seen in
China. Pottery, ceramics and coins
from China were discovered from
Yapahuwa recently which gave credence to the assumption that there
had been close relations with other
distant lands.
By W. A. M. Wijesinghe
T
he historic 300 feet high
Yapahuwa
Rock
rises
abruptly from the plains
on the outskirts of Maho
in Kurunegala. The rock
has a history dating back to the 13th
Century. Yapahuwa was Sri Lanka’s
seat of governance and protected
place of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the
Buddha.
According to historic sources and
recent excavations, Yapahuwa indicates that king Buwanekabahu’s
regime had close ties with China.
The excavations discovered several
YAPAHUWA
Maho
Padeniya
Getting there
Getting to Yapahuwa could be an adventure by itself if one
is to take the morning Rajarata Menike train to Anuradhapura.
The ancient capital is just four kilometers from the Maho railway station. At Maho, the tracks divide with one artery snaking
towards Anuradhapura while the other track moves towards
Trincomalee and Batticaloa.
The train arrives in Maho around 9.30 in the morning, allowing ample time to visit Yapahuwa and return to the station in
time to catch a train back to Colombo.
From Maho station, either a bus ride or a three wheeler
would take you to the foot of the Yapahuwa rock making it
rather convenient stop over for anyone on a tight budget.
Turbulent history of Yapahuwa
Yapahuwa was a rebel outpost well before it was the capital of Sri Lanka for a
brief but glorious moment in history. According to historians, King Buvanekabahu I who ruled from 1273 to 1284 moved his
capital from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa.
It is said that the King found the rocky
mountain of Yapahuwa to be safer against
invaders than Dambadeniya. It was not
the first time that the Yapahuwa rock had
provided shelter against such formidable
foes.
A few decades before Buvanekabahu,
the last nail in the coffin of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom was hammered by a Kalinga Prince called Maga who invaded in
1215. Though there had been numerous
invasions and counter invasions of Sri
Lanka since time immemorial, the historical chronicles depict the Maga invasion as
particularly brutal driving the native people from their traditional homeland in the
Rajarata plains to the deep interior of the
country. It would no doubt have devastated
their way of life which revolved around
the ancient irrigation systems that were
designed to harness the rains of the dry
zone. Yet with the brutality of Magha becoming unbearable, there arose a rebellion
against the foreign ruler. Resistance to the
invaders began to coalesce around a series
of inaccessible towns and fortresses constructed in the mountainous interior of
Sri Lanka. The fortress of Yapahuwa was
one of the first of these, founded by the
Senapathi (nobleman) Subha. He is said to
The elaborate stairway is an unique feature of Yapahuwa
The Nation EYE Sunday January 4, 2009
have built and fortified Yapahuwa which
was known as Subapabbatha, meaning
the ‘fortress of Suba’ until the capital was
established there later. That rebellion was
to end in victory for the local chieftains
with Vijayabahu III emerging as the King
of Lanka. However by the time Magha was
defeated, the Kalinga King had devastated
the Rajarata area and Vijayabahu moved
his capital to Dambadeniya in the Kurunegala district. Though Magha was defeated,
the South Indian influence on the island
did not recede. Due to the increasing foreign interventions, Dambadeniya was not
deemed safe as the capital, prompting King
Buvanekabahu I to move his capital to
Yapahuwa.
- TDS
It is believed that the Yapahuwa lion is influanced by Chinese sculpture
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Chinese ceramics and many Chinese
coins in the site. After King Buwanekabahu’s demise, the kingdom fell as
a result of the Pandyan invasion. In
the mid 16th Century, the Portuguese
invaded the island. They destroyed
many of the magnificent buildings in
the Yapahuwa.
Yapahuwa holds fame for the Yapahuwa Lion, a creation which seems
to have Chinese influence. It is this
lion that has been used to print Sri
Lanka’s 10 rupee note. The place is
also famous for its stone ruins. Its
most remarkable feature remains an
ornamental staircase that leads to
the royal palace.