The origin of Anuradhapura as an organized city.

The Anuradhapura city was created and developed as an organized city during the reign of king Pandukabhaya who was born to Deegagamini and Unmadhanie Chiththa. The king should be bestowed honor for his great service of building a city which came to be called Anuradhapura the reasons being the Anura Nekatha which was the chosen auspicious time to start the construction coupled with the fact that it was the residence for two important people named Anuradha. (the minister of king Vijaya and the brother of queen Baddrakachchayana. Only after having built the city that he claimed kingship establishing Swarnapali Devi as his chief consort. Therefore, the king also holds an important place being the first monarch in the history of Sri Lanka. He placed the soldiers in due positions and spared the life of king Abhaya considering the help offered by him both to Pandukabhaya and his mother and assigned him with the task of safe guarding the city. From then onwards a position called Nagara Guththika came in to being within the city. The emergence of the so-called position point to the beginning of the official positions in the city. He built many waters of which one was named Jaya Wewa for the reason that the king bathed there after obtaining victories. To the east of the city he built the Kalawelayaku Devalaya

Undoubtedly there are many instances to draw out in support of the view that king Pandukabhaya without any controversy was the founder of Anuradhapura with facilities that is required to bring Anuradhapura to the standard of a city. For instance, he built a cemetery and a prison. Moreover, he founded villages for a diversity of people such as 500 of city cleaners who belonged to Sadol caste, stool cleaners of Sadol and 150 of Sadol who were subjected to carry dead bodies as well as 150 of Sadols at cemetery service. He also built up separate cemeteries for the Sadol people. To the north of the cemetery he built up the line of dwelling places for the Vaddha people. To the north from there he had cloisters built up for various ascetics. The king also built the residence of the Jothiya Niganta where the Giri Niganta and a number of other recluses resided. The king also had a place built on behalf of the Niganta named Kumbhanda. The king further constructed houses for Ajiwaka people and Brahmin people etc.

One of the most important measures of king Pandukabhaya was to declare boundaries for the villages in the tenth year from his succession, which gives the city a more organized appearance. The public opinion about the king must have been more than good as proven by the very fact that the king was able to reign Anuradhapura for 70 years which is a substantial period. Therefore, king Pandukabhaya’s service for the development of Anuradhapura to a level that it was chosen continuously as the capital by the kings who afterwards came in to power until the city was totally vandalized by the Chola invasion in 993 AD.

Mrs. Karunarathne,

University of Peradeniya,

Sri Lanka

References

Wimalajothi, Ven., (ed.), Mahavamsa, Buddhist cultural center, Boralasgamuwa, 2003.

Deerananda.,H.,Ven., Rajyathwaya, Rajya ha Agama, Ariya publishers, Warakapola, 2004