Seruwila - Sri Lanka's only stupa with relics of four Buddhas
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Seruwila, also known as Seruvila or Seruwawila, is a village and an archaeological site and a Buddhist temple 40 km south of Trincomalee by road, 5 km west of Ullackalie Lagoon at Sri Lanka’s East Coast, as the crow flies. Seruwila is said to be one of the 16 Buddha-visited places, although it is not mentioned as such in the ancient Mahawamsa and not included in the list of 16 such places known as Solosmasthanas in the Kandy period. Beyond doubt, Seruwila is the most significant Buddhist pilgrimage site in Trincomalee District. It's the only place in Sri Lanka where relics of all 4 past Buddhas of our aeon are venerated. The stupa in the centre of the excavation area is the main attraction. A large cermonial hall sheltering a new Buddha statue is designed in a style slightly resembling Chinese pagodas.
Location
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Seruwila is the most revered Buddhist place of pilgrimage inthe Trincomalee district. It is located 43 kilometers by road south of Trinco, across the mouth of the Mahaveli River. The next town is Muslim-dominated Toppur. The Seruwila monastery and archaeological site is situated on a slightly elevated ground in the flat land between the Allai irrigation tank in the west and the Ullakkale Lagoon on the east coast.
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Name of Seruwila alias Seruwawila
The official name of the Buddhist temple is Seruwila Mangala Rajamahavihara. Rajamahavihara is the name of a monastery founded by a king, in this case the Rohana ruler Kavantissa of the second century BC. Mangala is the historical name of the monastery recorded in the chronicles. The Buddha himself is said to have given this name (or Seruwaila) to the local monastery.
According to the well-known historian Dr. Brohier, the name is derived from a swamp that came to existence here as a large natural overflow basin, by floods from the Mahaweli. Such floodplain lakes accompanying the stream are called villus, whereas “Seru” is the name of teals that settle in large flocks in such freshwater marshes during their migrations.
Seruwila Temple is sometimes called Wilgam Vihara. This name is particularly misleading because there is also an excavation site called Velgam Vehera northwest of Trincomalee.
According to the well-known historian Dr. Brohier, the name is derived from a swamp that came to existence here as a large natural overflow basin, by floods from the Mahaweli. Such floodplain lakes accompanying the stream are called villus, whereas “Seru” is the name of teals that settle in large flocks in such freshwater marshes during their migrations.
Seruwila Temple is sometimes called Wilgam Vihara. This name is particularly misleading because there is also an excavation site called Velgam Vehera northwest of Trincomalee.
Buddha-visited Site
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Seruwila is considered one of the Solosmathana shrines, one of the 16 most sacred places on the island (apart from the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy), those 16 that aew believed to have been honoured by a visit of the Buddha. He placed eight handfuls of sapu flowers (Magnolia champaca) here. However, Seruwila does not appear in the classical list of Solosmathanas, which is known from the Kandyan period, let alone in the historical chronicles from the Anuradhapura period, which contain the oldest reports of the Buddha's visit to the island. Rather, the belief that the Buddha visited Seruwila is a local legend.
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Stupa enshrining Relics of 4 Buddhas of our Aeon
The exact age of the Dagoba of Seruwila, which has been restored, is unknown, but it probably dates back to the early days of Buddhism. The late medieval Dhatuvansa Chronicle reports that the stupa was built by King Kavantissa, father of Dutthagamani, over an original Buddha relic, the forehead bone of the historical Buddha. The chronicle mentions a replica of the world mountain Meru, made of seven precious stones, as an addition to the relic - or as its pedestal to emphasize its cosmic status. As with the later great stupas of Anuradhapura, supernatural forces are said to have been involved in the construction. Stupas over Buddha relics are a rarity.
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In Sri Lanka there are only a few shrines to which regional traditions assign this status: Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Thuparama in Anuradhapura, Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura, Mahiyangana Raja Maha Viharya, Somawathi near Polonnaruwa, Yattala Dagoba in Tissamaharama and, Giruhandu Seya in Tiriyaya and Buddhangala forest monastery in the Eastern Province, plus temples enshrining parts of the relics found in Piprahwa (ancient Kapilavastu in Uttar Pradesh, Indie) in 1898, e.g. Waskaduwe temple in Kalutura.
