Kurunegala is the administrational capital of the North Western Province, which is also known as Wayamba in Sinhala. Kurunegala was a shortlived capital of Sri Lanka in the late Middle Ages, more precisely, in the late 13th and early 14th century. Not much remains from that period. The main attraction in the impressive Elephant Rock, known as Ethagala in Sinhala. It is now crowned by a huge white Buddha statue built in the first decade of the 21st century. The Buddha statue's platform is an excellent vantage point. At the base of the rock is a tomb of a Muslim saint also venerated by some Buddhists. Kurunegala is one of the major bus stations in Sri Lanka, as main routes from numerous directions meet here.
Names of Kurunegala
Kurunegala (pronounced “Kurunaegele”, putting the main stress on the “ae”) contains the word “Kurunai”, the meaning of which is unclear. Notwithstanding other claims in online articles such as wikipedia, “Kurunai” is not a common word used for “tusker”, neither in Sinhala nor in Tamil. The Tamil word “Kurunai” means “granule” or “sprout”, “kurun” in general means “short” in Tamil. The Sinhala term “kurun” can mean “bird”. “Gala” is a typical Sinhalese term found as the ending of many topoynyms. The literal meaning is stone, but it usually indicates a rock or a hillock. Some of the historical names of the city, as given in the chronicles, are “Athugalpura” or “Hasthishailapura” or “Hatthigiripura”, all of them literally meaning “elephant rock city”.
Besides our overview section for your quick information mainly about the sights of Kurunegala, you can also find more detailed articles, by clicking the blue tabs such as "history"...
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Gale Bandara
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What to see in Kurunegala
The landmark of Kurunegala is the city's backyard mountain, an eyecatching specimen of a typical Sri Lankan monadnock. Situated directly at the eastern edge of the town centre, the granite hill rises vertically in places, The name of the inselberg is Ethagala, which means “tusker rock”. Other spellings are “Ethugala” or “Athugala” or "Athagala". The pronunciation is “Aetagale”.
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In the first decade of our millennium, a colossal white Buddha statue has been erected at the western slope of the Ethagala (Atthugala), which translates to“elephant rock”. Though plannings had already begun in 1965, the first official steps were initiated not before 1995 and the granting of the land on the rock surface 1997, with the support of the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The Athagala Samadhi Buddha statue measures 20 m in height and 20 m in width and 10 m in depth.
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Ethagala, the huge granite monadnock Ethagala is a granite rock formation located in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. It is a popular vantage point that offers stunning panoramic views of the city and its surroundings. The Buddha statue can be reached by car via a steep but manageable dead-end road. Halfway to the top, in the mid valley of the hill, there is the small Buddhist cave temple of Ibbagala Raja Maha Vihara, officially listed as an archaeological site.
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On the granite hill west of the city center and south of Kurunegala Lake lies the Buddhist temple Wawgala Viharaya. This is another excellent vantage point overlooking the city and the surroundings. The Kurunegala Lake, also known as Ranthaliya Wewa, serves as a recreational area for the city and is surrounded by parks. According to legend, once upon a time, a golden vessel appeared in the middle of the lake. However, whoever attempted to reach and fetch it, lost his life.
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As in many cities of the former Empire, the main junction of the city is adorned with a clock tower - a British gift (and symbol of dominance). It was built in 1922, honour soldiers from the Northwest Province who had lost their lives on the British side in the First World War. The inscription says: "This Clock Tower was erected in memory of those who went from the North Western province at the call of duty and gave their lives for the empire in the World War in 1914-1918". After 1945, the clock tower was dedicated to the victims of the province in World War II, too. The clock tower is located amidst Kurunegala's three main institutions, namely town hall, market and bus station.
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One of the two access roads to the Ehtagala granite monadnock is along a small building which is not an architectural attraction at all but is of utmost significance for the culture of Kurunegala. It shelters the coffin of a Muslim saint who is also venerated by Buddhists, namely as the regional guardian deity of Kurunegala. Gale Bandara Deviyo is believed to be the spirit of an assassinated king. A trunk is growing from the heart of the former king's body.
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In Kurunegala, there are approximately twice as many Muslims as Hindus. 15% of the residents of Kurunegala are Muslims. This is a significantly higher Muslim population proportion than in other major cities in the Sinhalese-majority area in Sri Lanka. The Jamiul Azhar Bazaar Mosque, also simply known as the Grand Mosque or Kurunegala Jummah Mosque (Friday Mosque), is the main place of worship for Muslims in Kurunegala. It was founded in 1923. The Malay minority, a second group of Islamic faith, has its own mosque a little further north. Additional mosques are located in the suburbs of Kurunegala.
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The Ethkanda Rajamaha Viharaya is a Buddhist monastery and cave temple at the foot of the elephant rock. Attached to it is a Buddhist temple built at the place where the body of the assassinated king was found, who became the Sinhalese deity Gale Bandara Deviyo. The Ethkanda Rajamaha Viharaya looks back to a much longer tradition, it is said to have been founded by King Suratissa soon after Buddhism had been introduced to the island. The Bo-Tree is believed to be from theAnuradhapura period.
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Besides Colombo, Kurunegala is one of the only two dioceses of the Church of Ceylon, which is Sri Lanka's national branch of the Anglican Church. The Cathedral of Christ the King is located at the foot of the elephant rock, not far from the two Gale Bandara shrines mentioned above. The construction of the church commenced in December 1950, ten months after the diocese of Kurunagala had been established. It was largely funded by the De Mel family of the first bishop. This family hald offices at the royal court already in the 15th century and played a major role in the agrarian sctor in the 19th century.
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Kurunegala is located 94 km northwest of Colombo. It’s the capital of the Northwestern Province (known as Wayamba in Sinhala) and its inland district named after the city of Kurunegala. By the way, the large Kurunegala District has extraordinarily many historical sites, more than 50. But except from Yapahuwa, almost none of them is on the normal tourist’s shortlist.
Kurunegala is the most important traffic hubs in Sri Lanka, maybe only second to Colombo. Actually, the center of the town is a huge bus station, up to 200 buses can park here and in the surrounding streets at the same time. Kurunegala is the crosspoint of the main road from Colombo to the north and northeast (A6 to Trincomalee) with the Kandy-Puttalam road (A10). Traveling from the hill country to the coastal cities north of Colombo (such as Negombo, Chilaw, Puttalam) almost all routes cross Kurunegala. The city also has a train station at the railroad from Colombo to the north and east of the island.
By the way, it was quite common in Sinhalese culture to develop settlements at markets or bazaars of transregional significance, which were commonly at such intersections. Such trading hubs also became the main local markets of famers and villagers of the immediate surroundings.
