I. History and background of the Alladpura dynasty
The city-state of Alladepura became an independent kingdom in 1017 AD, establishing the Andradpura dynasty, which was threatened by the expansion of the Gargur dynasty, which fought several wars against it, but eventually succeeded in resisting the invasion of the Gargur dynasty and maintaining a stable territory.
Buddhism played an important role in the development of the Alladepura dynasty, especially Palakumarah, the second king of the Alladepura dynasty, whose early reign was the golden age of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
He presided over the construction of a large number of Buddhist buildings, including the famous Andada Stone Temple, which remains an important site and an important cultural heritage in Sri Lanka's Buddhist history.
The Andradepura dynasty grew stronger after becoming an independent kingdom in 1017 and successfully resisted the Gargur invasions and maintained a stable territory.
Buddhism played an important role in Sri Lankan society under the dynasty, and Palakumara, the second king of the Alladepura dynasty, presided over the construction of a large number of Buddhist buildings, including the famous Allada stone temple.
The dynasty reclaimed the forested wastelands of northeastern Sri Lanka into rich farmland and established a well-developed irrigation system that promoted agriculture.
Its artistic and literary achievements also feature prominently in Sri Lankan history, with works of art such as murals and sculptures from the dynasty still attracting attention in the area today.
Before the rise of the Gargurs dynasty, the Alladepura dynasty fought several wars with the Luvuksa dynasty and the Kathon dynasty to expand its kingdom territory, and the Alladepura dynasty also learned from other dynasties politically, providing itself with useful experience.
As an era of Buddhism, dynasties often built and maintained Buddhist monasteries and statues to show their support and respect for Buddhism, and in the process, some religious exchanges and cooperation were carried out between dynasties.
The Alladepura dynasty provided translations of Buddhist teachings to the Gargurs and conducted religious exchanges with them.
The influence and communication between the different dynasties were also closely linked, and during its reign, the Alladepura dynasty imported a large number of crops and agricultural techniques from India, which was conducive to improving Sri Lanka's agricultural production and increasing the country's agricultural output.
The dynasty also developed its own unique cultural and artistic style, which also had an influence on the cultural and artistic development of other dynasties.
II. Culture and Society of the Alladepura Dynasty
During the reign of the Alladepura dynasty, Buddhism flourished in Sri Lanka, and the rulers and nobles of the dynasty were noble monks who encouraged and supported the spread and development of Buddhism and built a large number of Buddhist temples and Buddhist statues and other religious buildings.
The dynasty also learned from India and Southeast Asia and borrowed religious cultures such as Buddhist scriptures and temple systems.
Although Buddhism was dominant in the Alladepura dynasty, Hinduism also existed and played a role in the region, and some of the rulers and nobles of the Alladepura dynasty also believed in Hinduism, and they made important contributions to the development and spread of Hinduism.
Hindu culture and art have also been widely spread and influenced in Sri Lanka, such as yoga, dance, music, etc.
Under the rule of the Alladepura dynasty, there was a certain degree of communication and integration between Buddhism and Hinduism, and there were many temples and religious cultures in Sri Lanka that not only integrated Buddhist ideas and teachings, but also absorbed Hindu culture and artistic elements, presenting a unique religious cultural style.
The Alladepura dynasty also sent translators of Buddhism to India, facilitating the spread and development of Buddhist teachings.
Dynastic rulers and nobles sponsored a large number of Buddhist buildings, including large cave temples and cave temples, which were mostly carved out of rock and sometimes made of brick and earth.
Among them, the world-famous Sigiriya Rock Temple is the most famous, with many exquisite reliefs and paintings in these cave temples, and its themes are mostly Buddhist stories and legends, such as the life and deeds of the Buddha, Dharma and Buddhist metaphors.
In the Buddhist art of the Alladepura dynasty, moonstone and three-dimensional relief were two other widely used techniques, moonstone, also known as "half-moon stone", was carved and polished many times from a large piece of granite.
These moonstones have intricate ornamentations including concentric rings, geese, flowers and four beasts, while three-dimensional reliefs are carved Buddha images or religious motifs placed on the facades of buildings for people to see from a distance.
In addition to carvings and reliefs, Buddhist art during the Alladepura dynasty made extensive use of painting and metal casting techniques, and in buildings such as cave temples, cave temples and stupas, different shades of pigments such as orange, yellow and blue were used to decorate buildings and Buddha images.
In metal casting, the dynasty's craftsmen used materials such as bronze, precious metals, kaolin, and glaze to cast Buddha statues into different poses and expressions.
In addition to Buddhist art, the palace architecture and water conservancy works of the Andradepura dynasty are also one of the more important cultural heritage of the time.
The dynastic rulers built a large number of reservoirs, canals and irrigation systems in the central part of the island of Sri Lanka, creating rich agricultural production conditions and ensuring the livelihood and industrial development of the local people.
Dynastic rulers built a large number of palaces and castles, the most famous of which was the Alladepura Palace, which is considered one of the representatives of ancient Sri Lankan palace architecture, with huge stone pillars, golden carved decorations and elaborate gardens.
In the 19th century, British colonial rulers restored Sigilian rock temples and other ancient structures to this day.
With the development of tourism, more and more people are coming to Sri Lanka to visit, study and appreciate this cultural heritage, and some contemporary artists and architects have also drawn inspiration from the art and architecture of the Alladepura dynasty to create works with modern characteristics.
