Upulvan (Sinhala:උපුල්වන් දෙවියෝ,Pali:Uppalavanna;Sanskrit: Utpalavarna), also known asVishnu (Vishnu deviyo) is a guardian deity (Pali: Khettapala; Sanskrit: Kshetrapala) ofSri Lanka.[1] Sri Lankan Buddhists believe him also as a protector of theBuddhism in the country. The name Upulvan depicts his body colour which means "blue water lily coloured". The cult of Upulvan started during the medieval period in Sri Lanka.[2][3] According to the local lore and legend, Upulvan is the god whom theBuddha entrusted with the guardianship of Sri Lanka and BuddhaŚāsana of the country.[4]
According to the Sri Lankan chroniclesDipavamsa andMahavamsa, north Indianprince Vijaya and his seven hundred followers were blessed by god Upulvan upon their arrival to Sri Lanka in 543 BC.[5] The second appearance of god Upulvan in literary sources occurs in the 7th and 8th centuries and again after a gap of several centuries his name reappears in 13th and 14th centuries as the god par excellence. Though god Upulvan is mentioned in Mahavamsa as the guardian deity of Sri Lanka, the first reference to the worship of Upulvan is dated to the 13th century.[2][6]
Kotte era poemPanditha Perakumba Siritha describes a story of how god Upulvan transfigured a log of a kihiri tree and floated it to the sea beach of Devinuwara kingdom in Southern Sri Lanka. On the night prior to the incident, KingDappula I (661-664) who was the reigning monarch, had a dream about the arrival of this transfigured kihiri log. Accordingly, the king and his people rushed to the beach and recovered the kihiri log. They carved the god's figure out of the kihiri log, and brought it ceremonially for enshrinement.[7] The poem further states that the wood of the said kihiri log was also used as a medicine for treating various diseases.TheParavi Sandesaya, written byThotagamuwe Sri Rahula Thera in the 15th century mentions the name of the consort of god Upulvan as Sandavan Biso, and they have a son named Dhanu also called Janak.[8]
In the medieval period local deities, namely Upulvan,Katharagama,Saman andVibhisana came to be worshiped as protectors of the island. The 14th century inscription of KingBuvanekabahu IV is the first inscription that refers to the guardian deities of Sri Lanka.[2] Within the same centuryNissanka Alagakkonara erected four shrines for the guardian deities when he was constructing the fortress ofKotte. God Upulvan seems to have been the most popular of these guardian gods and his main temple was located at Devinuwara (Dewundara) in Matara.Dewundara Devala Sannasa speaks of land dedicated to the temple by the ancient kings of Sri Lanka. A second temple for god Upulvan was erected byKing Parakkramabahu IV at Aluthnuwara, Satara Korale inKegalle District. Evidence reveals that land and other endowments were made to this temple up to the beginning of 17th century.[2]
At the end of the 15th century, god Upulvan was identified with god Vishnu of Hinduism, which could be attributed to the resemblance of the two deities and to the Hindu or influence that prevailed during the times ofKotte Kingdom. Thereafter images of Upulvan as Vishnu were set besides the images of Buddha in Buddhist temples throughout the country.[2] After the identity of god Upulvan was merged with god Vishnu, the use of name Upulvan slowly disappeared and the worship of Upulvan as Vishnu was spread throughout Sri Lanka. The deity was important for theAbhishekacoronationrite.[9][10][11]
Today it is commonly accepted both Upulvan and Vishnu as identical deities in Sri Lanka. But there exists different views about this identification and according to some historians and sources, the two deities are not identical.[8] There are also sources that equate god Upulvan to theVedic godVaruna, the protector and the lord of oceans, and in that capacity he is assumed as a protector of the island of Sri Lanka as well asAvalokiteśvara andTara.[6][9][12]
An ancient temple dedicated to god Upulvan was situated atDevinuwara inMatara, the southernmost area of the country. According to the recorded history, the Devinuwara multi-religious complex, the Buddhist temple and the Upulvan devale (shrine) was started by KingDappula I (Dappula-sen) in the 7th century AD.[9] The origin of theEsala festival of Devinuwara goes back to the times of KingParakramabahu II who had reconstructed the dilapidated temples during his reign.[4] KingsParakramabahu VI,Vijayabahu VII andBhuvanekabahu VII of Kotte made further grants to the temple.[13][14] The sacred shrine is mentioned in theKokila Sandesaya ("Message carried by Kokila bird") written in the 15th century with reference to the exploits ofSapumal Kumaraya.[15][16] The temple complex was visited byIbn Battuta in the 14th century andZheng He in the 15th century.[17][18] In 1587, a Portuguese army led by Thome deSousa Arronches attacked the sacred city and destroyed the temples to distract kingRajasinha I'ssiege ofColombo.[9][19][20] KingRajasinghe II managed to recapture Matara and re-built the shrine to god Vishnu,[4] which is presently known as Uthpalawarna Sri Vishnu Devalaya.
Today Vishnu is venerated by a large number of devotees in Sri Lanka, and is specially revered as the custodian of the island. There are many temples and shrines which are dedicated to the god in many parts of Sri Lanka. Annual processions (peraheras) are held to pay homage to the god in most of these temples. Other than the main temple and shrine inDevi Nuwara some of the famous Vishnu shrines and temples (devalas & kovils) in Sri Lanka are located inKandy,Vallipuram,Aluthgama (Kande Viharaya) andDehiwala.
The chief lay custodian of each shrine is known as the Basnayaka Nilame.