Kurunegala is located in an attractive environment that forms a transition zone between the three main vegetation zones of Sri Lanka, namely the tropical southwest, the dry north and the foothills of the mountainous region. Although the average annual rainfall is 2000mm, Kurunegala is located in one of the very few regions of Sri Lanka that receive precipitation during two rainy seasons annually, namely the main monsoon from the southwest in June to August and the northwest monsoon in December and January with less high precipitation. The region is used intensively by rice cultivation and coconut and rubber plantations, but it’s not urbanized. Besides Uva Province in the southeast, Kurunegala District is provinicial and agrarian and the prices for purchasing land are the lowest in Sri Lanka.
The urban site of Kurunegala is in view of the first higher hills of the highlands and is surrounded by several dark granite peaks, which are flat and steep. Such turtleback and island rocks are typical of the lowlands of Sri Lanka. The shapes of the hillocks surrounding Kurunegala are associated with animals. There is an elephant rock Ethagala, a turtle rock Ibbagala, a beetle rock Kuruminiyagala, a goat rock Elugala, a monkey rock Wanduragala and another demon rock Yakdessagala. It is said that these giant animals were petrified when they threatened Kurunegala's water supply. In an extreme drought, a witch had turned those animals into rocks preventing them from drinking the fresh water of the human inhabitants.
The town of Kurunegala has only around 30.000 inhabitants, maybe altogether 40,000 with those of adjacent villages included. In the case of Kurunegala, Tamils are not the most significant minority. Rather, Muslim traders have traditionally formed an important part of the population. The percentage of Muslims is about 15% of the total population. A small group of Burghers is also noteworthy. Kurunegala is the seat of both a Catholic bishop and an Anglican bishop.
Kurunegala is the most important traffic hubs in Sri Lanka, maybe only second to Colombo. Actually, the center of the town is a huge bus station, up to 200 buses can park here and in the surrounding streets at the same time. Kurunegala is the crosspoint of the main road from Colombo to the north and northeast (A6 to Trincomalee) with the Kandy-Puttalam road (A10). Traveling from the hill country to the coastal cities north of Colombo (such as Negombo, Chilaw, Puttalam) almost all routes cross Kurunegala. The city also has a train station at the railroad from Colombo to the north and east of the island.
By the way, it was quite common in Sinhalese culture to develop settlements at markets or bazaars of transregional significance, which were commonly at such intersections. Such trading hubs also became the main local markets of famers and villagers of the immediate surroundings.
Kurunegala is located in an attractive environment that forms a transition zone between the three main vegetation zones of Sri Lanka, namely the tropical southwest, the dry north and the foothills of the mountainous region. Although the average annual rainfall is 2000mm, Kurunegala is located in one of the very few regions of Sri Lanka that receive precipitation during two rainy seasons annually, namely the main monsoon from the southwest in June to August and the northwest monsoon in December and January with less high precipitation. The region is used intensively by rice cultivation and coconut and rubber plantations, but it’s not urbanized. Besides Uva Province in the southeast, Kurunegala District is provinicial and agrarian and the prices for purchasing land are the lowest in Sri Lanka.
The urban site of Kurunegala is in view of the first higher hills of the highlands and is surrounded by several dark granite peaks, which are flat and steep. Such turtleback and island rocks are typical of the lowlands of Sri Lanka. The shapes of the hillocks surrounding Kurunegala are associated with animals. There is an elephant rock Ethagala, a turtle rock Ibbagala, a beetle rock Kuruminiyagala, a goat rock Elugala, a monkey rock Wanduragala and another demon rock Yakdessagala. It is said that these giant animals were petrified when they threatened Kurunegala's water supply. In an extreme drought, a witch had turned those animals into rocks preventing them from drinking the fresh water of the human inhabitants.
The town of Kurunegala has only around 30.000 inhabitants, maybe altogether 40,000 with those of adjacent villages included. In the case of Kurunegala, Tamils are not the most significant minority. Rather, Muslim traders have traditionally formed an important part of the population. The percentage of Muslims is about 15% of the total population. A small group of Burghers is also noteworthy. Kurunegala is the seat of both a Catholic bishop and an Anglican bishop.
History of Kurunegala
Then known as Hatthigiripura (“elephant hill town”), for several decades in the early 13th century Kurunegala was the capital of Sri Lanka. This was a period of decline of Sinhalese power. During the almost all decades of the so-called Dambadeniya kingdom (and likewise in the succeeding Gampola period), co-regents in second capitals and powerful generals in other residences played a significant role. Moreover, principalities in far-away regions of the island might not have been under effective control of the Dambadeniya and Kurunegala kings. For sure, the northern part of the island was ruled by another dynasty, Magha from Kalinga., the Chandrabhanus, who were of Southeast-Asian origin, and finally the Aryachakravartins from neighbouring South India. Though the Sinhalese royal capital in the 13th and 14th century cannot clearly attributed to only one single place at each point in time, it was first Dambadeniya and later on Kurunegala which became the most important capitals in the west, before the Sinhalese stronghold shifted to Gampola in the central highlands in the mid 14th century. Like Yapahuwa, which came to prominence during the same period, Dambadeniya and Kurunegala had natural rocks allowing to defend the royal residence easily. In contrast to Yapahuwa, almost no remnants from the medieval period can be found in Kurunegala today.
Vijayabahu III was the founder of the so-called Sirisangabo dynasty and established Dambadeniya (30 km west of Kurunegala) as the new Sinhalese stronghold. His son, Parakramabahu II, became the most important ruler of Dambadeniya, as he was able to extend his power over almost all parts of the island except from the north. Parakrambahu was effectively in control of the western (Dakkhinadesa) and southern parts of the island (Rohana) and the central hills and finally to the former Rajarata (Cultural Triangle). Parakramabahu II finally was crowned by his son and co-regent Viayabahu IV in Polonnaruwa, when it was reconquered with the help of the Southndian Pandyas. Soon afterwards, Parakramabahu was compelled to return to Dambadeniya and after his demise his dynasty never again managed to control large territories. Within the next decades, the capital was shifted several times, from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa and once more to Polonnaruwa and finally to Kurunegala, where the “Dambadeniya kingdom” came to an end, though later kings in Gampola and Kotte claimed to be their descendants, belonging to the same house of “Sirisangabo”.
It was during the period oft the Dambadeniya kingdom that Marco Polo visited the island on his voyage back from China to the Mediterranean. According to his travelogue, he definitely landed at a southern seaport of Sri Lanka. He got some information concerning the pilgrimage to Adam’s Peak. Some say, he must also have visited a king in Kurunegala those days.