The holiness of Seruwila is increased immeasurably by the fact that not only the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, but all four previous Buddhas of our world age are said to have visited this place and to continue to be present through relics. The three Buddhas prior to the historical Shakyamuni - Kakusanda, Konagama and Kassapa - each founded a monastery here in ancient times, where the remains of their bones were later buried. So the Shakyamuni Buddha naturally had every reason to honor this sacred place of his predecessors by offering Sapu flowers. Hence Seruwila enjoys a particularly high prestige among Buddhist pilgrims, because the presence of relics of all four Buddhas is only claimed in a few places in the world. Particularly the main stupa in Yangon in Myanmar (Rangoon in Burma), the world-famous gold-plated Schwedagon Pagoda also claims to be the repository of relics of all four Buddhas of the past in our aeon.
The holiness of Seruwila is increased immeasurably by the fact that not only the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, but all four previous Buddhas of our world age are said to have visited this place and to continue to be present through relics. The three Buddhas prior to the historical Shakyamuni - Kakusanda, Konagama and Kassapa - each founded a monastery here in ancient times, where the remains of their bones were later buried. So the Shakyamuni Buddha naturally had every reason to honor this sacred place of his predecessors by offering Sapu flowers. Hence Seruwila enjoys a particularly high prestige among Buddhist pilgrims, because the presence of relics of all four Buddhas is only claimed in a few places in the world. Particularly the main stupa in Yangon in Myanmar (Rangoon in Burma), the world-famous gold-plated Schwedagon Pagoda also claims to be the repository of relics of all four Buddhas of the past in our aeon.
Ancient History of Seruwila
The king of the southern kingdom of Rohana, Kavantissa, father of the national hero Dutugemunu, who later on conquered Anuradhapura, managed to occupy the ancient principality of Seru without force. Instead, he referred to a legend that a Buddha relic in his possession would indicate the place for the final temple by making an elephant to select the place. The elephant carrying the relic chose the site of Seruwila in the principality of Seru, which due to Buddhist piety accepted to belong to the relic that was is Kavantissa's custody and thereby his overlordship.
Kavantissa arranged a drainage system to partially drain the swampland around Seruwila for agriculture. The water from the former swamp area had to be collected in a tank. The rice (or taxes thereof) from the newly created cultivated land was intended to support the 500 monks who settled in Seruwila.
Kavantissa arranged a drainage system to partially drain the swampland around Seruwila for agriculture. The water from the former swamp area had to be collected in a tank. The rice (or taxes thereof) from the newly created cultivated land was intended to support the 500 monks who settled in Seruwila.
for more information about the period of Kong Kavantissa click here...
The rule of the Sinhalese king Kavantissa (also known as Kakavanna Tissa) in Tissamaharama in the south was constantly threatened by the powerful kingdom of the Tamil king Elara in Anuradhapura. For the Sinhalese king, securing the south from this superior opponent was the primary task. He did not even dare to think about an attack on Anuradhapura, when his son Dutthagamani suggested it, and fell out over this issue with the heir to the throne, who therefore had to take refuge in the mountains. Kavantissa nevertheless thought about expanding his empire, if not across the Mahaweli River, but at least in all areas on his side of the river. And this included, as one of Anuradhapura's immediate neighbours, the principality of Seru under the rule of a prince named Siva. Kavantissa had to fear that this buffer state of Seru could fall into the hands of Anuradhapura, either by force or through negotiations. For Kavantissa, preventing an alliance between Seru and Anuradhapura was a crucial question of security of his own rule in the south. In case the Anuradhapura king Elara could set foot in Seru on Kavantissa's side of the great river, there had no longer been any serious natural obstacles in the way of an attack from Seru to the south. Kavantissa had to get ahead of this threatening constellation. According to the chronicles, the relationship with Seru became even more explosive because a prince from Kavantissa's court fled from the wrath of his son to Seru and found a friendly reception there.
But Kavantissa shied away from an open attack to get Seru under his own control, be it out of cowardice, which his son accused him of in another context, be it out of religious concerns or simply out of the calculation that his own military invasion could provoke an intervention by King Elara of Anuradhapura in the first place. So Kavantissa resorted to another means, religion. By pretending purely religios aims, he tried to get the people of Seru and their rulers on his side.
