Ancient Sri Lanka's Yapahuwa Kingdom

 Ancient Sri Lanka's Yapahuwa Kingdom

The peaceful tranquility of the temperate countryside is disturbed by strong, dry breezes. A lone lizard basks in the dazzling sunshine while perched on one of the several ancient stone ruins as wild grass protrudes through the gently sloping ground. The Yapahuwa rock, a 300-foot-tall isolated wonder with a 13th-century history, towers above.

Yapahuwa served as both Sri Lanka's capital at the time and the location of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. It is currently one of the most distinctive and significant historic monuments in the nation, with many evidence of bygone battlements and relics from the reign of king Buvenekabahu (1273–1284 AD).

It is also the location of the unique stone sculpture known as the "Yapahuwa Lion," whose depiction is depicted on the nation's most recent Rs. 10 note and has a decidedly Chinese appearance. Although Yapahuwa was constructed on a much smaller scale, historians notice that it is comparable to the Sigiriya rock stronghold.

The decorative staircase that led to the royal residence is still considered to be its most outstanding masterpiece. The ascent is enriched by the beautiful views that surround it; spreading jungle, rolling hills, and sun-dappled rocks all come together to make a picture-perfect scene.

Yapahuwa is located in the Northwestern Province's Pahala-visi-deka Korale, or Wanni Hatpattu. It is only three kilometers from the Maho railway station to this location on the outskirts of Kurunegala. If you decide to take the rail option, get out at the Maho station and either take the bus that runs back and forth or, if you're feeling very daring, hike through the lovely countryside.

For the entirety of the adventure, it is advised to wear appropriate footwear and a sunhat. From the plains, the Yapahuwa rock rises abruptly. Terraces supported by walls on the southern and eastern flanks of the mountain allow access to the peak. In order to safeguard the palace within, the monarch had surrounded the city with a high wall and a moat. Monks were housed in a cave temple at the peak.

It still has Buddha sculptures and murals from the Kandyan era.

However, unlike Sigiriya, the palace was not built at the top of the 91-meter flat-topped cliff, but rather on a lower level. Evidence, however, points to a more urban than agricultural nature to the colony on the rock.

It's interesting to note that Yapahuwa is not mentioned in Sri Lanka's historical sources beyond the 13th century. The majority of recent Yapahuwa archaeological digs, however, show that Buvenekabahu's hilltop kingdom maintained close diplomatic contacts with China. A number of Chinese ceramics were discovered during the first digs. They are now regarded as among of the best specimens found on the island.

A significant number of Celadon ceramic pieces and more than a thousand Chinese coins were also found. Yapahuwa rock's intriguing history is fascinating. It is also known as "Subha pabbata" (or "Subha's rock") after a military commander by the name of Subha, who established Yapahuwa as his stronghold prior to Buvenekabahu's relocation because he saw the area's usage as a brilliant site of military defense.

Subha effectively stopped Magha's (1215–1236 AD) armies from moving south from this point on. With over 24,000 warriors, Magha of Kalinga led an invasion on Sri Lanka.

Tamil invaders were driven from the country's north a century later, and the Sinhala monarchy was reinstated in Dambulla. But occasionally, invaders from South India would pour in, leaving the island open to attack.

Buvenekabahu relocated the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha from Dambadeniya to Yapahuwa when he made that city the center of his empire. Regents at the time followed this custom, which had significant political ramifications.

However, after his passing, a massive famine and a Pandyan invasion conspired to wreak havoc on Buvenekabahu's realm. The Tooth Relic and numerous other artifacts were taken by the Pandyans. The disappearance of the Tooth Relic shocked the Sinhalese. It represented the end of hope for them.

The Portuguese marched into Yapahuwa in the middle of the 16th century after the Pandyans had already fled. They pillaged and destroyed great examples of eastern sculpture and architecture, demolishing the majority of the exquisite structures that were still standing. The Kingdom, which had been painstakingly lifted from the ground, was no longer visible against the horizon in all its splendour, but the scattered remains still speak volumes about what happened there.

These ruins show that the palace was guarded by two semi-circular walls, a moat, and perched at the top of its impressive stairway. The stairs had three levels at first. The design of the first main flight is simple and purely functional. The final 35 steps, nevertheless, are very elaborate.

These ruins have decorations depicting exultant dancers and musicians whose movements are so realistic-looking and vivid that they nearly look Cambodian. The porch over the steps is likewise decorated with dancers.

The Yapahuwa lions, the sole animals of their kind in the nation, are located at the base of each balustrade. Most of the steps are tiny and must be navigated sideways, according to visitors, who have made this observation.

According to historians, this served as defense. The narrowness of the stairs prevents hasty ascent or descent, giving those at the top time to prepare themselves against an enemy assault or stop infiltrators from rapidly retreating.