III. Important achievements of the Alladpura dynasty
The construction of the temple of Allada Pralu stone used complex rock engineering techniques, and part of the entire top of the mountain was cut down, and the rest was used to build palaces, gardens and waterways, and its construction process was very difficult, requiring hundreds of workers to work continuously for nearly 20 years.
In the process, they used a lot of carving and excavation techniques, and great attention to detail was paid throughout the building, including carved Buddha images, murals, and decorations.
The architectural space layout of the Lushi Temple is very ingenious, combining the palace, garden and waterway to form a complete living system, its architectural space is divided into many floors, including monkey mountain, statue platform, lion gate, etc., each floor has different buildings and landscapes, forming a layered space layout.
The designer also pays great attention to the combination of architecture and natural environment, so that the building and the surrounding natural landscape are integrated.
The temple is one of the masterpieces of Sri Lanka's ancient architectural culture and has had a profound impact on the religion, culture and architecture of Sri Lanka and the surrounding area.
Its architectural layout, carving technology, decorative details, etc., have been widely used and developed in later Sri Lankan architecture, and it is also of great significance for the study of rock architecture and space design, and is regarded as one of the important models of rock engineering and architecture.
The stupa is one of the most representative buildings of the Alladepura dynasty, usually round or square, towering and graceful, with a large interior dominated by Buddha statues and stone carvings, these stupas use graceful proportions, symmetrical forms and exquisite craftsmanship to present a stunning architectural aesthetic.
Cave temples are a very important classification among the artifacts of the Alladepura dynasty, they are usually dug from one or more natural caves, and the interior is full of intricately carved Buddha images and frescoes with deep Buddhist cultural connotations.
For example, Cherthia Cave Temple, Jungle Cave Temple, etc., these cave temples contain rich carving and painting art, showing the high skill of Sri Lankan art and strong Buddhist atmosphere.
The carvings and ornaments of the dynasty period are not only exquisite, but also very detailed in shape and pattern, such as stone pillars, ornate thrones, colorful garlands, etc., which show the exquisite craftsmanship and unique charm of ancient Sri Lankan art.
The frescoes of the Alladepura dynasty are numerous and rich, often depicting Buddhist stories, court life and historical events, etc., full of cultural connotations.
For example, the "Northwest Mural Painting" from the western region, the product of the co-evolution of Sri Lankan and Indian murals, is one of the treasures of the history of world art, and the mural paintings left over from the golden age, involving Buddhism, spell elimination, and shamanism.
The Buddha statues of this dynasty are usually hand-carved with exquisite shapes and details, and in addition to the Buddha statues, there are many Buddha statues that are placed in Buddhist temples for worship by the faithful, such as the Trolipu Buddha statue from Anuradhapura City, which is a seven-meter-high Buddha statue with a total of four Buddha statues standing side by side, sacred and majestic.
The cultural relics and artworks of the dynasty are an important part of Sri Lanka's ancient cultural heritage, representing the political, cultural and religious aspects of the period, have important historical value, reflect the unique style and spiritual connotation of Sri Lanka's ancient culture, and have an important impact on the cultural inheritance and development of Sri Lanka and surrounding areas.
The carving and decorative arts of the dynasty's artefacts and artworks have reached a very high level, and it is one of the important representatives of Sri Lankan ancient art, in addition, it has had a profound impact on the development of later generations of art.
IV. The Decline and Legacy of the Alladepura Dynasty
In the later period of the Alladepura dynasty, due to the succession to the throne and the internal power struggle of the royal family, many internal contradictions arose, resulting in the dynasty failing to form a united ruling force.
During the dynasty's reign, due to complex political, social and cultural factors, the economy of Bengal caused problems.
However, the Alladepura dynasty did not take effective measures to solve these problems and did not promote economic development, resulting in increasingly prominent financial difficulties and creating faults in the dynasty's rule.
Since the middle of the dynasty, the head of state and high-ranking administrative and judicial officials have begun to engage in corruption and bribery, cruel oppression of the people, etc., which not only drains the country's wealth, but also undermines the people's trust in the government.
Its military equipment and technology had lagged behind the times and could not withstand external threats, and although the dynasty had many wars with the British colonists, its army did not achieve significant victories, but was quickly defeated by the British army.
In dealing with neighboring relations, the Alladepura dynasty often took offensives that were too aggressive or sloppy, resulting in foreign policy failures or backlashes. And lacking strategy and organization in the face of a strong enemy, the Andradepura dynasty suffered a crushing defeat in the 1706 war because it could not organize the army effectively.
That is, in military operations, the dynasty leaders cooperated expediently with hostile forces, achieving a temporary balance of actual and frequent diplomatic transactions with neighboring countries, which not only damaged the reputation of the Alladepura dynasty, but also concealed the true state of its military power.
During its reign, the Alladepura dynasty created many cultural and artistic achievements, such as painting, sculpture, architecture, etc., and made important contributions to the prosperity and progress of Indian culture in terms of art and culture.
This dynasty is an important dynasty in Indian history, it carries part of the social, cultural and political development of India, and the Alladepura dynasty has left an important mark on the history of India, providing valuable historical information and experience for future generations, which will help people understand the development of India today.
The dynasty's rich cultural heritage, including architecture, paintings, carvings and handicrafts, is representative and distinctive, leaving behind many valuable artifacts during its reign, such as the famous giant bell tower, frescoes, sculptures and silk weaving, which were full of local culture and history at the time.
Bibliography:
History of India, translated by Ernest Trump and Fan Hong, China Social Sciences Press, 2003