For this purpose, Kavantissa spread a rumor that the Buddha himself had prophesied that the Buddha relic he had in his custody would one day have a large stupa built for it in Seru by its owner. So the king moved up the east coast to Seruwila with the relic and also with his army and his monks as advisors and called on the local landowners to support him in fulfilling this prophecy. This put the Prince of Seru in the dilemma of either tolerating this pious cause in his territory or risking the wrath of his Buddhist subjects. In this dilemma, the ruler decided to receive Kavantissa with all honours and to support him in the construction of the stupa. And that meant recognition of Kavantissa’s suzerainty. But this turned out to be a “victory of Dharma,”a victory of the Buddhist teaching, notes the Dhatuvansa Chronicle. And this does not just mean the idea that the peaceful Buddhist insight prevailed or that with the help of Buddhism a territorial claim could be enforced without the use of arms. Rather, winning over neighbours by spreading the Dharma is the task and hallmark of a Chakravartin, the Buddhist world ruler. The pious legend does not have a pacifist but rather a power-political connotation; it is intended to raise the reputation of the king, but also that of the Buddhist order.
An older variant makes the political character of the pious act just as clear. According to it, Kavantissa is said to have vowed to build a stupa for the forehead bone relic at the place where the royal elephant voluntarily settled with this relic. Similar pious founding legends about elephants finding a holy place are also known from Southeast Asia, e.g. from Chieng Mai. But claims to sovereignty over all land into which a royal animal goes of its own natural or supernatural impulse have been an Indian tradition since ancient times. For example, the Indo-Iranian immigrants of the time of the Vedic scriptures let a horse run free during the enthronement of a new ruler in the Ganges region. The new prince then claimed all the land where the animal appeared. And the inhabitants of the land acknowledged his sovereignty by not resisting this kind of possession. The legend of the elephant who settled in Seruwila is, so to speak, the Buddhist version of this ancient Vedic tradition of India. And in the case of annexing Seru it is the Buddhist relic in the possion of the Buddhist Order that claims land for itself.
But Kavantissa shied away from an open attack to get Seru under his own control, be it out of cowardice, which his son accused him of in another context, be it out of religious concerns or simply out of the calculation that his own military invasion could provoke an intervention by King Elara of Anuradhapura in the first place. So Kavantissa resorted to another means, religion. By pretending purely religios aims, he tried to get the people of Seru and their rulers on his side.
For this purpose, Kavantissa spread a rumor that the Buddha himself had prophesied that the Buddha relic he had in his custody would one day have a large stupa built for it in Seru by its owner. So the king moved up the east coast to Seruwila with the relic and also with his army and his monks as advisors and called on the local landowners to support him in fulfilling this prophecy. This put the Prince of Seru in the dilemma of either tolerating this pious cause in his territory or risking the wrath of his Buddhist subjects. In this dilemma, the ruler decided to receive Kavantissa with all honours and to support him in the construction of the stupa. And that meant recognition of Kavantissa’s suzerainty. But this turned out to be a “victory of Dharma,”a victory of the Buddhist teaching, notes the Dhatuvansa Chronicle. And this does not just mean the idea that the peaceful Buddhist insight prevailed or that with the help of Buddhism a territorial claim could be enforced without the use of arms. Rather, winning over neighbours by spreading the Dharma is the task and hallmark of a Chakravartin, the Buddhist world ruler. The pious legend does not have a pacifist but rather a power-political connotation; it is intended to raise the reputation of the king, but also that of the Buddhist order.
An older variant makes the political character of the pious act just as clear. According to it, Kavantissa is said to have vowed to build a stupa for the forehead bone relic at the place where the royal elephant voluntarily settled with this relic. Similar pious founding legends about elephants finding a holy place are also known from Southeast Asia, e.g. from Chieng Mai. But claims to sovereignty over all land into which a royal animal goes of its own natural or supernatural impulse have been an Indian tradition since ancient times. For example, the Indo-Iranian immigrants of the time of the Vedic scriptures let a horse run free during the enthronement of a new ruler in the Ganges region. The new prince then claimed all the land where the animal appeared. And the inhabitants of the land acknowledged his sovereignty by not resisting this kind of possession. The legend of the elephant who settled in Seruwila is, so to speak, the Buddhist version of this ancient Vedic tradition of India. And in the case of annexing Seru it is the Buddhist relic in the possion of the Buddhist Order that claims land for itself.
The holiness of this place with the forehead relic was even further increased because monks are said to have achieved Nirvana here. This is reported in inscriptions from the time of Kassapa IV (898-914), which prove that in the late Anuradhapura period Seruwila was already considered a sanctuary where there were once such so-called arahants. In these inscriptions the monastery is called Tissa Maha Vehera, which can be reminiscent of many kings with the nickname “Tissa”, including Kavantissa, who had resided in Tissamaharama.
