The significance of Anuradhapura is currently confined to its sacredness. But the city had been a kingdom for 1400 years. Even at this moment in history, it is the unwritten custom among those who hold the reins of the republic kingdom to make an official visit to this much-venerated premise. Anuradhapura holds sacred authority on several grounds. It is home to the much cherished Ruwanweli Maha Seya wherein lies the two quarts or one Drona of the Buddha's Relics enshrined and Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the Southern branch of the sacred Bodhi under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. On the other hand, the premise accommodates six more sites worthy of reverence: Thuparamaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiri Dagoba, Jetavanaramaya, Mirisaveti Stupa, and Lankarama (see the fact box for more information). 
Since the introduction of Buddhism, the Mahavihara tradition became the mainstream establishment in Anuradhapura. The tradition heavily influenced and, thus, shaped the country’s civilisation. The Buddhist monks had duties shared. Some adopted the forestine routine to attain spiritual freedom, whereas their counterparts continued to lead the community life guiding the laymen towards worldly as well as spiritual excellence. The tank (wewa), pagoda (dagoba), village (gama) and temple (vihara) not only became the keywords of a flourishing Buddhist tradition; they were the elements integral to each other.
The study of Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera who will be the chief custodian of the eight sacred sites in Anuradhapura is significant against this backdrop. The Venerable Thera epitomises the tradition which represents the Anuradhapura kingdom. He is among the few monks with song writing erudition, for one. He represents the lineage of community monks who brought their artistic skills into play in order to popularise the Buddha’s teachings among the lay crowd.
Venerable Hemarathana Thera hails from Pallegama, a village that borders Dambulla and Anuradhapura in Matale District. He entered the robes together with his predecessor Venerable Dr. Pallegama Sirinivasa Thera. Born on June 15, 1954, to parents K. Kiribanda and Karuna Kumarihamy of Karadagolla Walauwa, he was named Karadagolle Walavve Nandaratna. The little boy was first schooled at Boolagala Junior School. As the school was quite short of supply, the youngster was later admitted to Welihene Maha Vidyalaya. Nandaratna had his last lay education at Kandalama Pallegama Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya. He left the school at Grade 8.
Nandaratna’s father took lodging at Pallegama Dharmarakkhitya Thera’s temple for some time. The latter was the one-time Chief Incumbent of Ruwanweli Maha Seya. It was his custom to visit his hometown on several counts a year. On such occasions, he would bring a large biscuit packet and distribute it among the village children.
In a conversation with Wajira Liyanage in our sister newspaper Silumina, Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana recalls the decisive period of his life:
“The turning point in my life occurred in 1967. I was in Grade 8 then. When I think of it now, I no longer consider it a coincidence. I have done meritorious deeds in previous births to achieve this state. So, I am here what I am now for a special reason.”
The Venerable Thera goes on to add:
“One day, Venerable Pallegama Dhammarakkhitha Thera visited our village looking for children eligible for taking robes. Wijekoon Arachchi Atta is one of our relatives who visited each of us to do this duty for the Venerable Thera. When Venerable Thera conveyed his idea to my parents, my parents could not say no. They had such respect for our relative as well as the Maha Sangha.” 
That settled everything for Nandaratna’s new life. On May 9, 1968, Nandaratna had his head shaved to undertake the going forth in front of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to live the life of a Buddhist renunciate among ordained monks. Nadaratna became Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera – the first step in a journey of a thousand miles.
Since then, Venerable Hemarathana Thera took up residence in Ruwanweli Maha Seya. He received his basic education at Thuparama Maha Vihara Pirivena. Then in 1972, he entered Maligakanda Vidyodaya Pirivena to master oriental studies. He sat for his Advanced Level at Sandalanka Sastrodaya Pirivena in 1975 and entered his next academic destination, Kelaniya University. He left the university with a special degree in archaeology in 1978. Venerable Hemarathana Thera entered Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakanda in 1971 with Venerable Sirinivasa Thera. Venerable Kalukodayave Pannasekara Thera held the principalship of this religious academy back then. The Venerable Thera returned to Anuradhapura upon completing his academic venture. And in 1982 he entered Maha Vihara Pirivena to take up a teaching position. He was promoted to the position of principal 10 years later.
Venerable Hemarathana Thera was also the representative of the Central Cultural Fund for Atamastanaya. On August 15, 1997, Venerable Pallegama Hemaratana Thera was entrusted with the sacred custodianship of Ruwanweli Maha Seya.
In his early days of monkhood, Venerable Hemarathana Thera made frequent visits to the Bo shrine. There he would sight Venerable Aluthwewe Wimalagnana Thera who used to jot down something on a piece of paper whenever he has a break. He was an inspiring sight, as Venerable Hemaratana Thera stole a glance at his venerable brother’s writings. A curious novice monk found a collection of beautifully penned poetry. Venerable Hemarathana Thera was inspired to a great extent. He initiated an illustrious writing career, penning his very first poem to Budusarana, the Lake House Buddhist weekly, in 1969.
The next milestone in Venerable Thera’s life was when he joined the Rajarata Service in 1979. He was in the constant company of the likes of Premakeerthi de Alwis and Swarna Sri Bandara. He was a contributing artiste to de Alwis’ Rajarata Mee Bindu programme. His very first song was sung by Chandrika Siriwardana at a Simple song programme.
Among his most popular songs are Bodhiyen Wata Bo Pathak and Sat Pota Male Bendi Mini Bol Me. His anthology of poetry Pahana Nive Dolos Mahe was published in 1988. The next anthologies Ateetaya Sihinayak and Seethala Gagula were published in 2004 and 2009 respectively. Sanda Eliya CD was released in 2004. The number of songs authored by the Venerable Thera exceeds 250.
