{"id":119428,"date":"2023-08-11T10:04:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T10:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=119428"},"modified":"2023-08-11T10:09:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T10:09:14","slug":"girihandu-seya-first-buddhist-stupa-by-arundathie-abeysinghe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/girihandu-seya-first-buddhist-stupa-by-arundathie-abeysinghe\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGirihandu Seya\u201d \u2013 first Buddhist stupa? – By Arundathie Abeysinghe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGirihandu Seya<\/span>\u201d \u2013 first Buddhist stupa<\/em>? – <\/strong>By Arundathie Abeysinghe<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"girihadu<\/p>\n

\"ArundathieGirihandu Seya (\u201cSeya<\/em>\u201d meaning stupa<\/em> or dagoba<\/em>) also known as \u201cNithupathpana Vihara\u201d is an ancient Buddhist Temple in *Thiriyaya in *Trincomalee. \u00a0Girihandu Seya is considered as the first Buddhist Stupa<\/em> in Sri Lanka, believed to have been constructed by two seafaring merchants *Tapassu and *Bhalluka. Names of the two merchant bothers are recorded on a rock inscription in the temple premises. According to the inscription, Girihandu Seya was constructed by the guilds of merchants named \u201cTrapassuka\u201d and \u201cVallika\u201d, Their names were written as \u201cTapassu\u201d and \u201cBhalluka\u201d in Sinhala chronicles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Situated on a small hillock near the sea coast, approximately 47 kilometers (29 miles) towards north of Trincomalee, the stupa<\/em> of the Temple has been enlarged during the 8th century A.D. The Vatadage<\/em> (literally meaning circular relic house or shrine) covers the stupa<\/em> with concentric circles of stone pillars, almost similar to Thuparama and Lankarama stupas<\/em> at Anuradhapura. Similar to typical architectural features of ancient temples in Sri Lanka, vatadage<\/em> of the Temple is constructed of stone. This is a circular platform open to four directions and can be accessed by a flight of steps with guard stones (Muragala<\/em>) and balustrades (Korawak Gala<\/em>).<\/span><\/p>\n

The short prose inscription in the Temple premises, 8th century Sanskrit epigraph written in Sanskrit, records an account of two sea-faring merchants. Majority of the inscription is occupied by a long eulogy of a shrine known as \u201cGirikandi Chaitya\u201d founded by the guilds of merchants named Trapussaka and Vallika. The record ends with a Buddhist formula about the transitoriness of mundane objects.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Pujavaliya<\/em> (a Sinhala religious text) written in 1266 A.D, two merchants Tapassu and Bhalluka had offered the first dana<\/em> (alms giving) to the Buddha who delivered his first sermon in the 8th week after his *Enlightenment. After the sermon, the merchants had requested the Buddha for something to worship. They had received “Sacred Kesha Datu<\/em>” (lock of sacred hair relic). These two merchants traveled to different parts in the region (for business purposes) and came to Sri Lanka also. According to chronicles, one day, they had stayed in Thiriyaya and placed the sacred relic container on the summit of a rock and had gone to the surrounding area for a business purpose. On their arrival, they had found that the container could not be moved from the location and had decided to construct a stupa<\/em> enshrining sacred hair relic. Later, it had been named as \u201cGirihadu Seya.\u201d Thereafter, a Buddhist Temple had been constructed at the location. Scholars are of the view that this is the first Buddhist Stupa<\/em> constructed in Sri Lanka as there are no records of stupas<\/em> before. The location has been abandoned for several centuries engulfed by thick forest. Restoration of the stupa<\/em> was carried out in 1950’s.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stupa<\/em> in the Temple is highly venerated by devotees, as it is believed to contain sacred hair relics of the Buddha.<\/span><\/p>\n