During the period of decline of the cultural triangle, in the late Middle Ages, the former large monastery fell into complete disrepair. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the kings of Kandy had their only connection to the sea in this region of the east coast, south of the mouth of the Mahaveli. For the 17th century, the Sinhalese literature of Kandy indeed mentions a stupa on the east coast, probably referring to Seruwila.
In the British colonial period, the settlement and administrative center was the west coast with Colombo. Derelict tanks were redeveloped by the British as reservoirs for irrigation of paddy cultivation, but mainly in the interior and the south of the island. The Seruwila region on the east coast remained neglected.
During the period of decline of the cultural triangle, in the late Middle Ages, the former large monastery fell into complete disrepair. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the kings of Kandy had their only connection to the sea in this region of the east coast, south of the mouth of the Mahaveli. For the 17th century, the Sinhalese literature of Kandy indeed mentions a stupa on the east coast, probably referring to Seruwila.
In the British colonial period, the settlement and administrative center was the west coast with Colombo. Derelict tanks were redeveloped by the British as reservoirs for irrigation of paddy cultivation, but mainly in the interior and the south of the island. The Seruwila region on the east coast remained neglected.
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Recent History of Seruwila
In 1923, the decaying stupa was rediscovered by the Buddhist monk Dambagasare Sumedhankara Thero, a young monk from southern Sri Lanka. He had read about the former Seruwila Mangala Monastery in the ancient Buddhist texts and was gripped by the idea of locating the ancient site of such high religious significance, which even appeared to him in his dreams. His brothers in Dodanduwa advised him against traveling into the unknown. But in 1923 the young monk boarded a sailboat to Trincomalee, from where he crossed to Muttur, north of Seruwilas. From Muttur he made his way south through what was then a dense jungle in this region. In Toppur he reached a village of Muslims, many of whom, like the Veddas of this region, still lived by hunting. He was probably the first Buddhist monk that people saw here. Without local companions, he discovered granite pillars in the jungle six kilometers from the village and understood that the large overgrown pile of bricks once must have been a considerable dagoba. He bowed his head to the ground and vowed to restore the sanctuary to its former glory. In Trincomalee he was able to win over some Sinhalese traders who, like him, came from the south for this venture. And back in Dodanduwa he was able to get other wealthy sponsors interested in his project. A private donation fund was established, the Seruwila Mangala Maha Chetiyawardhana Society.
From 1924 onwards, the monk worked on the restoration of the ancient sanctuary with the permission of the British authorities. First, a supply route was cut through the thicket. The ceremony of placing the top on the stupa took place in 1930. In 1931 it was reopened to the public.
The young monk is said to have earned the respect of local Muslims through his healing knowledge about treating snake bites. Dambagasare Sumedhankara later became abbot of the newly founded monastery and in 1962 head of the order of the Eastern Province. In the same year, 1962, the archaeological site of around 20 hectares was officially listed as a historical monument. In 1983, at the age of 91, a year before his death, Dombagasare Sumedhankara became the head of the Kalyaniwansa Chapter of the Amarapura Nikaya. The Sri Kalyaniwansa Chapter was the third largest of the five branches of the Amarapura Order. The Kalyaniwansa chapter included about 1,500 monks in 175 monasteries.
Since the end of the civil war in 2009, an increasing number of Sinhalese Buddhists have been traveling to Seruwila. In front of the excavation site there is a large bus parking lot with a few simple stalls. Accommodation for pilgrims will certainly also be provided in the future.
From 1924 onwards, the monk worked on the restoration of the ancient sanctuary with the permission of the British authorities. First, a supply route was cut through the thicket. The ceremony of placing the top on the stupa took place in 1930. In 1931 it was reopened to the public.
The young monk is said to have earned the respect of local Muslims through his healing knowledge about treating snake bites. Dambagasare Sumedhankara later became abbot of the newly founded monastery and in 1962 head of the order of the Eastern Province. In the same year, 1962, the archaeological site of around 20 hectares was officially listed as a historical monument. In 1983, at the age of 91, a year before his death, Dombagasare Sumedhankara became the head of the Kalyaniwansa Chapter of the Amarapura Nikaya. The Sri Kalyaniwansa Chapter was the third largest of the five branches of the Amarapura Order. The Kalyaniwansa chapter included about 1,500 monks in 175 monasteries.
Since the end of the civil war in 2009, an increasing number of Sinhalese Buddhists have been traveling to Seruwila. In front of the excavation site there is a large bus parking lot with a few simple stalls. Accommodation for pilgrims will certainly also be provided in the future.
