The area between Mahaweli Ganga and Maduru Oya is a
geophysical field that historically has a lot of uniqueness in the eastern
lowland region. The current Maduru Oya is located about 17 miles south of the
44th mile post on the Polonnaruwa Batticaloa main road in Polonnaruwa District.
It seems that the history of this province has dried up in the sands of time
and the memory of Maduru Oya of the past has disappeared forever.
However, when Arunalu fell in this area in the Mahaweli
development campaign, the people's memories of Maduru Oya started to be renewed
again. But the history of this province AD. B.C. Archaeologists and historians
have published evidence that Avicinna remained untouched for a period of nearly
1700 years from the 3rd century to the 12th century.
King Mahasen in AD. Scholars Somapala Jayawardena and Prof.
Abaya Aryasinghe point out that the current provincial name Maduru Oya has been
changed from the name of Mahadaragallaka lake mentioned in Karavuye Yayi
Mahavamsa between 276-303. This lake has been introduced as Mahadarugalu in
Rajaratnakara written in the Kandy era. And in an inscription found in
Abhayagiri temple, the actual name is mentioned as Mahadaragala. It is said
that this is the same Mahadaragiri which King Jettatissa offered to Abhayagiri
Vihara.
How did Professor Paranavithana and C.W. Nicholas suggests
that the lake of Mahadaragallaka made king by Mahasen may be the lake of
Mahagalkadala to the north of Anuradhapura, but according to the linguistic
etymology, it is difficult to accept that idea according to the two scholars
above.
The Sangharama was also located on the Maha Kanda here. From
there, places with ancient paintings are found in a mountain range stretching
for about two miles. Also, on the slope of the next mountain range from here,
there is a historical lake formed by a large earthen embankment and the
residents call it as Paskanda Ulpatha. The western part of the Kandegama
mountain, the actual region, is known by the Vedi people as Ulabale Gala and
Henehela.
Professor Senarath Paranavithanan published 11 Brahmi
inscriptions found around Maduru Oya. These are B.C. From the 3rd century AD.
B.C. Belongs to the period between the 1st century. 10 of these are in
Kandegama mountain, the other one is in Konategodal. The facts revealed by
these inscriptions prove that Buddhism was well rooted in the region around
Maduru Oya.
Governance of the province
Among the above-mentioned inscriptions, one of the
inscriptions with a star sign mentions ``Ayatiz Z and his descendants.
Accordingly, Professor Vavage points out that from the reign of
Devanampiyatissa until the establishment of Elara's rule in these areas, or
perhaps the unification of Sri Lanka with the acquisition of the Anurapura
throne by King Duttagamini Abhaya, this area was ruled by a ruling class
outside of the Anuradhapura Magama and Kelaniya royal dynasties. That must have
done.
The inhabitants of villages like Alawakumbura next to Maduru
Oya used this name for the first time in 1900. Mandura Aru means Maduru Oya.
Maduru Oya will start at a height of about 900 feet from the sea level towards
the east of Uva Hills. According to Nicholas's etymology, Dr. Somapala
Jayawardena points out that the historical area where this stream flows was
introduced as Ambawanaratta. Ambana Ganga, a major water source of Mahaweli
River, starts from Ambana. The Maduru Oya Sea, which stretches for about 80
miles from this region towards the north-east, is kissed by Vandalus Lagoon
near Kalkuda on the east coast.
Regional historical monument
The scale fed by the water of Maduru Oya was fixed, and the
remnants of a small reservoir in Walbi were identified in the year 1900. There
were no legends that could give an understanding of the history of this lake or
the time it was built. The actual Vekandiya located in the Pallegam domain of
Binthanna Pattu in Ampara district is known today as Vattegama Kandy. The
ruined lake is called Vattegamwela. This ancient Wakandia, also known as
Watawala Kandia, is located 14 miles south of the Maduru Oya Reservoir. When
you travel a little from here through Maduru Oya, you will find the Weera
Pokuna ancient temple site located in Binthanna Korale Beligala domain of
Badulla district. Kandegama Kandiya or Paskanda Spring is the area with the
current Maduru Oya Reservoir. H. C. P. Bell introduced a large forest called
Kandegama Kanda
In the 19th century, the name introduced to Maduru Oya is
Madara Oya. RL Brohier has mentioned that the Dravidian dialect here is Mandura
Aru. The name Maduru Oya was first documented in 1951 by C.W. By Nicholas.
inter-river
The region between Maduru Oya and Mahaweli River is an
ecological system selected by ancient great irrigation technologists to create
an inter-irrigated industrial zone. As revealed by an inscription from
Molahitiyawelegala located in the eastern plains, the actual area was AD. B.C.