Elsewhere in the conversation with Liyanage, Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera elucidates the role of the Buddhist monk in an aesthetic career with reference to another song he has penned.
The lyrics go as follows:
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| Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera (Front row Left) became a novice monk on May 9, 1968, together with his brethren Venerable Yatigalpotte Somarathana and Pallegama Sirinivasa Theras. |
Ateetaya sihinayak pamanai
Sebe suvandak ne
Eda senehen nobeduna nam
Meda viyovak ne
The lyrics can be loosely translated into English as follows:
The past is just a dream
With no real fragrance
If only you were not stuck by affection then
No loss of separation could be felt today
The song triggered a certain controversy as it encapsulates love and affection, key elements in a layman’s life, touched by a Buddhist monk of repute. Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera points out that this is exactly why community-based Buddhist monks must engage in aesthetic activities: to impart the Buddha’s essential teachings to the lay community in an aesthetically pleasing manner. He refers to Pariyadana Sutta to support his opinion.
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| Venerable Hemarathana Thera with Queen Elizabeth II. |
Monks, I do not see any other single form that invades the mind of a man and remains like the form of a woman. Monks, the form of a woman invades the mind of a man and remains.
The Buddha emphasises that the form brings pleasure. He never denies that fact. But at the same time, the Buddha re-emphasises the harmful effects of these pleasure-bringing aspects of the form.
“The problem is not when a Buddhist monk writes songs. But he must make sure that he imparts an accurate Buddhist interpretation. Consequently, we can understand the complexity of a human relationship.”
Eight Sacred Sites in Anuradhapura (Atamastanaya) in a Nutshell
1. Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which the Buddha became enlightened. It was planted in 288 BC and is said to be the Southern branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi Bodhgaya India, also the oldest living human-planted tree in the world with a known planting date. The sacred tree was brought by the Venerable Sangamitta Theri, the sister of Venerable Mahinda Thera who introduced the Buddha's teachings into Sri Lanka.
2. Ruwanweli Maha Seya
The Ruwanwelisaya is considered a marvel for its architectural qualities and is sacred to many Buddhists all over the world. It is also known as Mahathupa, Swarnamali Chaitya, Suvarnamali Mahaceti (in Pali) and Rathnamali Dagaba. King Dutugemunu didn’t live to see the completion of the dagoba but his final sight as he lay on his deathbed could be a false bamboo-and-cloth finish placed around the dagoba to show his ‘completed’ masterpiece.
3. Thuparamaya
Venerable Mahinda Thera, an envoy sent by King Ashoka, introduced Theravada Buddhism and also chaitya worship to Sri Lanka. At his request, King Devanampiyatissa built Thuparamaya which enshrine the collarbone of the Buddha. It is considered to be the first dagoba built in Sri Lanka following the introduction of Buddhism. The name Thuparamaya comes from ‘stupa’ and ‘aramaya’ which is a residential complex for monks.
4. Lovamahapaya
Lovamahapaya is a building situated between Ruwanweli Maha Seya and Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is also known as the Brazen Palace or Lohaprasadaya because the roof was covered with bronze tiles. It was originally built by King Dutugemunu more than 2000 years ago, but throughout the ages, it was rebuilt many times, each time a little less grandiosely. There are remains of 1,600 columns all that is left of this huge palace, archaeological evidence said it had nine storeys and could accommodate around 1,000 monks and attendants. The current stand of pillars (now fenced off) is all that remains from the last rebuild – that of King Parakramabahu around the 12th Century.
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| Venerable Hemarathana Thera at Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi premises. |
5. Abhayagiri Dagoba
The Abhayagiri Dagoba was built during the reign of King Wattagamini Abhaya (commonly known as King Valagamba). It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities. Historically it was a great monastic centre as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories, roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colours. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood Abhayagiri, one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major viharas. Surrounding the humped dagoba, Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern Monastery or Uttara Vihara.
6. Jetavanaramaya
The Jetavanaramaya is a stupa located in the ruins of Jetavana Monastery. King Mahasena initiated the construction of the stupa following the destruction of Mahavihara, and his son Meghavanna resume the construction work of the stupa. A part of a sash or belt tied by the Buddha is believed to be the relic that is enshrined here.
7. Mirisaveti Stupa
King Dutugamunu built the Mirisaveti Stupa after defeating King Elara. After placing the Buddha’s relics in the sceptre, he had gone to Tisawewa for a bath leaving the sceptre. After the bath, he returned to the place where the sceptre was placed, and it is said that it could not be moved. The stupa was built in the place where the sceptre stood. It is also said that he remembered that he partook in a chilly curry without offering it to the Sangha. In order to punish himself he built the Mirisavetiya Dagoba. The extent of this land is about 50 acres (20 ha). Although king Kasyapa I and Kasyapa V renovated this, from time to time it was dilapidated. What stands today is the renovation done by the Cultural Triangle Fund.
8. Lankarama
Lankarama is a stupa built by King Valagamba, in an ancient place at Galhebakada. Nothing is known about the ancient form of the stupa, and later this was renovated. The ruins show that there are rows of stone pillars and it is no doubt that there has been a house built encircling the stupa (vatadage) to cover it. The round courtyard of the stupa seems to be 10 feet (3 m) above the ground. The diameter of the stupa is 45 feet (14 m). The courtyard is circular and the diameter is 1332 feet (406 m).
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