| Seruwila Mangala Raja Maha Vihara | |
|---|---|
සේරුවිල මංගල රජ මහා විහාරය | |
 Seruwawila Mangala Maha Stupa | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Theravada Buddhism |
| Sect | Administration:Amarapura Sri Kalaniwansha Chapter Affiliated:Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Network[Details 1] |
| District | Trincomalee |
| Province | Eastern Province |
| Leadership | Ven. Aludeniye Subodhi Thero (Associated with Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Network) |
| Location | |
| Location | Seruwawila,Sri Lanka |
| State | Seruwawila |
  Shown within Sri Lanka | |
| Coordinates | 8°22′15″N81°19′09.8″E / 8.37083°N 81.319389°E /8.37083; 81.319389 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Ancient Buddhist Temple-Early Anuradhapura Period |
| Founder | KingKavantissa |
| Completed | 2nd century BCE |
Seruwawila Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya is anancient Buddhist temple located in theTrincomalee District of theEastern Province of Sri Lanka. It is recognized as the ninth of the Sixteen SacredSolosmasthana—the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the country—and is identified with the historicThissamaha Viharaya.
This sacred site was constructed byKing Kavantissa in the 2nd century BCE, and it enshrines two reveredrelics of Gautama Buddha:the forehead relic/frontal bone relic (Lalata Dhatu) andthe hair relics (Kesha Dhatu). This temple is currently a revered place of worship in Sri Lanka, affiliated with theMahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Network and operating under theAmarapura Sri Kalyaniwansa Chapter.
The temple can be accessed by both land and sea. The sea route begins with a boat journey fromTrincomalee to Muttur, followed by an additional 16 kilometers through connecting roads. The land route leads throughKantale via the Allai road, covering approximately 45 kilometers through dense forest.[2][3]
According to Dhatuvamsa(Chronical of the Sacred Relics), after the Parinibbāna (death) of the Buddha, the sacred relics of the Blessed One were divided by the Brahmin named Dona among eight kings who came from different regions. Among them, one portion was received by theMalla Kings of Kusinara. It is said that within this portion, the sacred forehead relic (Lalāta Dhātu) was enshrined. The Third Great Disciple of the Buddha, the [[Mahākāśyapa|Maha Arahant Mahākassapa Thera]], requested this sacred relic from theMalla Kings and received it. This was in accordance with a solemn prediction made by the Buddha regarding the forehead relic.
According to that prediction, it is stated in the sources that in the future, a king namedKavantissa would enshrine the sacred forehead relic on the southern bank of the greatMahāvāluka River in the island of Lanka, at the edge of a lake called Seru, near a rocky hill known as Varāhasoṇḍa.
Accordingly, theMaha Arahant Mahākassapa, after receiving the sacred forehead relic from the Mallas, foretold this prophecy and entrusted the relic to his disciple, the Venerable Nanda Thera. He enshrined the sacred relic in the Gandhakuti (fragrant chamber) where the Buddha had resided, inside the Kūṭāgāra Hall in thegrand city of Viśālā, and continued to offer veneration there.
When time passed, and as Nanda Thera grew old and neared Parinibbāna after attaining Arahantship, he related the story to his disciple Chandragupta Thera and handed over the forehead relic to him. Chandragupta Thera too enshrined it in another Gandhakuti of the Buddha and continued the veneration. Later, through an unbroken lineage of disciples, the relic passed on to Bhaddasena, Jayasena, Saṅgharakkhita, Mahāsena, and Mahādeva Theras. They also enshrined and venerated the sacred forehead relic in various Gandhakutis inJambudvīpa (India).
Eventually, the Arahant Mahādeva Thera, after the Buddha's Dispensation was established in Sri Lanka, during the reign ofKing Mahānāga of the Ruhuna region (contemporaneous withKing Devānampiyatissa of Anuradhapura), journeyed with his disciples into the forested area of theHattḥotta region of Ruhuna. It is said that during thefour Uposatha (Poya) nights, white rays were seen shining from the sacred relic into the forest at night. A lay devotee named Mahākāla, having seen this, constructed a clear and beautiful relic chamber (Dhātugarbha) for it and later offered it toKing Mahānāga, who ruled Ruhuna.
