Quarterly Tours Jayatissa Herath National Trust – Sri Lanka 03 rd March 2018 FIRST QUARTERLY TOUR 2018 IBBANKATUWA MEGALITHIC BURIALS & DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLES Tour Leader Prof. Nimal De Silva - The President of the National Trust Sri Lanka. Route By Bus: Colombo – Borella/ Kadawatha/ Nittambuwa/Warakapola/ Ambepussa/ Polgahawela/ Kurunegala/Galewela/Dambulla Itinerary 5.30 am Meet at PGIAR and leave at 6.00 am 8.00 – 8.30 am Stop for a self-paid breakfast/Tea and comfort stop at “Keth Sisila” a wayside restaurant at Ratmalgoda (few minutes after Polgahawela) 10.00 – 10.30 am Visit Megalithic burials at Ibbankatuwa 10.35 – 11.10 am Visit Somawathie Stupa and Remains of Monastery Complex 11.15 – 1.00 pm Visit Dambulla Cave Shrines 1.15 – 2.15 pm Buffet Lunch at Hotel Lario at Kimbissa 2.30 – 3.30 pm Visit the Painting Museum at Dambulla (to see the documented paintings) 3.45 pm Leave Museum for back to PGIAR via same route 6.00 pm Tea and Comfort stop at Ambepussa 9.30 pm Arrive PGIAR The itinerary planned may change depending on factors such as time and weather. Please refer last page for more instructions. NTSL Page 2 of 16 Megalithic Burials (Cemetery) at Ibbankatuva Located about 2 km to the south-west The cemetery which covers an extent of the Dambulla Rock at Ibbankatuva of about one square kilometer has 42 along the Kurunegala Dambulla Road, clusters of cist tombs, each made of this megalithic Burial is one of the a floor slab, four upright stone units largest in the Island. It is associated and a capstone forming a rectangular with an early settlement site on the chamber. The stone slabs used for banks of the Dambulu Oya, which the cist tombs are broadly regular in is located on the eastern side of shape with a rough finish. Two cist the main road within the present tombs, of which the capstones were coconut plantation. Dated to the intact, have been archaeologically first millennium BC (circa 1000-300 investigated. It has yielded terracotta BC), the iron-age agrarian village urns containing cremated human settlement associated with this Burial remains and rich finds of grave or cemetery belongs to the settlers articles in the form of pottery and farmers of the proto and early and beads of high craftsmanship. historic period who previously were Symbols have also been found the Island’s itinerant food gathering inscribed on some of the capstones. and hunting prehistoric people. These archaeological investigations NTSL Page 3 of 16 have revealed the burial and ritual tanks and riverside marshes, which practices generally associated with a are the potential sites to investigate megalithic settlement. early irrigated rice cultivation in the Island. This and other such settlements, therefore, are amongst the oldest Archaeologists believe that the villages and the proto-urban settlement associated with this settlements discovered in Sri Lanka cemetery formed the social and so far, which throw significant light economic infrastructure which on the rural base of Sri Lanka’s sustained the early Buddhist classical civilization. The pottery and monastery at Dambulla and that terracotta beads found inside the cist the titled donors of its monastic tombs showcase the pottery usage rock-shelter residences were from and terracotta technology while the amongst the elite of these hinterland beads reflect rich artistic sensibilities, farming communities. Therefore, this social differentiations, symbols of site is historically linked closely to the wealth, status and power, and the Dambulla Manastic complex. One imported items such as carnelian of the clusters of cist tombs of this beads which are indicators of cemetery have been conserved and foreign trade associated with these laid out, while the artifacts recovered settlements. Associated with this during excavations are displayed at settlement are a number of micro- the Sigiriya Museum. NTSL Page 4 of 16 Somawathi Stupa and Remains of the Monastic complex The Somawathi Stupa is the has a bodhighara or bodhi-tree major monument of a monastic shrine and a chapter house, being establishment lying at the western the three important ritual buildings side of Dambulla Rock, adjoining Sri of a Buddhist monastery. Around the Valagamba Pirivena. It is dedicated stupa a sacred foot print (Siri Pathula) to the queen of King Valagamba and carved stone and some stone “mal- the complex associated with Rangiri asana” are displayed. Dambulla Vihara (Dambulla Cave Temples). Remains of a flight of carved stone steps that lead to the rock summit This monastic complex dates back runs through this monastic complex. to 5th Century A.D. and flourished Some rock inscriptions, possibly through patronage of kings up to 13th made by ancient kings can be found century A.D. The stupa is of modest cut into the sides of these rock steps. proportions, and the complex also One such record refers that King NTSL Page 5 of 16 Kutakanna Abhaya (41-19 BC) was Bo tree shrine and Chapter house responsible for making thirteen steps of the flight.’ Some believe that the stupa was originally a square shaped and subsequently converted into a platform and a bubble shaped Stupa was built up on it. The entrance which served the Stupa when it was square had been unearthed during excavations and has been preserved. NTSL Page 6 of 16 Rangiri Dambulla Temple / Cave Shrines Dambulla rock, located near the geographical centre of Sri Lanka, rises to a height of about 180 meters period. Along the western slopes from the surrounding plain. There of the Dambulla rocks are a series are about ninety caves scattered in of large boulders, terraces and two clusters facing the south and the caves, which formed the habitat of west, but both associated with the prehistoric man. As evidenced by Dambulla rock. the archaeological investigations in the plain south of Dambulla rock, and the remains such as the megalithic Brief History cemetery at Ibbankatuva including the associated settlement, prehistoric Dambulla is an extremely complex man at Dambulla was succeeded by heritage site, with a history extending the first settlers and farmers of the from prehistoric and proto-historic proto-historic period at some time times, right down to the modern during the first millennium BC. NTSL Page 7 of 16 Around the third century BC, the The literally sources and inscriptional western and southern rock face evidence suggest that the uppermost boulder area of Dambulla became the group of cave shrines have become site for one of Sri Lanka’s largest early a center of royal and religious monastic settlements of the Buddhist activity during the 11th and 12th monks. From the upper terrace centuries, when Polonnaruva was downwards there were nearly ninety the capital of the Island. Renovations rock shelters in two clusters facing and additions have been carried the south and west that had been out by King Vijayabahu I (1055 adopted as dwellings by the monks of – 1110) and King Nissankamalla the monastery. These early monastic (1187 – 1196) at these cave shrines. cave dwellings are marked by a drip- King Nissankamalla has also gilded ledge cut along the brow so as to seventy-three Buddha images and prevent rain water flowing in to them. given the cave shrine the name Some of the caves contain donor ‘Svarnagiri-guha’ (meaning Golden inscriptions in Brahmi script, carved Rock Cave). just below the drip-ledge ranging between the 3rd century BC and the From the middle of the 17th to 18th 2nd century AD. The chronicles such as centuries, Dambulla once again the Rajavaliya and the Rajaratnakara became a centre of major political ascribe the formal establishment and religious activity. The entire of this monastic settlement to King cave complex was restored and Valagamba (103 and 89-77 BC). It is refurbished with this revival of the uppermost group of five rock Buddhism and art in the reign of shelters on the southern face of the Kirti Sri Rajasimha (1747-82). Apart Dambulla rock that continued into from Cave No. 4 being established the historical period as the ritual as a shrine, by introducing Buddha and religious centre of the Dambulla images and painting into its interior complex. with murals, all other shrines were also over-painted in the post-classic Since its founding in the 3rd century style of the Kandyan School of art of BC, the uppermost group of rock the late- eighteenth century. It is this shelters seems to have been in phase of revival that is considered to continuous occupation for more than be the climax of the spatial design of twenty-two centuries, and continues Dambulla that has earned it status to be so right down to the present as a World Heritage Site. Cave 5 was day. During the middle historical built at a later period, probably in the period (circa. 5th to 13th centuries nineteenth century which underlines AD), Dambulla continued to develop the importance of Dambulla to the as a major religious centre with the people in the region even in the conversion of the ancient residential absence of royal patronage. rock shelters on the upper terraces into shrines for religious veneration. NTSL Page 8 of 16 This last cycle of significant re- The murals at Dambulla are the painting activity has been carried largest preserved group of mural out from 1915 onwards, when Cave paintings in the region, after the array 5 was repainted on the commission of ancient paintings at the Indian site by a local nobleman. The artists in of Ajanta. They are also one of the charge of these refurbishments were finest examples of the Late Historical hereditary master craftsmen, the Period murals belonging to a pan- direct descendants of the eighteenth- regional tradition that extends across century masters some of whom were South and Southeast Asia, including engaged by the Cultural Triangle India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Project in the refurbishments of Thailand.