by Ven. Dr. Bellanwila Wimalaratana
In the
temple-studded paradise island of Sri Lanka, Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara
occupies a special place. This temple is considered so sacred
that there is a long cherished belief that a child who treads the ground
under the shade of its scared Bodhi-tree will never fail in life.
Situated in the outskirts of the city of Colombo, in the village of Bellanwila, just three kilometers from the city limits, Bellanwila temple has a long and hallowed history. The great sanctity attached to the temple is due to its sacred Bodhi-tree. There is authorative literary evidence in ancient texts such as the Sinhala Bodhivamsaya which records that this Bodhi-tree is one of the thirty two saplings that sprang from the sacred Bodhi-tree at Anuradhapura planted in the 3rd century B.C.E.
The recorded tradition is as follows: There were five twigs in the Bodhi-sapling that was brought from India to Sri Lanka and planted in the Mahameghavana at Anuradhapura. When the sapling had grown into a tree, eight new saplings sprang from its eastern side. These are called the astaphalaruka-Bodhi-trees and they were planted at eight different spots on the Island. From the other four original branches sprang thirty-two additional saplings which were also distributed throughout the Island. One such plant is the sacred Bodhi-tree at Bellanwila.
The reason why this particular spot at Bellanwila was selected is not clear. Scholars have forwarded various hypothesis. But what appears plausible is that even at such early times this particular spot had been recognized as a hallowed site, and further, that there may have already been a well established shrine here with resident holy monks.
The state of the shrine after the planting of the Bodhi-sapling is shrouded in the mists of history. Neither literary nor archaeological evidence is available to reconstruct its history. Bellanwila was far away from the then capital of the Island and as it had no significant role in the history of the Island, it did not find any mention in the chronicles or other historical documents.
In the 15th century, Bellanwila again is mentioned in literary works. This is when Kotte, which is in close proximity to Bellanwila, became the capital. In the Kotte period Buddhism rose to great heights with the royal patronage of King Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467). But even during this period, Bellanwila is cast in the shadow of Sunthradevi Pirivena, a shrine built by the king himself.
The subjugation of the maritime provinces by the Portuguese in the latter part of the 17th century and consequent loss of royal patronage, dealt a severe blow to Buddhism. as a result many places of worship were neglected. Bellanwila seems to have fallen on especially hard times, was abandoned and covered by a dense thicket.
It is in the
middle part of the 19th century that Bellanwila once again comes into religious
prominence. The story of the revival of Bellanwila is closely linked with
Attidiya, a village adjoining Bellanwila. The discoverer was an adventurous monk
known as Thengodagedara Hamuduruwo. It is not known to which temple or sect he
belonged but he was said to be the founder of Galauda Vihara. One day in 1850,
he was traveling by boat along the Katu-ala stream towards Pepiliyana. On his
journey it is said that he heard the sound of drums from a nearby thicket. Being
inquisitive, he left the boat and walked towards the sounds.
As he approached, the drum sounds faded away and he was surprised to see a Bodhi-tree. Subsequently he came to discover that this was one of the thirty two saplings from the sacred Bodhi-tree at Anuradhapura.. With the help of villagers, he cleared the land around the tree and built a modest shelter for monks.
With this modest and mysterious beginning, Bellanwila began to attract the attention of devotees in the neighborhood. As they were mostly poor villagers, they were not in a position to contribute much to the temple's structural development.
Since Thengodagedara Hamuduruwo rediscovered Bellanwila it has had a succession of chief monks including Ven. Udugampola Sri Ratanapala, Udugampola Sri Dammakkhandha, Abhidhamma Weboda Sri Sangharatana, Asgiriya Devarakkhita and Bellanwila Sri Somaratana. amongst these erudite, well-disciplined monks it is Ven. Bellanwila Sri Somaratana who must be given credit for raising Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara to its present state of glory and grandeur.
Born
on October 1st, 1905, as the son of Omattage William Perera Appuhamy and Mary Nona
Hamine of Bellanwila, he was named Omattage John Perera. He entered the Order on
October 20th, 1920 and received higher ordination from the Kotte Chapter in
1927. He was educated at Paramadhamma Cetiya Pirivena, Ratmalana and Vidyodaya
Pirivena.
Raised as the son of a hard-working farmer, Ven. Somaratana was more of a "doer" than a "talker". More than an academician he was an organizer, an innovator, and a leader with vision. He knew that the few dilapidated buildings of the temple could be developed around the Bodhi-tree into a major shrine. But he also knew that his devotees besides being poor were oppressed by constantly recurring bouts of typhoid and diarrhoea. Plus their cattle were annually subjected to infectious diseases.
Ven. Somaratana decided first to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of the people. He organized religious programs and rituals to invoke the blessings of the Triple Gem and the protection of the gods. He organized a special procession, a perehera. These activities greatly revived the spirits of the people and consequently their health. The villagers came to believe that this was attributable to the power of the Bodhi-tree and the gods supposed to be residing in the vicinity. This belief attracted more devotees and the fame of Bellanwila spread throughout the country.
It was then that Ven. Sri Somaratana Nayaka Thera began the staggering task of developing the temple, its structures and its functions. He himself designed the structural concept of the temple complex. He designed the image house based on the one at Polonnaruwa. The work of restoring the temple that he began has since been carried on by Ven. Wimalaratana
A recent addition has been the completion of a remarkable set of murals, painted by the renowned artist, Somabandu Widyapathy, that adorn the inner walls of the Shrine Hall. The simple perehera that he started in 1947 grew to a colorful pageant that in 2004 paraded over 40 elephants, and is acclaimed as a grand display of the country's culture and arts.
While faithfully continuing the spiritual and religious services and facilities for the thousands of devotees who visit the temple daily from all over the country, the Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara has begun a community development service, the Bellanwila Community Development Foundation, especially targeting the people in the area.
Thus since its rediscovery in 1850, the Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara has grown to be not only a spiritual and religious centre of the highest merit but also a centre working for the material uplift of its devotees.
Besides
being a place of worship, the temple serves as a dynamic social service center.
The Dayaka Sabha, The Women's Organization and the Buddhist Youth Organization
work in coordination to provide a variety of services to the benefit of the
entire community. The Dhamma School has an
enrolment of over 1500 students. They begin arriving with their parents every
Sunday at 7:30. They are dressed in pure white clothing given to them by the
temple. They are led by one of the monks in chanting and meditation after which
they file to their class rooms for further Dhamma instruction until noon. On any
given Sunday there will be over one thousand children at the Dhamma school.
Older students and volunteers help keep order and focus by walking among the
children and encouraging them in respectful behavior.
Other services include the donation of a house each year to a destitute family, scholarships are granted to needy children. Others receive books, stationery and clothing in able to continue their education. In poor rural areas, support is provided to under-funded temples and the villages they serve. The Sri Somaratana Memorial Foundation is another branch of the temple supporting social services and scholarships.