Vijayabahu III was the founder of the so-called Sirisangabo dynasty and established Dambadeniya (30 km west of Kurunegala) as the new Sinhalese stronghold. His son, Parakramabahu II, became the most important ruler of Dambadeniya, as he was able to extend his power over almost all parts of the island except from the north. Parakrambahu was effectively in control of the western (Dakkhinadesa) and southern parts of the island (Rohana) and the central hills and finally to the former Rajarata (Cultural Triangle). Parakramabahu II finally was crowned by his son and co-regent Viayabahu IV in Polonnaruwa, when it was reconquered with the help of the Southndian Pandyas. Soon afterwards, Parakramabahu was compelled to return to Dambadeniya and after his demise his dynasty never again managed to control large territories. Within the next decades, the capital was shifted several times, from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa and once more to Polonnaruwa and finally to Kurunegala, where the “Dambadeniya kingdom” came to an end, though later kings in Gampola and Kotte claimed to be their descendants, belonging to the same house of “Sirisangabo”.
It was during the period oft the Dambadeniya kingdom that Marco Polo visited the island on his voyage back from China to the Mediterranean. According to his travelogue, he definitely landed at a southern seaport of Sri Lanka. He got some information concerning the pilgrimage to Adam’s Peak. Some say, he must also have visited a king in Kurunegala those days.
Vijayabahu IV
Parakramabahu II of Dambadeniya (Dambadeni Parakkamabahu) was succeded by his eldest son known as “Bosat” Vijayabahu around 1270, who is credited with having completed the Temple for the Relic in Dambadeniya. The younger son Bhuvanekabahu was appointed the new heir apparent, whose centre of authority was Kurunegala (Hatthigiripura), where he is said to have built the Buddhist Mahamahindabahu Parivena. Only two years after becoming the sole ruler, Vijayabahu was assassinated by his commander in chief. The usurper in turn was killed by Vijayabahu's brother and heir apparent, who with the help of Rajput soldiers from northern India became the new king, Bhuvanekabahu I.
Bhuvanaikabahu I
Only a few months after his accession, Bhuvanaikabahu (Buvanekka Bahu) chose Yapahuwa, where he had previously served as army commander of his father Parakramabhu II, as his new royal residence. He fortified it and transferred the Tooth Relic to the new capital. The reason for transferring the capital from the Dambadeniya/Kurunegala area to Yapahuwa further north may have been that it was more secure and closer to the Vanni area which was contested by the new power center in the north. In 1284, an embassy was sent from China to secure the Tooth and Bowl Relics. This presumably occurred during the short Yapahuwa period. Yapahuwa is a major finding place of Chinese coins and ceramics in Sri Lanka anyway.
Interregnum
The Chulavansa chronicle represents Bhuvanaikabahu’s nephew (Vijayabahu's son) Parakrama Bahu III as immediately succeeding him. In contrast, the contemporary Daladasirita speaks of a “rajyanatara”, an interregnum without legitimate ruler. The reason for the interregnum might have been a debated succession, in case the son of Bhuvanaikabahu I contested the right of the son of Vijayabahu IV to ascend the throne.
Codrington, the most-cited of the early historiographers in British Ceylon, mentions a Tamil poem (Sarajoti Malai) indicating a length of 20 years for that interregnum. However, most historians of the 20th century, preferring Chinese accounts, assume a much shorter period of roughly only three years of vacancy in the throne.
It’s undisputed that during this period – as previously and afterwards - the Pandyas of southern India were the major power on the island. They treated the Sinhalese Dambadeniya kings as loyal vassals. The Sinhalese kings of the Dambadeniya dymnasty, welcomed the Tamil Pandyas as allies. The Chulavamsa chronicle speaks highly of the Pandyan Emperor: “King Kulasekhara who was as the sun for the lotus blossom of the stem of the great kings of the Pandus” (90,47) The foreign Pandyan forces removed Chandrabhanu II from the throne in Jaffna during the late 1270s or early 1280s, after he had attempted to get rid of their overlordship, seeking not only independence from Pandyan hegemony but also trying to acquire hegemony in Sinhalese territories for himself.
Actually, Chandrabhanu II had only come to the throne in Jaffna by acknowledging Pandyan authority, after his father, Chandrabhanu I, also becoming too powerful those days, had been killed by invading Pandyan forces in the early 1260s. (That previous invasion led by Prince Vira Pandya, brother of Emperor Sundara Pandya, took place during the period of the Sinhalese ruler Pararakamabahu II). In the said later invasion (under Sundara Pandya’s successor, Kulasekara Pandya), the Pandyan army finally dethroned also their former vassal and protégé Chandrabhanu II. He now was replaced by their own army general, Aryachakravarti, who became the actual founder of the Tamil dynasty of the same name, usually referred to as Jaffna kingdom (although the Jaffna kings also claimed descent from much earlier kings such as Kalinga Magha).
It is also during this interregnum or shortly afterwards, around 1293, that Marco Polo passed by Lanka. He described the empire of the Pandyas as the best in India. Concerning his visit on the island of Sri Lanka, Marco Polo in chapter 14 of his travelogue makes mention of a king named Sendemain, whose identity is obscure.
James Emerson Tennent (colonial secretary of Ceylon 1845-41 and afterwards author of several books on the island) supposed that the name might refer to Chandrabhanu II. The latter identification is highly debatable due to an anachronism, as the reign of Chandrabhanu II is likely to have been terminated more than a decade prior to Marco Polo’s visit. The reason for Tenent’s questionable hypotheses is that the Tamil name of Chandrabhanu was Savakanmaindan and the Tamil pronunciations usually sound shorter than the spellings. Presumed the identification is correct, Marco Polo considered the foreign ruler in the north (and not the Sinhalese king of Dambadeniya and Kurunegala) to be the king of the island. Anyway, he states that the soldiers in Ceylon are foreigners. It might well be that Marco Polo only heard about a mighty and rich ruler of that name, Sendemain, and erroneously assumed he was still reigning. Marco Polo does not claim to have met this king, whom he credits with ownership of the largest ruby of the world. When Ibn Batuta, the most famous Arab traveler, visited Lanka half a century later than Marco Polo, the Jaffna rulers had gained control of the pearl fishery in the Palk Strait and extended their borders to the island of Mannar.
Codrington, the most-cited of the early historiographers in British Ceylon, mentions a Tamil poem (Sarajoti Malai) indicating a length of 20 years for that interregnum. However, most historians of the 20th century, preferring Chinese accounts, assume a much shorter period of roughly only three years of vacancy in the throne.
It’s undisputed that during this period – as previously and afterwards - the Pandyas of southern India were the major power on the island. They treated the Sinhalese Dambadeniya kings as loyal vassals. The Sinhalese kings of the Dambadeniya dymnasty, welcomed the Tamil Pandyas as allies. The Chulavamsa chronicle speaks highly of the Pandyan Emperor: “King Kulasekhara who was as the sun for the lotus blossom of the stem of the great kings of the Pandus” (90,47) The foreign Pandyan forces removed Chandrabhanu II from the throne in Jaffna during the late 1270s or early 1280s, after he had attempted to get rid of their overlordship, seeking not only independence from Pandyan hegemony but also trying to acquire hegemony in Sinhalese territories for himself.
