5/5 Kavindu T. 1 year ago on Google
This
is
the
Uposathagara
(chapter
house)
of
the
Abhayagiri
Vihara
Complex
built
by
King
Kanitta
Tissa
(192-194
AD).
According
to
Mahavamsa.
the
king
been
pleased
with
the
Mahanaga
Thero
of
Butarama,
constructed
this
edifice
at
Abhayagiri
Monastery.
What
Lova
Maha
Prasada
was
to
Mahavihara
Monastery
and
Diyasen
Paya
to
Jathawana
Monastery,
Rathna
Prasada
is
to
Abhayagiri
Monastery.
The
competition
between
the
Mahavihara
and
Abhayagiri
viharaya
sects
of
monks
can
be
seen
from
the
size
and
name
of
the
buildings.
Even
the
names
seem
to
be
competing
with
each
other.
When
Maha
viharians
called
their
building
the
The
Copper
Palace,
The
Abhayagians
called
theirs
the
Jewel
palace.
The
size
too
seems
to
be
no
second
to
the
Loha
Maha
Paya.
The
size
of
this
building
can
be
guessed
by
the
gigantic
stone
pillars
which
are
seen
even
today.
In
the
8th
century
king
Mahinda
II
rebuilt
this
on
splendor
scale
with
many
storied
and
installed
Buddha
statue
made
out
of
gold.
But
all
these
treasures
was
plundered
by
south
Indian
Pandayans
in
the
time
of
king
Sena
I
(833-853
AD)
but
was
again
recovered
by
king
Sena
II
(853-887
AD).
A
partial
excavation
of
this
site
has
that
the
building
has
been
built
over
a
previous
foundation
laid
down
in
the
1st
century.
There
is
a
interesting
story
associated
with
Ratana
Prasada.
During
the
reign
of
Udaya
III
(935-938
AD)
some
officials
of
the
court
had
fled
the
palace
entered
the
Thapovanaya
(forest
hermitage
for
meditating
bhikkhus)
for
the
fear
of
the
king.
The
Tapovana
,
like
all
other
land
belonging
to
the
Buddhist
order
is
considered
as
a
sanctuary
for
all
beings.
But
the
king
and
the
viceroy
had
given
chase
to
the
officials
inside
Tapovana,
captured
them
and
had
them
be-headed.
The
ascetic
monks
in
Thapovana
in
indignation
of
the
act
and
the
violation
of
the
sacred
grounds,
left
Anuradhapura
to
Rohana.
Then
the
people
and
the
soldiers
became
rebellious,
climbed
Ratana
Prasada,
threatened
the
king,
be-headed
some
of
the
officials
who
had
helped
the
king
in
the
sacrilegious
act
at
Tapovana
and
threw
them
out
of
the
windows
of
Ratnaprasada.
The
viceroy
and
his
friends
fled
to
Rohana
in
fear,
went
to
the
monks
of
Tapovana
now
residing
in
Rohana,
threw
them
at
their
feet
and
begged
for
forgiveness.
The
ascetic
monks
returned
bringing
reconciliation
between
the
king,
soldiers
and
people.
This
is
evidence
that
the
Ratana
Prasada
has
even
been
a
refuge
for
kings
(Seneviratna.1994).
The
slab
inscription
(no
1)
of
king
Mahinda
IV
(956-972)
mentions
the
name
of
this
edifice
as
“Ruwan
Maha
Paya”
and
as
the
adobe
of
the
head
priest
of
Dammaruci
Nikaya.