Abhayagiri Vihara - One of the Most Extensive Ruins in the world

Abhayagiri Vihara

 The Northern Monastery, Anuradhapura

                                                         

An exemplary foundation

   Anuradhapura, one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of its most sacred pilgrimage cities, was a great monastic center as well as a royal capital  with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories all roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colors. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood Abhayagiri one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major Viharas. Surroundings the humped dageba Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern monastery , or Uttara Vihara.

Planning and Layout

  Covering approximately 200 hectares Abhayagiri Vihara had all the components required by doctrine for a Buddhist Temple image house, stupa, Bo Tree shrine, chapter House(Poyage or Ruvanpaha), residence for monks, and refectories. This is confirmed by the inscriptions of Mahinda 1V (956-972 A.D.) found by Abhayagiri 'Whatever remains after repairs have been effected.....at the site of the great stone stature, Ruvanpaha (The Chapter-House) at the Abhayatura-maha-sa...at the
shrine of the sacred Bo Tree ... shall be kept as communal property'. Recent archaeological excavations at the site have also revealed other features such as roadways, assembly halls and temple buildings such as the Abhisheka Mandapa (The ceremonial anointing hall).

  A road access system anticipating modern concepts of town planning has been uncovered, with the highway from the city to the north running through the monastery. The road and pathways generally paralleled with the principal axes, are up to 10 metres wide.Fa-hsien throws some light on the circumstances of their creation: 'Buddha's Tooth will be brought out and carried to Abhayagiri Monastery. All monks and laymen who wish to do good deeders may level the roads, adorn the
lanes and streets, and prepare all kinds of flowers and incense as offerings.'

  By the Seventh century the stupa the Uposathagara chapter house the refectory, the principal Bodhighara, and the assembly hall of the Abhayagiri fraternies were completed.The Principal roadways and common water bodies were shared by the residents of thirty subsidiary monaeries composed of a quincunx of monastic residencies, or pancavasa, within each of the four fraternities. Spatially the public and private domains of the monasteries were clearly defined, as dictated by the doctrine.
   The public spaces surrounding the stupa contained the principal Bodhighara of the complex to the south-east, the asanaghara
can now be identified as the principal Bo Tree shrine of Abhayagiri.

The Stupas

According to Fa-hsien, 'Buddha once came to this country to convert a dragon... Over the footprint north of the royal city a great stupa, four hundred feet high, was erected.. by the side of this stupa was erected the monastery called Abhayagiri.

  The center-piece of the monastery and its four fraternities , Abhayagiri Stupa, consisting of outer and inner terraces enclosed by walls, is over 75 metres high and 106.5 metres in diameter at its widest point. The outer terrace was strewn with sand, while the inner terrace was stone-paved. The rain-water falling on this vast stretch of land was drained into four ponds built near the four entrances to the stupa grounds. Today stripped of parts of its outer casing and covered by vegetation,
the great dome was built of solid brickwork laid in a butter clay mortar, and may contain small inaccessible chambers of garba concealed in its interior. The superstructure above the dome consists of the massive rectangular cobe of the hataras kotuwa surmounted by circular devata kotuva and the badly deteriorated spire.

The stupa as it stands today is the original as last renovated by parakramabahu 1. no major renovation or conservation has been done since, apart from some attempts at consolidation of the cube, cylinder and spire by the Department of archaelogy in 1910-12 and reconstruction of parts of the three basal terraces by the chief monks in 1926 and after. J.G. Smither attempted a careful documentation and after which he published in the form of several excellent drawings in his monumental book, 'Archaelogical Remains, Anuradhapura, Ceylon' in 1884.

The biggest rice-bowl in the world

The Chinese monk Fa-hsien, who lived at Abhayagiri for nearly two years, reports that there were five thousand monks living there at the time. Within the refectory excavated and conserved by the Cultural Triangle project is a stone trough with a capacity of five thousand alms bowls indicating that this trough was used to contain boiled rice or alternatively to store uncooked rice offered as alms to the bhikkhus. The plan of this refectory differs some what from those foundin other monasteries in Anuradhapura . Two courtyards paved and well-drained, ensures adequate light and ventilation to the building. There are indications that it was expanded a number of times. This is confirmed by excavated remains from  four different cultural phases, and a stone inscription from the first century BC. To the first century AD.,describing a gift to the  refectory. Underground stone conduits supplied fresh water and drained away waste water. A stone sun-dial was used to ensure that the midday meal was served prior to noon, as dictated by doctrine. Hearths and various forms of grinding stones have also been found.

 Ancient water management

The Elephant Pond, equivalent in area to six modern Olympic swimming pools, is perhaps the largest man-made pond in Sri Lanka. A  flight of steps leads down to the pond from the centre of each side wall. To the north and south, underground water conduit have been found which probably supplied water from neighboring tanks. One such conduit continues to function during the rainy season even today. Theexi existence of the Bisokotuva, or cistern sluice in the south-west corner, indicates that water was distributed through conduits to other ponds in the vicinity, and an underground conduit supplying water to the refectory to the east has been discovered. The Elephant Pond was perhaps built for the supply and storage of water to three of the fraternities, excepting Kaparamula.  It is an eloquent testimony to the highly developed water management and hydro logical  engineering techniques of the ancient Sinhalese.

Among the most significant artistic achievements  in the field of hydro logical engineering are the Twin Ponds, or Kuttam Pokuna. These can be considered one of the outstanding architectural and artistic creations of the ancient Sinhalese. Built of polished stone slabs, they have entrance steps flanked by two stone punkalas or pots of abundance.  The embankments were perhaps made to enable the monks to bathe using pots or other utensils. Water supplied through the underground conduits was first conveyed to stone chambers, or silt traps, from where it was  filtered before flowing into the ponds. An opening for an outlet allowing water to be drained away  during repair was discovered at the bottom of each pond. The ponds were restored during the time of Dr Senerath Paranavithana. During excavation,small figures including a fish , a tortoise, a conch, a crab and a dancing woman were found at the bottom.