King Mahānāga then brought the sacred forehead relic to his palace and kept it under his guardianship. After him, the relic was inherited byKing Yatālatissa and then byKing Gotabhaya. FromGotabhaya, it passed on toKing Kavantissa.
In accordance with the ancient prophecy,King Kavantissa, guided by the Arahant Cūllapiṇḍapātika Tissa Thera (brother ofQueen Vihāramahādevī) and the Arahant Sāgala Thera of theTissa Vihāra of Magama, constructed a stupa in the Seruvila region, near the rocky hill known as Varāhasoṇḍa.
It is also recorded that, for the construction of the stupa, much support was received from the greatArahant Mahā Mahinda Thera and his group of 50 disciples from the nearby Somapura Somawathi Vihāra (present-daySeruvila Wilgamvehera Raja Maha Vihara), as well as from a regional ruler named Siva, who ruled over Serunuwara, King Giriyābhā of Somapura, and King Loṇa of Lona Nuwara.
After the construction of the beautiful Dhātugarbha (relic chamber) of the stupa, the sacred forehead relic was enshrined upon the forehead of a golden Buddha statue (said to be by the king’s divine determination). Additionally, hair relics brought from Nāga world were placed atop the head of the statue by the arahants.
The completedSeruvila Lalāta Dhātu Stupa was then entrusted to the 500 Arhant Sangha community, led byVenerables Arhant Cūllapiṇḍapātika Tissa and Sāgala Theras. The king also donated lands stretching three yojanas (about 36 km) from the stupa to the monastery, as recorded in historical chronicles.[4][5]
This sacred site fell into ruin around 1215 AD during theKalinga Magha invasion. However, around 1921, the temple—then overgrown by jungle—was rediscovered by theMost Venerable Dambagasare Sri Sumedhankara Mahanayaka Thera, a Mahanayaka Thera of the Amarapura Sri Kalyaniwansha chapter.
At that time, although the site was popularly identified as a monastery in Southern Part of Sri Lanka.It is known as the "Tissamaharama",meanwhileSumedhankara Thera, having read the Dhātuvamsa (Chronicle of the Relic), realized the correct location. Together with a group of devotees, he sailed from theDodanduwa port nearGalle toTrincomalee, and located the Seruvila temple deep within the dense forest. At the time of this discovery, he was a young monk.
About two years after rediscovering the stupa, he established an organization called the “Chaitya Wardhana Samithiya” and began restoration work on the stupa, completing it within six years.
The stupa and its environs covering approximately 85 acres was declared as an Archaeological Reserve in 1962. After this the Department of Archaeology was carrying out conservation work by stages. In view of the importance of this sacred shrine and to attract more pilgrims to the area, the Department of Town and Country Planning drew up a plan for the development of a new town complete with pilgrim rests, market areas, etc. during the 1970s.
TheVenerable Sumedhankara Thera died in 1984. After his death, during the height of the Northern and Eastern conflict involving theLTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), the monastery was protected and maintained by Venerable Seruvila Saranakitti Anunayaka Thera as the chief incumbent monk.
In June 2009, it was refurbished and ceremonially opened for the veneration of a large number of devotees at a cost of nearly Rs. 25 million by the National Physical Planning Department under the guidance of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardane.[6][7]
Later, due to structural issues such as cracks on the stupa platform, a final phase of restoration was carried out in 2012 under the guidance ofMost Ven.Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera and theMahamevnawa Monastic Order.
Following the demise of Venerable Saranakitti Anunayaka Thera in 2016, the chief incumbency was taken up by Ven. Munhene Meththārāma Nayaka Thera. After his death in 2021, the role was assumed by one of the disciples of both him andMost Ven.Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera — Ven. Aludeniyē Subodhi Thera.
