Jetavana Monastery

  

Jetavana Monastery at Anuradhapura one of the major Buddhist Monasteries of Sri Lanka was founded by King Mahasena (276-303 AC). His reputation as a builder of great monasteries was somewhat tarnished by his grave misdeeds against the Mahavihara Monastery. Though following his repentance and restoration of Mahavihara Monastery saved the name of the great king in the annals of history of Sri Lanka, today he was remembered as one of the greatest builders of tanks(rainwater reservoirs) of Sri Lanka. Such was the glory of the king following the construction of vast Minneriya tank, the king, following his death, was elevated the statues of deity named ‘Minneriya Deviyo” in the legends of Sri Lanka.

Jetavana Monastery was built in the Nandana Pleasure Garden, where the great Buddhist missionary Thera Mahinda, the son of Emperor Asoka of India, preached the Buddhism for seven consecutive days. Following the historical event the Garden was named “Jotivana” meaning “the place where the holy one made the true doctrine shine forth”. According to the historians, Thera Mahinda was known by the title of Dipajotaka meaning “Light of Lanka”. It is also said that the great monk and his associate monks were cremated herein following their death.The present monastery complex covering an area of 48 hectares was a result of gradual expansion of at least six centuries since its establishment in the 3rd century A.C.

The layout of Jetavana Monastery in Sri Lanka is identical to that of the Abhayagiri monastery though smaller in dimensions. All the components within the monastery too are to a large extent similar to those of Abhayagiri monastery: the stupa, the image house (pilimage), Bo tree Shrine (Bodhigara), the chapter house (uposathagara), the assembly hall (sannipatasala) and the residential complex of the Buddhist monks ( pannasala). The buildings were set up around the stupa in relation to the cardinal points: image house to the west, Bo-tree Shrine (Bodhigara) and chapter house to the south, and the refactery to the east. Around the stupa ran a belt of residential colleges of the monks with the entances to them facing the stupa. The refectory reveals the monastery is home to about 3000 resident Buddhist monks.

Museum at the Jetavana monastery

The museum is of great service revealing the artefacts discovered within the monastery during excavations. The numerous artefacts discovered is of such a volume, today these were called Jetavanana Treasure. Most of the artefacts were found deposited in the thick clay layer between the basal platform and a brick upper platform built during the original construction of the stupa by King Mahasena. The artefacts were dated between second century BC and the last quarter of the third century AC based on the contextual and stylistic grounds.

Among the artefacts displayed at the museum are imported and local ceramics; Roman, Indian and other coins, more than 300,000 beads made of clay, glass, stone, crystal, agate, carnelian, ivory, bone, shell, gold and silver, and also bronze; Buddhist and Hindu