In the 1st century it will be known as "Ataraga". The temple built
here by King Kutakannatissa (44-22 BC) is called Piripavata and the canal named
Kutakanna in this area is also the work of the same king. C. W. Nicholas and
Professor Paranavithana. It is pointed out that the Pelagama temple mentioned
in the Mahavamsa is the Pelagama temple that was built in the middle of the
river. Also, according to a Kotaveheragala cell inscription, King Mahadraka
Mahanaga (9 - 21 AD) "built a temple called TisZ here and a canal called
'Wanaka'" A village called 'Aligamaka'' has also been offered. The Maha
Pabbantha Canal, which was built during the reign of King Mahasen (276 - 303
AD), which is mentioned in the Mahavansa, is also in this region. Also,
according to the Mahavansa, one of the temples here is called "Antara
Ganga". King Jetta Tissa the third has offered Chullamanikagama to this
temple. It can be believed that the said temple is located between the Mahaweli
River and the Maduru Oya. The place with elephant) is also an ancient
Sangharama.Vimalakirthi Nahimi of Meduyangoda identifies the Chitankaraka
Vihara mentioned in a later inscription of Kali as the Chitankaraka Vihara near
Kandakadu in Tamankaduwa province. Echimeo interprets the same as
"Sittagama" seen in the Mahavamsa.
Thus, the kings Vasabha, Udaya the first, Agbodhi the first,
Sena the second also built temples and tanks in the Antara Ganga region. From
this point of view, it can be said that the Ataraganga area is a very densely
populated province that is populated by Buddhist battlegrounds that are rich in
wealth. The monuments at Molahitiyavelgala, Kotaweheragala, Mutugala,
Lunuvaraniagala and Dimbulagala also testify to this.
The famous Somavathi dagaba temple and Dimbulagala are two
other important historical places belonging to this inter-river area. Hence
Somavathiya is located in the far north of the respective region. Also, the
historical archaeological site known as Kombanachchiya is also located in this
region.
Dimbulagala AD. B.C. According to the historical source, it
can be pointed out that Pandukabhaya was the four-year residence of the prince
in the 4th century. It is known from the Brahmi cave inscriptions how monks'
residences came into being after the conversion of Lakdi to Buddhism. Then King
Mahanama (406-428 AD) built new buildings in the Udumbaragiri temple. An
inscription of Sundara Maha Devi, the queen of King Vikramabahu (111-1132 AD)
states that 500 monks worked in this temple at that time. During the reigns of
Maha Parakramabahu (1153-1186 AD) and the second Parakramabahu (1236-1271 AD),
the Upa Sampada Karma of the said Sangharama was held. Present-day Dimbulagala
is known as Dhumarakkha or Dhumarakkha Pabbata, and in literary literature as
Udumbaragiri. Dimbulagala is the name in the inscriptions
Also known as Also in Pali literature the names Udumbara
Pabbata and Udumbaragiri are used.
Professor Abhaya Ariyasinghe has explained that Kudagala,
which is not far from Dimbulagala, is the Chulagisriya that comes from
Seehalavatthuppakarana. It is also pointed out that it belonged to the Antara
Ganga area.
The restoration of the Mahadaragallaka tank is important
among the reforms that the kings Vijayabahu I and Maha Parakramabahu made in
the Antara Ganga area. Professor Abhaya Ariyasinghe points out that just as
Mesopotamia was established for the development of Sumerian culture, the Anta
Ganga region also contributed to the advancement of Sinhalese civilization.
Maduru Oya Reservoir
Maduru Oya Reservoir's sluice is a masterpiece of irrigation
technology built of bricks and granite. This 30 feet wide structure has been
designed in an amazing way along its length of 214 feet. On the south wall of
the sluice, there is a terracotta clay sculpture of an anthropomorphic figure.
The panel on which it is designed is bounded by two corbels. The scales of the
bricks used in this design made by King Mahasen (AD 276-303) are completely
similar to the bricks of Eraju's own creation, Xethawana Dagabe.
Designing the reservoir so that the same historic sluice can
be used for the current Maduru Oya Reservoir sluice is a great example of the
skill of today's irrigation engineers and it is a matter of praise to use the
historical ecosystem for the operation of the current reservoir in a way that
does not cause any harm to the interconnectedness of the environment. For this
reason, it was decided to connect the previously planned new embankment about
150 meters in front of the stream. It has also been found that there were two
external drains for the old lake in Maduru Oye. Here, the glory of King
Mahasen's irrigation engineering technology is revealed even though bulldozers
with enormous weight moved over the old sluice along the Wakandi without
causing any damage to the old sluice or its equipment.
Poojavaliya and Rajaratnakara say that King Mahasen used the
hands of demons and humans for his irrigation projects. It is mentioned in Raja
Waliya that the service of Yaku=na was arranged at night and was served by
humans during the day. Doesn't this mean that there were able-bodied people who
could work like "devils" among the Sinhalese people?