Actually, Chandrabhanu II had only come to the throne in Jaffna by acknowledging Pandyan authority, after his father, Chandrabhanu I, also becoming too powerful those days, had been killed by invading Pandyan forces in the early 1260s. (That previous invasion led by Prince Vira Pandya, brother of Emperor Sundara Pandya, took place during the period of the Sinhalese ruler Pararakamabahu II). In the said later invasion (under Sundara Pandya’s successor, Kulasekara Pandya), the Pandyan army finally dethroned also their former vassal and protégé Chandrabhanu II. He now was replaced by their own army general, Aryachakravarti, who became the actual founder of the Tamil dynasty of the same name, usually referred to as Jaffna kingdom (although the Jaffna kings also claimed descent from much earlier kings such as Kalinga Magha).
It is also during this interregnum or shortly afterwards, around 1293, that Marco Polo passed by Lanka. He described the empire of the Pandyas as the best in India. Concerning his visit on the island of Sri Lanka, Marco Polo in chapter 14 of his travelogue makes mention of a king named Sendemain, whose identity is obscure.
James Emerson Tennent (colonial secretary of Ceylon 1845-41 and afterwards author of several books on the island) supposed that the name might refer to Chandrabhanu II. The latter identification is highly debatable due to an anachronism, as the reign of Chandrabhanu II is likely to have been terminated more than a decade prior to Marco Polo’s visit. The reason for Tenent’s questionable hypotheses is that the Tamil name of Chandrabhanu was Savakanmaindan and the Tamil pronunciations usually sound shorter than the spellings. Presumed the identification is correct, Marco Polo considered the foreign ruler in the north (and not the Sinhalese king of Dambadeniya and Kurunegala) to be the king of the island. Anyway, he states that the soldiers in Ceylon are foreigners. It might well be that Marco Polo only heard about a mighty and rich ruler of that name, Sendemain, and erroneously assumed he was still reigning. Marco Polo does not claim to have met this king, whom he credits with ownership of the largest ruby of the world. When Ibn Batuta, the most famous Arab traveler, visited Lanka half a century later than Marco Polo, the Jaffna rulers had gained control of the pearl fishery in the Palk Strait and extended their borders to the island of Mannar.
Parakramabahu III
Bhuvanaikabahu’s nephew Parakrama Bahu III, who as the son of the departed king’s elder brother, Vijayabahu IV, was indeed the first in the line of succession according to Sinhalese traditions, finally ascended the throne. Parakrambahu had to humble himself by a personal embassy to the court of the Emperor Kulasekara Pandya to gain possession of the Sinhalese national palladium, the Tooth Relic. He succeede, presumably at the price of vassalage. After the return of the Sacred Tooth to the island, Kurunegala is said to have become the temporary repository of the national relic, before it was transferred to Polonnaruwa. The new king placed it in the former capital that he demonstratively chose as the place of his coronation ceremony. He also seems to have ruled at Polonnaruva for a while. This was only possible due to Pandyan protection against the Aryachakravartin ruler of Jaffna, whom the Pandyan considered to be their vassal alike. Polonnaruwa, by the way, was already partly in ruins and reverting to a jungle area at this point in time (almost a century after it had been conquered by Kalinga Magha). Parakramanahu III was the last Sinhalese monarch who was crowned in Polonnaruwa. The Tooth Relic was definitely kept there during his reign, but it’s not entirely clear whether the king chose Polonnaruwa as his own permanent residence, too. Maybe, he returned to the Dambadeniya area, the stronghold of his dynasty, and resided in a palace on the Eth Gala overseeing the city of Kurunegala. Presuming the latter, Parakrambahu III can also be counted as the first Kurunegala king. The exact dates and events of his reign are not known.
According to a legend, Parakramabahu III suspected his cousin Bhuvanaikabahu, who was the son of the former king of the same name and local ruler of Kurunegala, of conspiring to seize the throne. He sent his barber to blind him, thereby excluding Bhuvanaikabahu from the line of succession. The plot failed and resulted in a counterstrike. Bhuwanekabahu II overthrew his cousin. It’s likely that the historical background for his revolt - daring an attack on the rightful king – was due to the waning power of the Pandyans, who had been the protectors of their loyal vassal or allie Parakramabahu III. Soon after the demise of Kulaseka Pandya in 1308, the Pandyan capital Madurai in Southern India came under attack by Malik Kafur, the famous general of the Sultanate of Delhi who led the first Muslim invasion to the very south of India. The year 1310 marks the termination of Pandyan rule in the Tamil heartland.
According to a legend, Parakramabahu III suspected his cousin Bhuvanaikabahu, who was the son of the former king of the same name and local ruler of Kurunegala, of conspiring to seize the throne. He sent his barber to blind him, thereby excluding Bhuvanaikabahu from the line of succession. The plot failed and resulted in a counterstrike. Bhuwanekabahu II overthrew his cousin. It’s likely that the historical background for his revolt - daring an attack on the rightful king – was due to the waning power of the Pandyans, who had been the protectors of their loyal vassal or allie Parakramabahu III. Soon after the demise of Kulaseka Pandya in 1308, the Pandyan capital Madurai in Southern India came under attack by Malik Kafur, the famous general of the Sultanate of Delhi who led the first Muslim invasion to the very south of India. The year 1310 marks the termination of Pandyan rule in the Tamil heartland.
Bhuvanaikabahu II
Bhuvanaikabahu II (Vathimi Bhuvenekabahu) seized the Tooth Relic and shifted it to his fortified residential town. Thereby - now for sure - Kurunegala became the Sinhalese capital. Bhuvanaikabahu II is sometimes considered to be the actual founder of the new capital at Kurunegala. According to the Chulavamsa chronicle the new king died already in his second year. But the Daladasirita, composed already during the reign of his successor, assigns to him nine festivals that were held annually. Hence, he must have reigned at least nine years.
Parakramabahu IV
Parakramabahu IV was the son of Bhuvanaikabahu II. He came to the throne in the beginning of the 14th century, when Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa had been definitely abandoned. No other king played a more important role in the history of Kurunegala. The king was also referred to as the „guardian of Dambai“, which is Dambadeniya. Parakramabahu IV is best known by his honorific name “Pandita Parakrama”, a title also applied to other kings of this name such as Parkramabhu II of Dambadeniya, who had been styled “Kalikala Sahitya Sarvajna Pandita”, which translates to “the Kali-age literature’s all-knowing scholar”. However, in many cases also terms as “Pandith Parakramabahu” or “Pandit Parakamabahu” refer to the Kurunegala king. He earned this honorific name due to his erudition and his patronage of another literary revival. Besides works in Pali, a Sinhala grammar was written for the first time under this king. Parakramabahu IV himself is credited with having translated Jataka stories, narrating the meritorious deeds of the Buddha in his previous lives, from the Pali scriptures into Sinhalese, thereby contributing to their popularity. The Kurunegala king is also said to have initiated the composition the abovementioned Daladasirita (Dhaladha Siritha), laid down the correct ceremonies of paying homage to the Sacred Tooth. Parakramabahu IV is also built a (new) Tooth Temple in Kurunegala, presumably at the foot of the “elephant rock”. Apart from that, he built several other temples.
