{"id":52014,"date":"2020-10-31T00:33:58","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T00:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=52014"},"modified":"2020-10-31T00:35:28","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T00:35:28","slug":"yapahuwa-rock-fortress-ephemeral-capital-of-sri-lanka-by-arundathie-abeysinghe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/yapahuwa-rock-fortress-ephemeral-capital-of-sri-lanka-by-arundathie-abeysinghe\/","title":{"rendered":"Yapahuwa Rock Fortress \u2013 ephemeral capital of Sri Lanka – By Arundathie Abeysinghe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yapahuwa Rock Fortress \u2013 ephemeral\u00a0capital of Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By Arundathie Abeysinghe<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"he<\/p>\n

\"Ms.<\/p>\n

Situated about 145 kilometers from Colombo, at the southwestern corner of the Cultural Triangle, Yapahuwa is an ancient rock fortress and capital built in 1301. Rising to a height of about 110 meters above the surrounding low-lying areas, this historical site is situated on the outskirts of Kurunegala. The biggest showpiece of the Rock Fortress is its ornamental stairway, a unique design covered with excellent stone carvings. The top flight of steps of the stairway displays the talented craftsmanship of our ancestors. Originally, there had been three flights of stone stairs. Later, the lowest stair had disappeared and the stone stairs have been replaced with cement stairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The steps of this stairway are narrow and need to be maneuvered sideways. According to historians, this may be a form of defense as the steps can neither be ascended nor descended hastily and the forces at the top could arm themselves against an enemy onslaught. There are many traces of ancient battle defenses in this Rock Fortress. According to chronicles, King Bhuwanekabahu I (1273-1284) built his palace on Yapahuwa Rock Fortress. Historians compare Yapahuwa Rock Fortress with Sigiriya Rock Fortress. But Yapahuwa Rock Fortress was built on a much smaller scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to historians, history surrounding Yapahuwa is fascinating. Originally called \u201cYapawwa\u201d, the Rock Fortress of Yapahuwa was the capital of Sri Lanka for a brief period in the latter part of the 13th<\/sup> century from 1273 to 1284. Yapahuwa had been a military outpost of General Subhapotha (popular as Subha) around 1215 A.D. to defend it against South Indian forces invading south wards. Yapahuwa Rock Fortress was named after Subha, Subhapabbata<\/em> in Pali and Yapahuwa in Sinhala. When King Bhuwenakabahu I shifted the capital of Sri Lanka from Polonnaruwa to Yapahuwa in 1272 CE (as Yapahuwa was easily defensible from invading foreign forces than Polonnaruwa), he built the Yapahuwa Rock Fortress.<\/span><\/p>\n

When King Bhuwenakabahu passed away in 1284, Yapahuwa was invaded by *Pandyan Dynasty from Madurai in Southern India. They carried away the *Sacred Tooth Relic to India. This fortress capital of Sinhalese Kings when abandoned had been inhabited by Buddhist monks. During the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasingha (1747 \u2013 1782) in the 18th century, Yapahuwa was refurbished as a cave temple.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sacred Tooth Relic which was taken to South India was brought to Sri Lanka in 1288 A.D. by King Parakramabahu III (1287 – 1293) who temporarily placed it in Polonnaruwa. The Pandyans left Yapahuwa, but in the mid 16th century, the Portuguese marched in. They demolished most of the buildings and Yapahuwa was almost in ruins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Popular \u2018Yapahuwa Lion\u2019 stone sculpture renders memories of Chinese lion figures, the symbol which was printed on Rs. 10 currency note (used as a currency) several years ago in Sri Lanka. In addition to goggle-eyed \u2018Yapahuwa Lions\u2019, doors\u00a0 and windows of the Palace have been intricately carved while the panels of the windows are carved with musicians and dancers with a musician playing a Kandyan drum.<\/span><\/p>\n

The well-planned citadel comprises a rampart as well as two moats. According to historians and archaeologists, the square shaped structures of the rampart suggest that bastions may have existed on it. Exterior fortifications of the Rock Fortress include two ramparts forming a rough semi-circle as well as a moat and the inner fortifications include a high stone wall circled by a moat. Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Royal Palace and administrative buildings had been located within the inner wall, whereas homes of King\u2019s officers had been located between inner and outer walls. To date, there are evidences of these fortifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the summit of the stairway of the Rock Fortress, there is a large stone doorway flanked by thick walls and two exquisitely carved windows. During early excavations, one window was found in fragments while the other Sivumeduru Kawuluwa<\/em> (perforated palace window) is well preserved. According to scholars, this intricate stone window is elaborately latticed in quasi-Arabian style. At present, this palace window is in the Archaeological Museum situated at the entrance to the Rock Fortress.<\/span><\/p>\n

A cave temple had been built for monks at the apex. There are remains of a number of buildings in this enclosure. The Sacred Tooth Relic brought from Dambadeniya had been kept in the special chamber in the Rock Fortress.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first archaeological excavation at Yapahuwa was carried out by H.C.P. Bell, the first Archaeological Commissioner in Sri Lanka (1810 – 1811). According to reports, magnificent types of palace entrances were found by H.C.P. Bell during his excavations.<\/span><\/p>\n

During recent excavations carried out by Dr. Senarath Dissanayake, Yapahuwa has had pre-historic (from 1,000 B.C. to 500 B.C.) or early historic (from 500 B.C. to 200 A.D.) human settlements and it was the earliest settlement to be found on a rock. According to available evidence, it had been an urban settlement.<\/span><\/p>\n

The latest archaeological excavations at Yapahuwa reveal that the kingdom had close diplomatic relations with China during the 13th century.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to archaeologists, during early excavations several Chinese ceramics had been found, the finest ceramics found in Sri Lanka. A large number of celadon pottery parts as well as 12 Chinese coins had been found during the excavations carried out by H.C.P. Bell. This type of good quality porcelain had been made only in China during the Medieval Period. China had used the marine trade route as well as the Silk Route to reach Sri Lanka (former Ceylon) and these ceramics are evidence to trade between Sri Lanka and China in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a Cave Temple situated behind the Yapahuwa Museum which comprises wooden Buddha images including a single bronze image. Among the exhibits, there are works of art and *Brahmi inscriptions. The Cave Temple was refurbished in 1886.<\/span><\/p>\n

Directions:<\/strong> Colombo – Kurunegala – Puttlam Road – Padeniya junction – Daladagama junction – Maho – Morogollagama Road – Yapahuwa<\/span><\/p>\n