Girihandu Seya Buddhist Temple, Sri Lanka

Address

Girihandu Seya Buddhist Temple Thiriyai, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Girihandu Seya (also known as Nithupathpana Vihara) is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Thiriyai, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The temple is supposed to be the first Buddhist Stupa in Sri Lanka, believed to be constructed by two seafaring merchants Trapusa and Bahalika. The names of the two merchants are recorded in a rock inscription found in the Vihara premises. According to the inscription, Girihandu Seya was built by the guilds of merchants named Trapassuka and Vallika where the names are written as Tapassu and Bhalluka in later Sinhala chronicles. Some scholars also hold the view that Mahayana influenced seafaring merchants from the Pallava Kingdom were responsible for the construction of this temple. The Stupa in the Vihara is highly venerated by the people, as it is believed to contain the hair relics of Buddha The temple has been formally recognized by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka.

Puranic Significance

The temple is situated on a small hillock near the sea coast about 47 km (29 mi) to the north of Trincomalee. The summit is occupied by a Vatadage containing the Stupa in the center. The Stupa was originally small in size and had been enlarged in the 8th century A.D. The Vatadageya covers the Stupa with concentric circles of stone pillars similar to Thuparama and Lankarama Stupas at Anuradhapura. The stone made circular platform of the Vatadageya is opened to the four directions and accessed by flight of steps with guardstones (Muragala) and balustrades (Korawak Gala) showing the usual Sinhalese architecture. On the terraces lower than the Vatadageya are vestiges of monastic structures including ruined buildings, stone pillars, flight of steps, ponds, and remains of a stone bridge. The slope of the hill are some rock caves, two of which contain Brahmi inscriptions, one in the pre-Christian form of that script and the other dating from about the first century. To the South of the Vatadageya is another rock inscription engraved on the a rock surface, which contain eleven line of writings revealing the names of two merchants as well as the temple. The short prose inscription in the Vihara, written in Sanskrit, states that it was indited in the 23rd year of the reign of king Silamegha, Lord of Simhala. This monarch in the inscription is identified with the king Aggabodi VI (741-781 A.D) the temple was repaired later by king Vijayabhahu I (1055–1110 AD).