Maduru Oya National Park

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