Buddhist Place of Pilgrimage & Archaeological Site of Seruwila
The modern landmark of Seruwila is the round hall designed in the shape of a pagoda. It was built in 1982. The structure is called Buduge, i.e. “Buddha House”, because in the spacious interior a huge newer Buddha figure can be circumambulated. Seen from the parking lot, the Buduge is at the opposite end of the excavation site.
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Between the Buduge and the main stupa further north, a straight north-south axis runs through the excavation site. Goin halfway down this path, you will pass unearthed anicent architectural monuments, a bathing pond excavated in 1970 and the remains of an image house.
Unusually large entrance portals made of brickwork flank the terrace of the stupa in all four directions. On this terrace and on the portals there are examples of the typical decorative elements of ancient Sri Lankan architecture, such as moonstones and guard stones. There is a small archaeological museum near the parking lot for finds from the excavation complex.
The so-called Seruwawila Buddha was also found in the excavation area, a figure in Samadhi mudra sitting on a cobra's body, The unusually large head of this the snake king Muchalinda is spread protecting the Buddha. A second such Buddha Muchalinda figure was excavated here, too.
Unusually large entrance portals made of brickwork flank the terrace of the stupa in all four directions. On this terrace and on the portals there are examples of the typical decorative elements of ancient Sri Lankan architecture, such as moonstones and guard stones. There is a small archaeological museum near the parking lot for finds from the excavation complex.
The so-called Seruwawila Buddha was also found in the excavation area, a figure in Samadhi mudra sitting on a cobra's body, The unusually large head of this the snake king Muchalinda is spread protecting the Buddha. A second such Buddha Muchalinda figure was excavated here, too.
Cultural Heritage Site in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province
The government of Sri Lanka is seeking to have Seruwila added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. There was criticism of this application that it was probably politically motivated. It's about sending a signal of Sinhalese-Buddhist presence in a part of the country that is otherwise predominantly Hindu and Muslim.
It should be noted: In fact, there are far more important places outside the Eastern Province that would be a candidate for another World Heritage title in Sri Lanka, such as the pilgrimage ste of Mihintale, or the Yodi Ela channel together with Kalawewa reservoir as the pinnacle of the civilizational achievements of antiquity, the colossal statues of Buduruwagala or the Mulkirigala rock monastery due to the paintings, for example, or the gemstone mines of Ratnapura or the tea plantations of the highlands because of their international cultural significance. And from a purely tourist perspective, Seruwila certainly does not belong in the top category of most interesting sights in Sri Lanka. On the east coast, the archaeological relevance of Dighavapi in Amparai district is certainly no less than that of Seruwila.
However, if you really want to find a candidate for the World Heritage list in the Eastern Province, then the most impressive and culturally significant architectural monument of Buddhism there would probably be Tiriyaya, with a large density of important inscriptions and prototypical sculptural carvings and with the best-preserved circular temple, which became so characteristic of classical Sinhalese architecture, as well as the ruins of a complex monastery complex on the mountainside. Tiriyaya, which is a Buddhist shrine but nonetheless a historical site co-created by Tamils in ancient times, would also be less exposed to suspicions that its application is a Sinhalese nationalist political issue.
It should be noted: In fact, there are far more important places outside the Eastern Province that would be a candidate for another World Heritage title in Sri Lanka, such as the pilgrimage ste of Mihintale, or the Yodi Ela channel together with Kalawewa reservoir as the pinnacle of the civilizational achievements of antiquity, the colossal statues of Buduruwagala or the Mulkirigala rock monastery due to the paintings, for example, or the gemstone mines of Ratnapura or the tea plantations of the highlands because of their international cultural significance. And from a purely tourist perspective, Seruwila certainly does not belong in the top category of most interesting sights in Sri Lanka. On the east coast, the archaeological relevance of Dighavapi in Amparai district is certainly no less than that of Seruwila.
However, if you really want to find a candidate for the World Heritage list in the Eastern Province, then the most impressive and culturally significant architectural monument of Buddhism there would probably be Tiriyaya, with a large density of important inscriptions and prototypical sculptural carvings and with the best-preserved circular temple, which became so characteristic of classical Sinhalese architecture, as well as the ruins of a complex monastery complex on the mountainside. Tiriyaya, which is a Buddhist shrine but nonetheless a historical site co-created by Tamils in ancient times, would also be less exposed to suspicions that its application is a Sinhalese nationalist political issue.