Inter-River Zone and State Security
King Elara, who conquered Anuradhapura in the 2nd century
BC, according to historical sources including the Mahavansaya, under the
leadership of two Tamil lords, 32 Tamil camps were maintained in a large area
from Mahiyangana to Anuradhapura. Persuasive. This shows that King Elara was
engaged in the task of expanding his power in the areas owned by the Sinhalese
rulers across the Mahaweli River. As a result, power was extended from
Vijitapura to Mahiyangana area and military camps were established to stop the
fleets with generals. It seems that the political disputes in Rohana at this
time led to Elara's success. Professor Sumanasiri Vavage points out that a
large number of Tamil villages were newly established by Elara in that area and
military camps were established to protect them. Vansatthappakasiniya explains
that the villages were named after the names of the generals.
"If a Tamil soldier with certain names was taken from a
certain village, each village was named after that soldier's name."
According to the aforesaid information, it is confirmed that
a large Tamil population was settled in the settlements based on villages
spread over a large area along the Mahaweli River from Mahiyangana to Kumbugama
near Vijitapura.
By this time, the Mahiyangana area had been brought under
the control of Elara under a Tamil general named "Chhatra".
The Sahassavathuppakarana states that the king Duttagamini
Abhaya attacked the enemies who were hiding in the mountains of the upper
reaches of the river beyond the Mahaweli river and established the power in
those areas. Thus, under Elara's rule, the area beyond the Mahiyangana area,
i.e., the upper reaches of the Mahaweli River, was subject to Dravidian rule,
and it is also clear that the expansion of Elara's kingdom spread over those
areas.
Organization of the wars of Kavantissa and Dutugemunu and
the Inter-Ganga region
There is a lot of historical evidence that the Antara Ganga
region, including the current Maduru Oya, was dependent on the war organization
movement of King Kavantissa. It is mentioned in the Mahavansa that all the
ferries along the Mahaweli River up to Kasa Port were protected. Prince
Dighabhaya, who was the son of another queen, protected Kasathota
(Kachchakatittha. Maha'ganthota). According to Saddharmalankara, it is stated
that the weapons manufacturing factories of King Kavantissa were large-scale
and more than 500 industrialists worked in one factory.
An important point to be mentioned here is that the
Antaraganga region, which is the south bank of the Mahaweli river, belonged to
the ancient Rohana kingdom. Kasathota or Kachchakatitthaya is a major port in
the area where King Dutugemunu's army was deployed to capture Rajarata. This is
known as the place where they crossed the Mahaweli river. This ferry was
located in a place between Dimbulagala and Vijitha Puryat, not far from Polonnaruwa.
Up to this place, from Mahiyangana to the north, in the region between Mahaweli
Ganga Bada and Maduru Oyat, Ambatittha, Khemarama,
The historical places of Dola Pabbata, Kotanagara Nali
Sebbha and Dhumarakkhapabbata are the area where King Dutugemunu's war campaign
spread fiercely. The region with the current Maduru Oya has naturally been
absorbed into it. Professor Paranavithana points out that King Dutugemunu's war
strategy was to destroy all the enemy forts in the Ruhunu country up to the
crossing of the Mahaweli River. King Duttagamini destroyed nearly 20 Tamil
forts from Dema Mahiyangana to Jambugama on the Mahaweli River in the first
phase of the great war campaign to drive out King Rajarata Elara and free Sri
Lanka from the foreign invaders.
King Vijayabahu's War Campaign and Inter-River Area
BC In the 2nd century, the two kings Kavantissa and
Dutugemunu led their armies to Anuradhapura via Polonnaruwa to defeat the
forces of King Elara. In the 12th century, King Maha Vijayabahu also used the
same route to lead his forces from Rohana to occupy Polonnaruwa. There, the
inter-river area which is the subject of our discussion, the road traveled from
Mahiyangana to Polonnaruwa was lying on top. It included the major forts and
ports of Nali Kheravatthu, Maharukkha, Kottagama, Malagama, Yakkhasukara,
Dhumarakkhapabbata and Kachchakatittha. King Dutugemunu's forces as well as
Vijayabahu's forces had used Kachchakatittha as the main ferry crossing point
to cross the Mahaweli River. It is worth believing according to the campaigns
launched here by Sinhalese generals like Rakkha that they were anxious to fight
against the Dravidian forces in this region in the campaign to unify the
country in the 12th century.
Thus B.C. From the 2nd century AD. It can be pointed out
that during a period of about 1400 years up to the 12th century, the
inter-river region of Maduru Oya was of crucial importance in terms of economy,
people's life, Buddhism and art as well as state security in Sri Lankan
civilization. It can be confirmed that this region from Arabaya Mahiangana to
the north to Kachkatitthaya was a decisive factor in the political war
activities between the Rajarata and the Rohana state.
Excerpted from Danamina newspaper
