Sri Lanka

The Finest Island in the World-That's the way Marco Polo, the famous explorer, described Sri Lanka on his travel accounts.Sri Lanka is loaded with romantic landscapes, governed by rising mountains, lavish woods, ocean like tanks and spouting waterfalls, that it was viewed as the lost heaven by numerous a globe trotters, who fell upon the country.

Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names. As indicated by the Mahavamsa, the Prince Vijaya named the area Tambapanni ,In Hindu mythology, such as the Mahabharata the island was referred to as Lanka.Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobana,The Persians and Arabs referred to it as Sarandib,As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya


The Somawathi Chaithya is located about 20km north east of ancient city of Polonnaruwa.This is also called the Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya.The Somawathi Chaithya was built in 2nd century BC . According to the history the very first Arahant of this country Ven.Aritta brought back the Sacred Right Tooth of the Buddha from Gods.This Relic was handed to king Giri Abha and his queen Somawathie.She constructed  a Stupa at Somapura with consent of Arahath Mahinda and the King Giri Abha.
The site was rediscovered in 1940’s. In 1964 archaeologists started excavating the site While excavating the main stupa.They have found a smaller stupa at a depth of 5 feet 5 inches in to the main stupa.It is believed this smaller stupa was the original Somawathi Chethiya and the latter stupa build around the original was the work of King Kanittha Tissa in 164 AC.Also Nine stone inscriptions have been found around this site and the most popular is the four inscriptions found on the Eric Swan rock.This rock got its name because a photographer called Eric Swan who was killed by a wild elephant near this rock.

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya  is popular for following reasons. 

  • Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya holds one of the only two tooth relics of Buddha existing in the world.
  • This site is located deep inside the jungle infested with elephants and other wild animals.
  • Rays of light, different floating and flashing lights, halos and rainbows are observed by thousands of visitors around the Stupa.
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