Today, the Seruvila Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya operates under his leadership as one of the principal monasteries of theMahamevnawa Meditation Monastery Network, and is also affiliated with theAmarapura Sri Kalyaniwansa Chapter.[8][9]
Several periods of archaeological findings have been recorded, and the temple is believed to belong to the early Anuradhapura period.
An inscription at Seruvila refers to the temple as Tissamahavihara, a name also found in the Dhātuvamsa chronicle.
Three Buddha statues have been discovered, each covered with nine and seven layers of nīpāna (possibly meaning gold or protective coatings). In addition, there are several rock-cut caves, an ancient Bodhighara (tree shrine), a stone chamber known as the Varāha-Soṇḍa (Boar’s Trunk), monastic ruins, stone lotus pedestals, and rock-cut ponds.
Uniquely, four carved stone guardstones (vāhalkada) are found on the stupa terrace—something not seen in any other temple in Sri Lanka.
Lankāvadhū piyapathi Sirikākavaṇṇa
Tissa-vayyaṇena Munirāja lalāṭa dhātuṁ
Gabbhē nidhāpiya suṇimmita chārūrūpaṁ
Vandāmi Maṅgala Mahaṁ thula thūparājaṁ
Sērunāma sarāsaṁnē sāratthi saraṭhānagaṁ
Vandē Kāritatissēna lalāṭa dhātu cētiyaṁ
In Honour of the Seruvila Sacred Relic Stupa
The beloved royal father of Lanka, the illustrious Kākavaṇṇa, By Tissa the Great, the noble forehead relic of the Sage-King, Placed within the inner chamber, fashioned with flawless beauty,
I venerate the great and auspicious supreme Stupa-King.
At Serunāma, foremost among sacred places, the Charioteer of beings, I bow to the Forehead Relic Stupa, built by King Kāritatissa
A lake named Seruvila is located in this region. It is reported that in ancient times, it was a lake covering more than 12,000 acres, making it the largest natural reservoir in Sri Lanka. However, due to natural disasters that occurred later, the lake was damaged. Since the 1980s, the area of the lake has further diminished—mainly because local people started to encroach upon and occupy the surrounding wetlands. As a result, the lake has now been reduced to a land area of less than 1,000 acres. Today, instead of the name Seruvila Lake, it is commonly referred to as Allai Lake.
According to historical sources, the name Seruvawila is believed to have originated from the presence of a lake called Seruvila (currently known as the Allai Tank) in this area. A widely held belief is that the name was derived because large numbers of birds known as “seru” frequently visited the lake.
In addition, several large monasteries have been associated with the Seruvawila region (which is considered part of theKottiyarama division—Kottiyarama being a term believed to refer to a place with hundreds of monasteries). Historical accounts suggest that a significant community of monks lived in this area in ancient times. Specifically, the Seruvila Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya (also known as the Tissamaha Vihara) and the ancient Somawathi Viharaya, currently identified as theSeruvila Wilgamvehera Raja Maha Viharaya, indicate the presence of a large monastic population.
There is also a belief that the lake was regularly visited by monks for their daily needs, and hence the name Seruvawila evolved from “Sivuru Aa Vila” (the lake that robes came to), referencing the arrival of monks (sivuru = robes).
At present also, theSeruvila Wilgamvehera Raja Maha Viharaya is situated close to the lake.
According toRichard Leslie Brohier, Seruvila was once a vast floodplain or wetland area where waters from the Mahaweli River collected. During seasonal migrations, this wetland became a sanctuary for large flocks of teals (birds referred to as “seru”). He proposed, as a scholar, that this may have led to the area being named Seruvawila.[10][11]
Furthermore, the Kiliveddi Sri Vardhana Bodhi Tree, which was once located in the Seruvila region and affiliated with the Seruvila Mangala Raja Maha Viharaya, is believed by scholars to have been a sacred Dethispalaraha Bodhi (a Bodhi tree with 32 saplings). However, it is no longer visible today. In the 1970s, it is believed that a group of Hindu devotees removed the Bodhi tree and constructed a kovil (Hindu temple) at the site.[12][13]
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