Mirisawetiya Vahalkada, a magnificent specimen of early Sinhala Art more than 2100 years ago

It is widely believed that the Mirisawetiya vahalkada ranks among the most beautiful and well preserved among such vahalkadas of the Anurahapura period .It is said that the beauty of the Vahalkada was one of the main reasons that an interest was taken on Mirisaweitiya during the excavations by the British in the 19th century. The vahalkada stands 17 feet 4.5 inches in height and 25 feet in length

After surviving millenniums it was brought down in the famous collapse of 1987 and completely destroyed. Now in 2006, it was restored once again by the Department of Archeology .

(All pictures here were taken by the mirisawetiya web team in March 2006 under the patronage of the high priest)

The magnificent western Vahalkada, the most preserved of all and gives a stunning display of early Sinhala Art (Now restored thanks to the Department of Archeology )

Another view of the Vahalkada

Smither, who played a key role in the British rediscovery in the 19th century, did extensive work on describing the vahalkada.

A closer look at the Vahalkada

Quoting Smither (Architectural remains, Anuradhapura)

"High and capped with moulded slab 10 inches thick,above which the face of the wall recedes about 10 inches, Upon the ledge, or offset thus formed, is a row of twenty one elephants, all in kneeling position " "Those at the two external and in the two internal angles being placed angle-wise". "the central elephant of the composition, and those in the two internal angles of the projecting portion of the front, have their trunks uplifted;but the remainder curl their trunks towards the left or right"

" The vertical faces between the animals are ornamented with carved paterae, representing expanded lotus-flowers"

Quoting Smither (Architectural remains, Anuradhapura)

"At this level is arranged a row of nineteen peculiar,projecting, upturned ornaments, resembling brackets, which issue from jaws of nondescript animals, and are furnished with flat tops. The object of these brackets is uncertain, but it is not improbable that they were intended to support lamps"

Quoting Smither (Architectural remains, Anuradhapura)

"a sculptured frieze, 1 foot high, representing in low relief, a long procession of animals advancing towards the north in four divisions, each headed by a man"

The processions, each of them in different order, contained a man, horse(s), bull, lion(s) and elephants

Quoting Smither (Architectural remains, Anuradhapura)

"The men are nude, with the exception of short loincloth or kilt". "It is most probable however, that the frieze was coated with plaster, and that these rude sculptures were merely intended to serve as a core, or ground-work for better-proportioned, and perhaps elaborately-ornamented, figures in that material. t any rate they are curious and have therefore been carefully measured and drawn".

Quoting Smither (Architectural remains, Anuradhapura)

"At the end of each frontpiece are two upright stones, or stelae. These four stones are all monoliths".

The frontfaces of these stones had elaborate designs carved. Though they seem a little rough, it had a layer of plaster, some of it which still remained attached during the excavations.

At the bottom of the stone located at the Southern end, you see a dwarf figure holding a sheet on top which , an urn decorated with lotus leaves.

From the urn we see a tall straight stem. As the stem ascends from the urn, we see leaves branch off from the stem at regular intervals to the left and the right. At the intersection points of these leaves. we see a fully bloomed flower. As he stem goes up, on either side of the stem, as if coming out from the left and right leaves, we see 12 pairs of animals and men, one of top of each other. The men stand in a dancing pose. The elephants have belly bands and head rings. The lions have a strange head dress. The bulls and the horses have collars

The stem terminates with two large leaves holding the resemblance of the sacred wheel emblem of the Dhamma ("Chakra"). The "Chakra" is covered by an umbrella. Right above the Chakra are two figures that Smither describes as "Tibetan cow's tail whisks" .

The inner of the four side stones have caps on top and mounted on these caps were two Lions figures approximately two feet in height and in length. The lion figures look proud with large heads and mouths, long tails and unusually large mouths.

The Vahalkada is huge and the Dagaba is even bigger. The young priest standing next to the Vahalkada gives an indication of its size. The vahalkada was much more elaborate and more exquisite in the past but Malabar invaders probably were responsible for the intentional defacing of some of the art while the treasure hunters , as clearly seen were responsible for ruining of the brickwork structure trying to get at the priceless offerings made by the king to the Buddha.