SOMAWATHI STUPA

The Somawathiya Chaitya is a significant Buddhist stupa in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. It is considered one of the country's most sacred sites and attracts numerous visitors annually. The stupa is believed to have been built more than 2000 years ago and is named after Princess Somawathi, the sister of King Kavantissa and the wife of the regional ruler Prince Giri Abhaya.

Historical Significance

The stupa is believed to have been built during the reign of King Kavantissa, who ruled Magama before the time of Dutugemunu. It is said to enshrine the right canine tooth relic of the Buddha, one of the four most sacred relics for Buddhists. As a result, the stupa is considered an important religious site in Sri Lanka.

In 1987 a group of LTTE terrorists attacked this holy ground hacking to death a Buddhist monk and seven civilians who were residing in a close by temple. Learning this news from a Muslim civilian the pilgrims and the monks in Somawathi went into hiding in the jungle and after several days walked to a temple on November 13,  1987. The terrorists came to the Somawathi and found it deserted. They stole the “Chuda Manikya” (the large gemstone placed at the pinnacle of the stupa) and dug a hole about 1½ feet deep into the stupa in search of valuable relics. Then they marched into a Sinhalese village nearby where a man called S. Dissanayake lived. He was the caretaker of the holy site since 1966. The (LTTE) terrorists hacked to death 10 civilians in this village including S. Dissanayake and his four children. On the same day, the leader of this barbaric terror group died in the stupa by mistakenly firing his own weapon. For some mysterious reason, they also couldn’t take the “Chuda Manikya” they stole which was later found by the archaeological department