The length of the reign of Parakrambahu IV of Kurunegala is unknown. Remarkably, the medieval sequal of the ancient Mahavamsa chronicle (called Chulavamsa by Wilhelm Geiger) ends with the death of this king. The next sequel of the chronicle was composed not before the 18th century. Moreover, it’s with his demise around 1326 that the Dambadeniya dynasty came to an end.
In the last years of his reign Parakramabahu IV had to face a rebellion Bodamapananda, presumably the heir apparent. The uprising was serious enough to cause the monks of the capital to disperse. Maybe, another interregnum followed.
The length of the reign of Parakrambahu IV of Kurunegala is unknown. Remarkably, the medieval sequal of the ancient Mahavamsa chronicle (called Chulavamsa by Wilhelm Geiger) ends with the death of this king. The next sequel of the chronicle was composed not before the 18th century. Moreover, it’s with his demise around 1326 that the Dambadeniya dynasty came to an end.
In the last years of his reign Parakramabahu IV had to face a rebellion Bodamapananda, presumably the heir apparent. The uprising was serious enough to cause the monks of the capital to disperse. Maybe, another interregnum followed.
Bhuvanaikabahu III
After Parakramabhu IV, Sinhalese rulers became little more than warring chieftains, whereas the Tamil principality of kingdom of Jaffna seems to have been the island’s strongest power most of the fourteenth century and chieftains seem to have gained autonomous powers in the jungles called Vanni in between Jaffna Peninsula and the Sinhalese settlement areas.
Parakramabahu IV was succeeded by Bhuvanaikabahu III, also named Vanni Bhuwaneka Bahu. The name indicates that he was a chieftain from the Vanni region. It’s most likely that he had no kinship ties with the Sirisangabo dynasty of Dambadeniya kings, though he seems to have been reigning from Kurunegala like his predecessors. The Kurunugala tank is reputed to be a work of this monarch. But no inscription can be attributed to this king and due to the paucity of other written sources, too, very little is known about the person and the reign of Bhubanaikabahu III. His reign lasted about a decade around 1330.
The next authenticated date in Sri Lanka’s history is 1344, which is given as year 1266 of the Indian Shaka era in the rock inscriptions of Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya near Gampola, indicating the shift of the Sinhalese capital to the hill country for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history.
Parakramabahu IV was succeeded by Bhuvanaikabahu III, also named Vanni Bhuwaneka Bahu. The name indicates that he was a chieftain from the Vanni region. It’s most likely that he had no kinship ties with the Sirisangabo dynasty of Dambadeniya kings, though he seems to have been reigning from Kurunegala like his predecessors. The Kurunugala tank is reputed to be a work of this monarch. But no inscription can be attributed to this king and due to the paucity of other written sources, too, very little is known about the person and the reign of Bhubanaikabahu III. His reign lasted about a decade around 1330.
The next authenticated date in Sri Lanka’s history is 1344, which is given as year 1266 of the Indian Shaka era in the rock inscriptions of Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya near Gampola, indicating the shift of the Sinhalese capital to the hill country for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history.
Vijayabahu V
Again, little is known about his king. His title Savalu indicates that he might have been from a settlement which had already been the fief of this family previously. Surprisingly, Vijayabahu V is also said to be a son of Chandrahhanu of Jaffna, the abovementioned foreign ruler who finally was ousted by the Pandyas from South India. A contemporary work called Paramisataka, composed by the first of several significant scholars bearing the monastic name Dhammakitti, claims Vijayabahu’s royal descent from Parakramabahu. But it is debated whether this refers to one of the Parakramabahus of the Dambadeniya dynasty or to the very first king of this name, Parakramabahu the Great of Polonnaruwa. The latter might be more likely, intended to legitimate Savalu Vijayabahu’s reign by claiming rights to the throne via a lineage that preceded that of the Sirisangabo dynasty of Dambadeniya and Kurunegala.
The reign of Vijayabahu V lasted for roughly half a decade or longer. However, it may have run concurrently in part with that of his son, who presumably was serving as as a co-regent in the hill country. Vijayabahu V was the last monarch ruling from Kurunegala. According to the much later genealogy of Parakramabahu VI of Kotte (1412-67) he was the founder of the dynasty residing in Gampola soon afterwards. The new lineage of monarchs nevertheless continued to bear the dynastic name Sirisanghabo of the previous Dambadeniya kings.
The reign of Vijayabahu V lasted for roughly half a decade or longer. However, it may have run concurrently in part with that of his son, who presumably was serving as as a co-regent in the hill country. Vijayabahu V was the last monarch ruling from Kurunegala. According to the much later genealogy of Parakramabahu VI of Kotte (1412-67) he was the founder of the dynasty residing in Gampola soon afterwards. The new lineage of monarchs nevertheless continued to bear the dynastic name Sirisanghabo of the previous Dambadeniya kings.
Bhuvanaikabahu IV
According to later genealogies, Bhuvanekabahu IV was the son of Vijayabahu V. It is said that he first tried to establish himself in Dambadeniya before choosing a new royal residence in a farer distance from Kurunegala in the mid 14th century. Bhuvenaikabahu IV soon ruled from Gampola (then known as Gangasiripura) at the Mahaweli river. His brother Parakramabahu V (1344-59) was a junior king in Dedigama not far away from Gampola. This indicated that the power of the first Gampola king was limited. The reason for moving the royal residences from Kurunegala to the hill country might have been civil unrest or the rising power of ministers in the former capital or simply safety concerns. The new capitals were farer away from the zone of influence of the Jaffna rulers and therefore less exposed to interventions. The major achievements of King Bhuvanaikabahu’s reign are the constructions of the temples of Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya, which show the ambition to recapture the grandeur of the Polonnaruwa kingdom, but also indicate increasing religious influences of Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism.
It was also during the reign of Bhuvenaikabahu IV that one of the Alagakonnaras became chief minister. It was presumably during the years of this king's reign or that that the island was visited by the famous Arab traveler, Ibn Batuta, who found the north of the Island, including the port of Puttalam, in the possession of the Aeyachakravartin king of Jaffna. The name of the Sinhalese king given in Ibn Batuta’s report is Al-Kunwar, which could be pronounced “Alkonaar”. The famous Arab traveler and scholar states that this king had been blinded in a palace revolution but still alive, though replaced as ruler by his son. The name “Alkonaar” could refer to the minister Alagakkonara, who is known from an inscription his wife left in Kelaniya in 1344, which roughly corresponds to the time Ibn Battuta visited Sri Lanka.
