On the trail of Dutugemunu — 3 things to look out for at Dematamal Vihara

The backstory

Based on archeological evidence, the Dematamal Vihara is thought to predate the christian era, and is perhaps the oldest non-cave temple in the kingdom of Ruhuna. Prince Tissa sought refuge under the bed of the chief prelate at this temple after having lost the battle for the throne with his brother Prince Gemunu at Yudaganawa. 

The victorious prince had the temple surrounded , but didn’t touch his brother, but ridiculed him as he was carried away in the guise of a deceased monk from the premises.

Dematamal Vihara

This ancient temple is located in Buttala, in the district of Moneragala in eastern Sri Lanka. It is right by the side of the main Buttala-Okkampitiya road. It dates back to the 2 BC and is surrounded by lush paddy fields, which were originally 6 acres in extent. 

1. The stupa

The unplastered brick stupa is upon a platform that is 2.35m high. It is unusual to see a cheitya rise this much above the other buildings in a temple complex, but it is presumed that it was positioned thus so that it will be visible from afar in the completely flat environ that the temple is on. 

The stupa of the temple has been constructed on a raised platform, so that it will stand out in the surrounding flat plain.

2. Guardstone with two figures

The foundation and ruins of a small building is to be found in the paddy fields beyond the ancient chapter house. While the entrances of all ancient buildings in the country have guardstones placed on either side of the entrance, the guardstone to the left of the entrance to this structure is one of just 4 that have a female figure carved in to it, in addition to the usual male naga figure. The nagini stands to the right of the naga figure and is a few inches shorter than him. 

The remains of a building beyond the main temple, close to the paddy fields, where the rare guardstone with 2 figures is to be found. 

The Nagini on the left, and the Naga guard on the right. Only 4 such guardstones have been found in Sri Lanka.

3. The new chapter house

Only the tall foundation of the original chapter house remains to be seen today. It is believed that the infamous bed of the chief prelate of this temple where Prince Tissa hid underneath was to be found in this building. 
A new chapter house has been constructed upon this same stone foundation since then. But based on the pillars, statues and other stone items found there and in its vicinity, there is little doubt about the original structure that stood here. 

* Pictures © Radhika Wijesekera, 2018 (Buttala, Sri Lanka)

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#DematamalSeya #Buttala #DutuGemunu #Saddhatissa #SriLankanHistory #Moneragala #SriLanka 

3 Little Known Gemstones found in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is renown for the sheer length and breadth of gem stones found there. While the stunning Blue Sapphire reigns supreme among the precious stones in this country, there are a large number of stunning semi-precious stones in Sri Lankan soil too. 

The following rare and lesser known stones were recently celebrated in a series of stamps issued in 2021.

Taaffeite

Taaffeite is considered to be one of the rarest gemstone minerals in the world. It was named after the Austrian gemmolosit Richard Taaffe, who came across it as a cut and polished stone in Dublin, in 1945. This is also considered the first gem to be initially identified from an already faceted stone. Previous versions of the gem have been mistaken for spinel, which is very similar in its chemical composition. 

Subsequent chemical and x-ray analysis confirmed that the main components of taaffeite are beryllium (also found in emeralds and aquamarines), magnesium and aluminium. 

There tends to be confusion between spinel and taaffeite due to it's structural similarities. However, unlike spinel, taaffeite can be distinguished based on it's double refraction property. 

This is an extremely rare mineral, and is found in alluvial (a type of soil which consists of earth and sand left behind upon a land where once a river flowed) deposits in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. A lower grade taaffeite is found in limestone sediments in China. 

Taaffeite can be pink, mauve or lilac, or be a reddish or brownish transparent. It also occurs as colourless, purple, greenish, violet or bluish. Because of its distinction as being one of the rarest minerals on earth, taaffeite is used exclusively in the gem industry. 

Spinel

Spinel is also found in the gemstone bearing gravel in Sri Lanka as well as in Myanmar, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kenya and Tanzania. The composition of this gem is Magnesium and Aluminium. They occur in a wide variety of colours, but usually in shades of red, lavender, blue, green, brown or yellow. Many spinels from Sri Lanka are black, but the rare cobaltian variety is unique to the island. 

The 500 carat Samarian spinel is the largest ever found, while two spinels, the Black Prince's Ruby and the Timur Ruby are both part of the British Crown Jewels. 

Spinels have been used in jewellry for many centuries, often having been mistaken as corundums, especially rubies. Yet they remain popular for the same purpose today, given their strength and suitability for most settings and their comparatively lower cost. 

Sinhalite

Sinhalite was first found in Sri Lanka in 1952 and was named after the sanskrit name of the island. They are considered to be a rather rare gems, often found as small rough stones in Tanzania, Myanmar and Madagascar. 

Curiously though, sinhalites in Sri Lanka are found in rough pebble form and are often quite large, at 100 carats or more. The largest known sinhalite was found in Sri Lanka and it clocks in at 252 carats. 

These stones take on yellowish, yellow-brown, dark brown, greenish-brown, light pink and brownish-pink hues. It shares chemical similarities with peridot, chrysoberyl and zircon and is often mistaken for these stones. 

Due to it's rarity, Sinhalites are also mainly used in jewellery manufacturing. 

Topaz and Zircon are other semi precious stones that are frequently found in Sri Lanka, but these can hardly be called elusive. 

** All stamps and photographs used in this post are part of this author's personal collection.

References: 

International Gem Society

Jewels For Me

Wikipedia