Yatala Legacy

Location 6.281856 North, 81.248703 East

By Nilu Rajapakse

Situated along the Debarawewa-Tissamaharama route, Yatala holds a key position in the history of the Ruhunu Kingdom. Dating back to 300 BC i.e. almost 2300 years ago Yatala was the place where Prince Yatala was born. They say that the Yatala dagoba marks the place of his birth, when his father King Mahanaga and his consort were fleeing from Anuradhapura.

Yatala Chaitya, built in approx. 200 BC

Statue of Lord Buddha found in the ruined remains of the Yatala Wehera

The small museum in Yatala displayed some of its historical treasures. The ancient statue of the Lord Buddha has been dated over 2000 years old. The curator of the museum believes that this statue was manufactured locally in Sri Lanka rather than imported from India, as was the practice at that time. He rationalizes this conclusion by identifying the wrapping of the robe ‘sivura’ as well as the gesture of the hands. He goes into technical details which are for the moment lost on the author as she tries to capture some photographs.

The Statue is believed to be the ‘guru – pilima’ or the master works which later guided the more popular Avukana statue in Anuradhapura. The similarities are obvious except for the missing “Urna Roma Dhatu” – the single coil of hair on the forehead called the Eye of Wisdom and the crown or headdress depicting the ray of light from the “Ushnisha” a symbol of Lord Buddha’s great spiritual power and luminosity as well as his wisdom and knowledge.

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