The Alagakkonara family, later known as Alakeshvaras, was destined to play an important role in Sri Lanka’s late medieval history. It was this clan that established the capital in the area of Colombo for the first time, more precisely in Kotte, which today is a suburb of Colombo and again the official capital. In the late 14th century, the Alagakkonaras/Alakeshvaras finally ascended the throne, after having served as a kind of majordomos and gouvernors for Gampola kings previously.
However, the rise of this family must have started prior to that, this is to say: already in the Kurunegala period. The origin of the Alagakkonara/Alakeshvara family is debated. Codrington states, that they belonged to the Girivamsa, the clan of the queen of Parakrambahu II of Dambadeniya. Not necessarily contradicting this is the common thesis that they were of foreign origin, namely members of a merchant caste from Tamil Nadu or Kerala, who became powerful in Sri Lanka only after converting to Buddhism. They are said to have left Vanchipuram (presumably Kanchipuram), when General Malik Kafur’s forces of the Delhi sultanate invaded southern India around 1310.
Maybe, one generation later on the Alagakkonnaras where left behind as local governors in Kurunegala, when the royal residence was shifted to Gampola. But it’s not clear, where exactly Ibn Battuta met Al-Konaar. The context mentioning an abundance in rubies in the area where Al-Konaar is said to have resided seems to indicate that Ibn Battuta refers to Ratnapura. In contrast, other assertions of Ibn Battuta indicate such as “Ruby Bay” and the existence of a mosque indicate that he meant a coastal town. However, the name of Al-Konaar’s residential town given by Ibn Battuta is “Kunakar” according to some manuscripts, “Kanka” according to others. “Kunukar” could refer to Kurunegala, whereas “Kanka” might be an Arab transliteration of “Ganga”, “Ganga Siripura” being the name of Gampola those days. There is no doubt, that it was during the Gampola period in the second half of the 14th century that the Alagakkonaras/Alakeshvaras finally became the de facto power holders, legitimizing their rule by intermarriage with the royal family of Vikramabahu III of Gampola. It was then the Alakshvara family that managed to repulse attacks of the mighty Aryachakravartin rulers of Jaffna.
It was also during the reign of Bhuvenaikabahu IV that one of the Alagakonnaras became chief minister. It was presumably during the years of this king's reign or that that the island was visited by the famous Arab traveler, Ibn Batuta, who found the north of the Island, including the port of Puttalam, in the possession of the Aeyachakravartin king of Jaffna. The name of the Sinhalese king given in Ibn Batuta’s report is Al-Kunwar, which could be pronounced “Alkonaar”. The famous Arab traveler and scholar states that this king had been blinded in a palace revolution but still alive, though replaced as ruler by his son. The name “Alkonaar” could refer to the minister Alagakkonara, who is known from an inscription his wife left in Kelaniya in 1344, which roughly corresponds to the time Ibn Battuta visited Sri Lanka.
The Alagakkonara family, later known as Alakeshvaras, was destined to play an important role in Sri Lanka’s late medieval history. It was this clan that established the capital in the area of Colombo for the first time, more precisely in Kotte, which today is a suburb of Colombo and again the official capital. In the late 14th century, the Alagakkonaras/Alakeshvaras finally ascended the throne, after having served as a kind of majordomos and gouvernors for Gampola kings previously.
However, the rise of this family must have started prior to that, this is to say: already in the Kurunegala period. The origin of the Alagakkonara/Alakeshvara family is debated. Codrington states, that they belonged to the Girivamsa, the clan of the queen of Parakrambahu II of Dambadeniya. Not necessarily contradicting this is the common thesis that they were of foreign origin, namely members of a merchant caste from Tamil Nadu or Kerala, who became powerful in Sri Lanka only after converting to Buddhism. They are said to have left Vanchipuram (presumably Kanchipuram), when General Malik Kafur’s forces of the Delhi sultanate invaded southern India around 1310.
Maybe, one generation later on the Alagakkonnaras where left behind as local governors in Kurunegala, when the royal residence was shifted to Gampola. But it’s not clear, where exactly Ibn Battuta met Al-Konaar. The context mentioning an abundance in rubies in the area where Al-Konaar is said to have resided seems to indicate that Ibn Battuta refers to Ratnapura. In contrast, other assertions of Ibn Battuta indicate such as “Ruby Bay” and the existence of a mosque indicate that he meant a coastal town. However, the name of Al-Konaar’s residential town given by Ibn Battuta is “Kunakar” according to some manuscripts, “Kanka” according to others. “Kunukar” could refer to Kurunegala, whereas “Kanka” might be an Arab transliteration of “Ganga”, “Ganga Siripura” being the name of Gampola those days. There is no doubt, that it was during the Gampola period in the second half of the 14th century that the Alagakkonaras/Alakeshvaras finally became the de facto power holders, legitimizing their rule by intermarriage with the royal family of Vikramabahu III of Gampola. It was then the Alakshvara family that managed to repulse attacks of the mighty Aryachakravartin rulers of Jaffna.
Kurunegala in the colonial period
In the Kandyan period, the region of Kurunegala was known under the name "Seven Korales", in contrast to the "Four Korales" south of the Kelani River. Korales were a kind of counties of the Kandyan kingdom, they remained only loosely under the control of Kandy. The land in between the hill country and the coast - in the north the Seven Korales around Kurunegala, in the south the Four Korales in today’s Sabaragamuwa Province - was only formally under the sovereignty of the Kandy kings, whereas in fact the Portuguese and Dutch exerted a dominating influence, because their garrisons at the west nd south coast could more easily reach out to those region than the Kandyan king behind the mountains. The Portuguese and even more the Dutch plantations expanded into the hinterland of their coastal forts. In other words: The Korales formed a kind of transition zone between colonial rulers and the Sinhala kingdom in the highlands.
Kurunegala is noticeable at least for one event in the British colonial period. In 1848, Kurunegala - along with Matale in the northern highlands - became the focal point of the last rebellion against colonial rule. This uprising is interpreted by most historians as a consequence of a British attempt to reorganize the agricultural economy to be dominated by large plantations under foreign control, a new tax system in particular shook the traditional structures of the agrarian sector.
Kurunegala is noticeable at least for one event in the British colonial period. In 1848, Kurunegala - along with Matale in the northern highlands - became the focal point of the last rebellion against colonial rule. This uprising is interpreted by most historians as a consequence of a British attempt to reorganize the agricultural economy to be dominated by large plantations under foreign control, a new tax system in particular shook the traditional structures of the agrarian sector.
