A few centuries after the collapse of the Anuradhapura kingdom or with the transfer of the kingdom to Polonnaruwa and then to Dambadeniya, most of the villages, paddy fields, farmlands and temples in and around or to the North of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were covered by the forests with the passage of time.
Haunting land
From the 13th century, those areas became a haunting land for wild animals such as elephants, leopards, bears, deer, wild boars, elk and peacocks and these forested terrains remained untrodden for ages. Especially after the 19th century, many temples that had been hidden from the human eye were occasionally uncovered and then revived.
In the course of the protracted separatist war in the North and the East of the country, many historically significant Buddhist places of worship there were vandalised by some chauvinists and treasure hunters. But thanks to the indomitable courage and perseverance of the valiant Tri- forces, our cultural heritages, religious monuments and temples were protected well and some moribund temples which had fallen into decay, decline and neglect were also revamped. Several ancient temples hidden in the jungle were found by the Army in demining operations and in the construction of new roads.
Deeply hidden in densely-wooded areas in the country, it seems that there still remain ancient temples, historic artefacts and monuments that speak about the grandeur and richness of a proud heritage in the Northern part of the country. The recently discovered Sapumalgaskada Raja Maha Vihara is the best testament to this heritage.
Sapumalgaskada is a forested terrain in the Northern Province, about 35 kilometres away from Vavuniya. This sacred site is in a forested area about three kilometres away from the villages of Kalebogaswewa in the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat division.
Inscriptions reveal that the area was called Uttara Passa according to the old divisions. Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Killinochchi and Jaffna belonged to Uttara Passa. According to the Vallipuram Gold Plate inscription, the Jaffna peninsula was known as Nakadipa (Nagadeepa) during the early Anuradhapura period.
The temple ruins known as Sapumalgaskada ruins are in a beautiful, quiet and serene environment in the middle of the Periyakattukulam Forest Reserve. Sapumalgaskada is a Buddhist monastery complex believed to have been built in the second century AD.
After archaeologists began excavating the site, many ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery that spreads across a vast area of forest were unearthed. There is also a belief that this monastery was a place where the sacred Tooth Relic was kept while it was being taken to the kingdom of Anuradhapura. The temple is, therefore, known as Sapumalgaskada Sri Dalada Raja Maha Vihara.
Important place
The temple must have been an important place of worship of a by-gone era. The best proof for this claim is the finding of a moat which is about 25 feet wide. The main monastic area which included several main buildings had been encircled by the moat.
Excavating the spot where there used to be a stupa in the Sapumalgaskada Raja Maha Vihara premises began on January 1, 2021. After the completion of the excavation and then its reconstruction, it now stands majestically at the temple ground and is seen as the cynosure in the premises. There is also a large tank called Sapumalgaskada wewa, next to the temple. The remains of buildings such as image houses, Uposathagara and Bodhigara can also be seen. Stone pillars, carved stones and many other ruins of the ancient monastery make this place a wonder of Sri Lanka.
