Dimbulagala hermitage/monastery, (near) Polonnaruwa, North Central Province, SL

Raw data

"Dimbulagala Buddhist Monastery, is a forest hermitage then in the ancient era, and now a Buddhist temple as well as an archeological site is located 20km south east of Polonnaruwa, the ancient kingdom of reservoirs (846 AD-1302 AD). Dimbulagala was known as Dhumarakka Pabbatha in The Mahavamsa or Great Chronicle, Sri Lanka’s non-stop epic. It was also known by the names “Udumbara Giri” [Sinahala: Hill of Woodapple] & “Dola Pabbatha”.
Rising 545m above the denuded surrounding plains, the imposing rock spire of Dimbulagala is surrounded by over 100 rock caves that have been in continuous use since the 3rd century BC. While the caves are intact, the scattered ruins of buildings surrounding it have been discovered from various periods between 300 BC- AD1200.

During ancient and medieval eras Dimbulagala also made its name for being the abode of Buddhist monk Ven. Kuntha Gantha Tissa who summoned a council of monks & set about to inscribe the Tripitake,(three books of Buddhist doctrine) in the ancient script of Pali without leaving same to oral tradition that had been continued since the time of Buddha. The monumental work was completed under the patronage of King Wattha Gamini Abhaya (Valagambahu) [89-76 BC] at Aluwihare Temple, Matale, Kandy. ‘Saddharmalankarya’, one of the prominent literary works in Sinhala language narrates that the last arahat (the supremely enlightened one who broke free from the almost eternal cycle of birth & rebirth), Maliyadeva [ven.maliyadeva] Thero lived in Sandamaha cave in Dimbulagala. It is recorded, in the thirteenth century Buddhist monk Maha Kassapa [ven.mahakassapa] Thera at Dimbulagala assisted King Parakrambahu the Great [1164-1197 AD] to summon a Vinaya Sangayana (reciting of the code of discipline) & to engage in renewal of Buddhist order."
http://mysrilankaholidays.com/hotelguide/dimbulagala/

"It is said that King Pandukabhaya lived here for a short period in the 4th century. In the Anuradhapura period there was an important vihara here. An inscription of Sundaramaha devi in the 12th century says that 500 monks resided there at that time. A most notable period of its history was associated with King Parakramabahu II, in the 13th century where the Dimbulagala Maha Kassapa Thera helped the King with the purification and renewal of the
Buddhist order. In the early centuries Dimbulagala was known as Dhumarakkhapabbata or Udumbarapabbata. King Dewanampiyatissa, the first properly
acclaimed king of Anuradhapura our first kingdom was responsible for the erection of many Viharas. One of the first such Viharas was Dimbulagala. It is also historically important in that from Arahat Mahinda's time up to the tenure of the last Arahat, Maliyadeva's time many great Arahats dwelt in
Dimbulagala. This is mentioned in the great literary work 'Saddharmalankaraya. Then there followed unstable and disturbed political periods, with threat to general adminstration and security as well. Dimbulagala is also noted for having being the abode of Kuththagaththatissa, an Arahat who attended the writing down of the scripture at Aluvihare Matale along with five hundred Bhikkus. Dimbulagala which had deteriorated after the Parakramabahu era saw a revival with the devotion and dedication of the late Maha Nayaka and the discovery of Udumbaragiri - which had become the home of the Veddhas.

Dimbulagala had once been a great centre of learning - it had had religious connections with Burma and Thailand. It had conducted religious teachings in
eighteen languages. It had given advice and guided the great kings like King Viajayabahu I and Parakramabahu I. The Royal Queens like Sundara Devi had
patronised the erection of Dimbulagala. The great writers like Gurulugomi and Vidyachakravarthi had received their instructions from the great clergy residing in Dimbulagala. A Thai inscription of 1292 found on a slab at Polonnaruva states that king Rama Khamheng founded [A]naranna monastery, and offered it to the Mahathera from Nakhon Si Thammarat. The arannavasi fraternity had become very prominent in the 12th and 13th centuries in Sri Lanka, and had its centre at Udumbaragiri or Dimbulagala in Sri Lanka. King Lothai (1317-1347), son of Rama K hamheng requested the famous Sri Lankan monk Udumbara (that is Dimbulagala) Mahasami who had arrived in Pegu, (lower Burma) to send a monk to perform Upasampada. Udumbara Mahasami sent the Sukhothai monk Sumana, his student. On return, Sumana Thera established the Sihala Sangha sect in Sukhothai.
http://kuruppukanda.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/mulkirigala.pdf

Input by: GitaG, Mar 28, 2013

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 15 Sep 2013

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Dimbulagala monastery, SL.

General location of the Dimbulagala monastery, SL.
Lat 7.86111 Long 81.11750
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2013.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=7.86111+81.11750+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Dimbulagala%20monastery,%20SL)&ll=7.86111,81.11750&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Dimbulagala hermitage/monastery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Sri Lanka:North Central Province

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx. Lat 7.86111 Long 81.11750 - based on visual identification of the Dimbulagala site in maps/satellite imagery, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 01 Apr 2013.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries

  • [missing data]

6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

  • [missing data]

8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • Theravada

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • "At the foot of the mountain and just near the modern shrine room is a large cave with a collection of stone umbrellas, stones with footprints on them, and a stone throne all dating from the 1st to the 3rd centuries CE, showing that Dimbulagala was inhabited since at least that time - (Dhammika, Ven S. 2008a)
  • MBM chrono-tag: <=0200 - GitaG 29 Mar 2013
  • <=0200 0200-32c 0233-66c 0267-99c 0300-32c 0333-66c 0367-99c 0400-32c 0433-66c 0467-99c 0500-32c 0533-66c 0567-99c 0600-32c 0633-66c 0667-99c 0700-32c 0733-66c 0767-99c 0800-32c 0833-66c 0867-99c 0900-32c 0933-66c 0967-99c 1000-32c 1033-66c 1067-99c 1100-32c 1133-66c 1167-99c 1200=> dated-el

12. Date-intermediate

  • "In the 5th century King Mahanama built a temple here at the request of his queen and according to the Mahavamsa, donated it to the Mahavihara - (Dhammika, Ven S. 2008a)

13. Date-late

  • "An inscription of Sundaramaha devi in the 12th century says that 500 monks resided there at that time. The arannavasi fraternity had become very prominent in the 12th and 13th centuries in Sri Lanka, and had its centre at Udumbaragiri or Dimbulagala in Sri Lanka." http://kuruppukanda.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/mulkirigala.pdf
  • MBM chrono-tag: 1200=> - GitaG 29 Mar 2013

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • Dimbulagala had once been a great centre of learning - it had had religious connections with Burma and Thailand. It had conducted religious teachings in eighteen languages [=a university site - tmciolek]. It had given advice and guided the great kings like King Viajayabahu I and Parakramabahu I. The Royal Queens like Sundara Devi had patronised the erection of Dimbulagala. The great writers like Gurulugomi and Vidyachakravarthi had received their instructions from the great clergy residing in Dimbulagala - http://kuruppukanda.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/mulkirigala.pdf

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • [missing data]

16. Additional notes


17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

18. Available Printed Literature

  • Dhammika, Ven S. 2008. Sacred Island: A Buddhist pilgrim's guide to Sri Lanka. Kandy: Buddhist Publications Society.
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]

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