Gale Bandara Deviyo - venerated by both Buddhists and Muslims
The 316 m high “elephant rock” (Ethagala) is the setting of an episode of a legend that is said to have been a historical event of the 13th century, when Kurunegala briefly was the residence of the Sinhalese kings of the Sambadeniya dynasty. The story is about a Sinhalese prince who was the son of a Muslim mother. He was overthrown by hurling him down from the Ethagala. But ever since he has been revered by Muslims and Buddhists alike, by the former as a saint as the mountain deity Gale Bandara by the latter. Gale Bandara is the most important regional god of the Kurunegala area. The violent death of a distant member of a ruling families is a somewhat typical breeding ground for the emergence of a semi-divine demonic power in several animistic beliefs that are widespread in many Buddhist countries.
Though documented in palm leaf manuscripts like Kurunegala Vistaraya, the Gale Bandara legend is not known from Sri Lanka’s chronicles. The legend is sometimes said to refer to a rival of Parakramabahus II (1234-69) for the throne in Dambadeniya. But the most common version is attributed to the generations following Parakramabahu. So the story goes:
In the period of Hasthishailapura (Kurunegala) being the Sinhalese capital, King Buvenaikabahu I (who indeed ruled in Kurunegala then called , though he is historically know as the king of Yapahuwa) was distressed because he had no son to succeed him. An astrologer had predicted that the king would be blessed with an heir apparent only by marrying a woman of a different faith. On one of his journey across his kingdom, Bhuvenaikabahu met a beautiful Muslim woman in the village of Aswedduma, whom he married secretly. She indeed gave birth to a baby boy. Bhuvenaikabahu’s son was named Ismail by his Muslim grandfather, but the king preferred a Sinhala name and renamed him Vathimi Bandara (Wathhimi Bandare). To hide the Muslim heir apparent from the royal court in Kurunegala, the prince was growing up as a Muslim, educated by his mother’s family in Beruwela, which has a long tradition of being the major Muslim community on the island.
Ismail alias Prince Vathimi Bandara was still a teenager, when a tragic incident occurred in Kurunegala. When his father started a campaign against a rivaling ruler, he told his harem of 20 wives that a white flag would be raised if the King won but a black flag in case of defeat. After, the king had won the battle, he despatched a messenger to let his wives know about the victory. But the messenger, full of joy about the victory, got drunk and accidentally waved the black flag instead of the white one. Seeing the black flag, the signal of defeat, the 20 queens in despair leaped to their death from the rock called Belumgala. After arriving in Kurunegala, the messenger sar the mess he had caused and therefore instantly leaped to his death at the very same spot. Finally, King Bhuvenaikabahu returned with his troops. Finding all his consorts dead, he couldn’t stand the grief and jumped off the same cliff.
The kingdom now seemed to be without legitimate ruler, without any successor to the throne. However, the Muslims living in the village of Aswedduma informed the royal court that Ismail had been borne there, who was in fact the late king’s son, Prince Vathimi Bandara, and that Bhuvenaikabahu had left a copper plate with an inscription saying that this son should be his sucessor. Thereupon, the young heir apparent was invited to come back from Beruwala to be crowned in Kurunegala.
But the new king, who had been been growing up as a Muslim was soon accused of favouring Muslims over the Sinhalase, who formed the majority in his kingdom. The suspiciousness of the Buddhist Sinhalese Buddhists was reinforced by the following miraculous event. A golden pot began to float like a lotus blossom in the Kurunegala Lake. But all attempts initiated by the young king to gain acquire it proved to be in vain. Sinhalese ritual charmers from far-away regions of the island were summoned to the court in Kurunegala to retrieve the treasure, but the King Vathimi Bandara threatened them to be decapitated as a punishment for failure. When a number of them had already been executed, the Sinhalese people feared that the killing of Sinhalese charmers would only the beginning of annihilating their traditions. Moreover, the Buddhist clergy too was opposed to a non-Buddhist ruling of the Sinhalese kingdom. Finally, the clergy conspired to put an end to the rule of the Muslim king.
The Buddhist monks let the King Vathimi Bandara know that a Pirith ceremony on the summit of Elephant Rock would secure the recovery of the floating golden pot. The king agreed to hold the Buddhist ceremony on the Ethagala. But the richly decorated pavilion, which was built for for the chanting of Pirith, was actually a trap. The seat of the king in the pavilion was constructed as a trapdoor. When Vathimi Bandara joined the ceremony, a rope attached to his stand was pulled.and the young Mulsim king plunged down the escarpment and died. His mitigated body was found at the foot of the elephant rock.
But the spirit of the assassinated king haunted down all those who had been involved in the plot and killed them. Finally, he appeared in a dream of a Muslim relative and told her where he should be buried to restore peace. The burial took place in accordance with Muslim rites and a tomb erected for the demised king. Moreover, a Buddhist place of worship was erected at the very spot where the body was found at the foot of the rock in order to appease his spirit, who from then on has been venerated under the name of Gale Bandara Deviyo, which translates to “Rock Hill God”. The murdered Muslim king thereby became the Sinhalese guardian deity of Kurunegala.
In the period of Hasthishailapura (Kurunegala) being the Sinhalese capital, King Buvenaikabahu I (who indeed ruled in Kurunegala then called , though he is historically know as the king of Yapahuwa) was distressed because he had no son to succeed him. An astrologer had predicted that the king would be blessed with an heir apparent only by marrying a woman of a different faith. On one of his journey across his kingdom, Bhuvenaikabahu met a beautiful Muslim woman in the village of Aswedduma, whom he married secretly. She indeed gave birth to a baby boy. Bhuvenaikabahu’s son was named Ismail by his Muslim grandfather, but the king preferred a Sinhala name and renamed him Vathimi Bandara (Wathhimi Bandare). To hide the Muslim heir apparent from the royal court in Kurunegala, the prince was growing up as a Muslim, educated by his mother’s family in Beruwela, which has a long tradition of being the major Muslim community on the island.
Ismail alias Prince Vathimi Bandara was still a teenager, when a tragic incident occurred in Kurunegala. When his father started a campaign against a rivaling ruler, he told his harem of 20 wives that a white flag would be raised if the King won but a black flag in case of defeat. After, the king had won the battle, he despatched a messenger to let his wives know about the victory. But the messenger, full of joy about the victory, got drunk and accidentally waved the black flag instead of the white one. Seeing the black flag, the signal of defeat, the 20 queens in despair leaped to their death from the rock called Belumgala. After arriving in Kurunegala, the messenger sar the mess he had caused and therefore instantly leaped to his death at the very same spot. Finally, King Bhuvenaikabahu returned with his troops. Finding all his consorts dead, he couldn’t stand the grief and jumped off the same cliff.
The kingdom now seemed to be without legitimate ruler, without any successor to the throne. However, the Muslims living in the village of Aswedduma informed the royal court that Ismail had been borne there, who was in fact the late king’s son, Prince Vathimi Bandara, and that Bhuvenaikabahu had left a copper plate with an inscription saying that this son should be his sucessor. Thereupon, the young heir apparent was invited to come back from Beruwala to be crowned in Kurunegala.
