Because Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I
thought that it would be appropriate to add a little cheesy romance to this
month’s post! Sri Lanka’s history is littered with stories that revolve around
love and romance. Wars have been waged, babies have been exchanged, thrones
have been sacrificed and secret tunnels have been built in the name of love.
1) Saliya and Ashokamala
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| The Isurumuni Lovers |
Perhaps the most famous of all of
Sri Lanka’s love stories is the one of Ashokamala and Saliya. Prince Saliya,
the only son of the famous King Dutugemunu, first saw the beautiful Ashokamala
picking flowers from an Ashoka tree by the Tissavewa reservoir and they fell in
love at first sight despite the fact that Ashokamala was from a lower caste; a
relationship that was punishable by death.
When the King heard the news of
their relationship, he was not pleased and banished Prince Saliya from
Anuradhapura as he chose to give up the throne and his entire inheritance for
love.
In the Mahawansa, the ‘great
chronicle’, a historical book written in the Pali language about the Kings of
Sri Lanka, it says "In the time of king Dutugemunu, the people were
rejoiced. He had a son named Saliya who was virtuous and he indulged in a life
with constant meritorious deeds. He had an affair with a low caste girl who had
been connected with him in his past lives. She had enchanting beauty and Saliya
liking her, forgot the kingdom…….".
A 6th Century Gupta
Style stone carving of Saliya and Ashokamala called the ‘Isurumuni Pem –Yuwela’
(Isurumuni Lovers), a representation of their eternal love that can be found in the Isurumuniya Temple near the Tissa Weva
Reservoir.
2) Rama and Sita
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| The Sita Amman Kovil in Sita Eliya |
This is technically a story with
its roots in India, but it made the list because Sri Lanka played a role in
their love story. Rama, the eldest son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya
was brave and noble. He once helped an Ascetic and in return, the Ascetic took
Rama with him to Mithila in India to visit King Janaka who was said to have a
magic bow which was given to his ancestor’s by God Shiva.
Sita was one of King Janaka’s
daughters. She was said to have sprung out of the ground in a field like a gift
from God, so he decided to give her in marriage to a worthy Prince who was able
to bend the magic bow. Many men tried to bend it but none were able to until
Rama. He lifted the bow and strung it so tight that not only did it bend, it
broke in two. Seeing this, King Janaka saw Rama as a son of the Gods who was
worthy of Sita and they were soon married.
King Dasharatha’s 2nd
wife, Queen Kaikeyi was not pleased with Rama being the heir to the throne and
instead wanted her son Bharatha, Rama’s half-brother, to be King. She then was
able to convince the King to make Bharatha his heir and banish Rama to exile in
the jungles for 14 years.
When Rama explained to Sita that he has to leave as
it was his father’s wish, she replied saying “I belong to you and nobody can
part us, if you have to go to the jungle, I will also go, I shall fear nothing
when I am with you”. Rama’s other brother Lakshmana too followed them into
exile.
In their 10th year of
exile, a Rakshasi [female demon] fell in love with Rama and wanted him to leave
Sita for her. When Rama refused, she retaliated by trying to capture Sita but
Lakshmana was able to save her. Furious, the Rakshasi then called upon her
brother Ravana who ruled Sri Lanka to avenge her. When she spoke of Sita’s
beauty, Ravana wanted to possess her so he devised a clever plan and lured her
away from Rama and Lakshmana so that he could kidnap her and take her back to
Lanka in his air chariot.
Sita was kept in the place where
the Sita Amman Kovil stands today, close to Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. Ravana
showed Sita his riches and tried to woo her in many ways to try and convince
her to be his Queen, but she refused because her heart belonged to Rama.
Rama, with the help of the
Hanuman, the Monkey God and Lakshmana were able to defeat Ravana and rescue
Sita from his captivity. They then returned to Ayodhya and ruled the Kingdom as
King and Queen.
3) Kataragama Deity and Valli
Amma
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| Gog Murugan saving Valli Amma from the Elephant |
Another epic love story was the
one of Valli Amma, the Princess of the Vedda mountain tribe and the Kataragama
deity, God Murugan [the mountain God].
Valli which translates to ‘sweet potato’ got her name because she was
found on a patch of Yam in the jungle. From a very young age she was fascinated
by the ‘Kanda Yaka’ or the hunter God of the mountain.
The God of the mountain was very
attracted to Valli as well and wanted to come down and meet her in human form.
But she refused his advancements. He then asked his brother the Elephant God
Ganesha to turn into an elephant and scare her so that he could save her and
win her love. She then found out that it was God Kataragama and they fell in
love and were married.
4) Unmada Chitra and Deegha
Gamini
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| Deegha Gamini rescuing Unmada Chithra |
Unmada Chitra was said to have
been so beautiful that she was able to overwhelm people with maddening desire
at the mere sight of her. She was the daughter of King Panduvasudeva and Queen
Baddhakachchana. Because of a prophesy that stated that her son would kill 9 of
her 10 brothers, she was kept in a circular room in a tower with a door that
lead to the King’s room and no windows and was heavily guarded day and night.
Prince Deegha Gamini, having
heard of Unmada Chitra’s attractive features, wanted to scale the tower and see
her. But first, he impressed King Panduvasudeva and was made the Guardian of
the Royal Palace. He then was able to climb up to the tower with the help of a
mechanical ladder and meet the Princess. They then fell in love.
When the King found out about
their relationship, he was angry, but did not impose any harm on them. Instead,
he ordered that if they have a son, that the baby should be killed. She then
gave birth to a son and named him Pandukabhya, but in order to protect him, she
exchanged him with the baby girl of a villager sworn to secrecy.
In later years, when Pandukabhaya
found out about his real mother and his right to the throne, as the prophecy
stated, he waged war and killed 9 out of his 10 uncles and took his place as
King.
5) Lovinia and Sir Thomas
Maitland
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| A painting of Lovina and Sri Thoman Maitland |
This is by far my favourite love
story in Sri Lankan history. Sir Thomas Maitland was the British Governor in
Ceylon in the early 1800s. Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, he built a grand country
mansion for himself in a town called Galkissa close to the capital Colombo, the
now Mount Lavinia Hotel.
It was here that he first saw
Lovina Aponsuwa, a half Portugese, half Sinhalese dancer in a dancing troupe
that entertained guests at his Mansion’s events. He fell in love with her
beauty and grace and as a token of his affection, named his Mansion ‘Mount
Lavinia’ after her.
Before long, they were engaged in
a secret romance, hidden from the British Society in Colombo because she was
from a low caste and was not a suitable partner for the Governor in the eyes of
society. The Governor even built and underground tunnel that connected his
Mansion with the mouth of an unused well near where Lovina lived so that they
could be together in secret. The Mount Lavinia Mansion and the tunnel still
exist today, keeping the memory of their great love alive forever.
Sri Lanka is an ideal backdrop
for an epic romance… Get in touch for advice on romantic holidays and cozy
honeymoons in Sri Lanka so that you could add to its rich history of love.