But the new king, who had been been growing up as a Muslim was soon accused of favouring Muslims over the Sinhalase, who formed the majority in his kingdom. The suspiciousness of the Buddhist Sinhalese Buddhists was reinforced by the following miraculous event. A golden pot began to float like a lotus blossom in the Kurunegala Lake. But all attempts initiated by the young king to gain acquire it proved to be in vain. Sinhalese ritual charmers from far-away regions of the island were summoned to the court in Kurunegala to retrieve the treasure, but the King Vathimi Bandara threatened them to be decapitated as a punishment for failure. When a number of them had already been executed, the Sinhalese people feared that the killing of Sinhalese charmers would only the beginning of annihilating their traditions. Moreover, the Buddhist clergy too was opposed to a non-Buddhist ruling of the Sinhalese kingdom. Finally, the clergy conspired to put an end to the rule of the Muslim king.
The Buddhist monks let the King Vathimi Bandara know that a Pirith ceremony on the summit of Elephant Rock would secure the recovery of the floating golden pot. The king agreed to hold the Buddhist ceremony on the Ethagala. But the richly decorated pavilion, which was built for for the chanting of Pirith, was actually a trap. The seat of the king in the pavilion was constructed as a trapdoor. When Vathimi Bandara joined the ceremony, a rope attached to his stand was pulled.and the young Mulsim king plunged down the escarpment and died. His mitigated body was found at the foot of the elephant rock.
But the spirit of the assassinated king haunted down all those who had been involved in the plot and killed them. Finally, he appeared in a dream of a Muslim relative and told her where he should be buried to restore peace. The burial took place in accordance with Muslim rites and a tomb erected for the demised king. Moreover, a Buddhist place of worship was erected at the very spot where the body was found at the foot of the rock in order to appease his spirit, who from then on has been venerated under the name of Gale Bandara Deviyo, which translates to “Rock Hill God”. The murdered Muslim king thereby became the Sinhalese guardian deity of Kurunegala.
The coffin of Gale Bandara is covered by a green flag. It is considered to be a miracle, that the stem of a tree is still growing out of the heart of the body. The coffin is sheltered by a building serving as shrine. The tomb is officiated by hereditary Muslim custodians. The name of this type of Muslim shrine would usually be “Dargah”, a Persian word meaning “portal” or “threshold”. Tombs of saints as places of worship are known from Sufism throughout the Muslim world, particularly in South Asia. Surprisingly, the tomb in Kurunegala is not called a Dargah but “Gale Bandara Devalaya”. “Devalaya” literally means “a god’s abode”. Actually, Davalayas or Devales are Sinhalese Buddhist shrines for worshipping Hindu deities. The Muslim tomb of the strange Hindu-Buddhist name Devalaya serves not only the purpose of veneration. Rather, it is an oracle. Actually, it’s one of the most respected oracles in Sri Lanka, for example frequented by Buddhist politicias of various parties in preparation of election campaigns. Doing so, they are not only looking for advice but also showing respect to minority religions.
The name of the Sinhalese shrine at the place where the dead body was found is “Purana Galebandara Devalaya”, which translates to “Old Gale Bandara temple”. As there are no Brahmins in the Sinhalese cast system, there is a Kapurala, a hereditary Sinhala priest from Goigama caste of peasants, who conducts the affairs of the shrine. He is assisted by a member of the drummer’s caste. This shrine is located next to a Buddhist monastery, with which the Gale Bandara shrine maintains a close relation. The Buddhist monastery near the site where the corpse was found is a Sinhalese cave temple of the common type. The name of the sanctuary is simply “Elephant-rock Royal Monastery” (Ethgala Rajamaha Vihara or Ethagala Raja Maha Viharaya).
Though the two Gale Bandara shrines – the Sinhalese temple at Kandy Road and the Muslim tomb at Wathhimi Road - are maintained separately by the two religious groups, devotees of both communities visit both shrines and the administration is coordinated. Jointly, both communities hold a procession every July in honor of the deceased who has become the patron saint of Kurunegala and the nearby highlands. Followed by both Muslims and Buddhists alike, the worship of Gale Bandara deity has become one of the most important examples of syncretism and multi-religious interchanges between the two communities. Another example is the Muslim Sufi shrine at the Hindu temple of Kataragama, which is also a Buddhist pilgrimage site. These two might be the only mixed Muslim-Buddhist places of worship in the world.
Bandara is the name of many mountain gods in Sri Lanka. They are the major deities of specific regions, subordinate to even more powerful tranregional guardian deities of Sri Lanka such as Skanda, Natha, Vishnu, and Saman. Since the Kandyan period, the goddess Pattini of Tamil origin is also one of the deities venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists all over the island. Like in the case of Gale Bandara Deviyo of Kurunegala, such Bandara deities are often local notables from ancient times, who became deified only after an unusual or unnatural death. In this respect, the Bandara deities of Sri Lanka resemble Nats of Myanmar, whose cult was integrated in Buddhism, too.
The name of the Sinhalese shrine at the place where the dead body was found is “Purana Galebandara Devalaya”, which translates to “Old Gale Bandara temple”. As there are no Brahmins in the Sinhalese cast system, there is a Kapurala, a hereditary Sinhala priest from Goigama caste of peasants, who conducts the affairs of the shrine. He is assisted by a member of the drummer’s caste. This shrine is located next to a Buddhist monastery, with which the Gale Bandara shrine maintains a close relation. The Buddhist monastery near the site where the corpse was found is a Sinhalese cave temple of the common type. The name of the sanctuary is simply “Elephant-rock Royal Monastery” (Ethgala Rajamaha Vihara or Ethagala Raja Maha Viharaya).
Though the two Gale Bandara shrines – the Sinhalese temple at Kandy Road and the Muslim tomb at Wathhimi Road - are maintained separately by the two religious groups, devotees of both communities visit both shrines and the administration is coordinated. Jointly, both communities hold a procession every July in honor of the deceased who has become the patron saint of Kurunegala and the nearby highlands. Followed by both Muslims and Buddhists alike, the worship of Gale Bandara deity has become one of the most important examples of syncretism and multi-religious interchanges between the two communities. Another example is the Muslim Sufi shrine at the Hindu temple of Kataragama, which is also a Buddhist pilgrimage site. These two might be the only mixed Muslim-Buddhist places of worship in the world.
Bandara is the name of many mountain gods in Sri Lanka. They are the major deities of specific regions, subordinate to even more powerful tranregional guardian deities of Sri Lanka such as Skanda, Natha, Vishnu, and Saman. Since the Kandyan period, the goddess Pattini of Tamil origin is also one of the deities venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists all over the island. Like in the case of Gale Bandara Deviyo of Kurunegala, such Bandara deities are often local notables from ancient times, who became deified only after an unusual or unnatural death. In this respect, the Bandara deities of Sri Lanka resemble Nats of Myanmar, whose cult was integrated in Buddhism, too.