Godavaya

GodavayaorGodawayais a small fishinghamletlocated at the mouth of theWalawe river,betweenAmbalantotaandHambantotain theHambantota Districtin southernSri Lanka.

It received its name, originallyGoda Pavata PattanaorGota Pabbata Pattana(meaning 'small rock harbour') from a huge rock overlooking theIndian Ocean,at the foot of which it is situated. The originalharbourtown was anentrepoton the maritimesilk routefrom at least the 2nd century CE.

It has been the site of extensive excavations byGermanand Sri LankaArchaeologistssince 1994.

Godavaya is also the site if awildlife sanctuary.The beach is important for nestingleatherback turtles.

History

The Godavaya area has been inhabited for about 7000 years. In August 2008, ahuman skeletondating back to 3000-5000 BC (carbon datinghas yet to be done) was discovered in an abandoned stone quarry at Godavaya, together with tools ofanimal-boneandstone.In honour of the discoverer of the site, German archaeologist Oliver Kessler, the skeletons were named Olli 1 -3.

The settlement ofGoda Pavata Pattana,lay sandwiched on thepeninsulabetween the inland harbour on the Walawe river and the sea harbour on the bay of Godavaya.Tradewas an important component in theeconomyof ancient Sri Lanka and Godavaya was an important maritime settlement, serving Tissamaharama and Ridiyagama in the kingdom ofRuhuna.

The Godavaya port probably pre-dates aBrahmi scriptinscription of the 2nd-century kingGamani Abaya,probablyGajabahu I,which states that the customs duties obtained there were dedicated to the Buddhistmonastery,the GodapavataVihara.

However, in theMahawamsa's chapter on 'The 12 kings', it is claimed that the vihara atGotapabbatawas one of the seven monasteries thatMahallaka Nagabuilt after his son-in-law Gajabahu's death.

In ancient times, Sri Lanka exported dark redgarnets,which have been found as burial objects in many European graves of the earlymediaevalperiod. Recent research reveals that most of those garnets were fromIndiaand Sri Lanka. Godavaya had ease of access via the Walawe river to the gem mining area of the Walawe basin, which is a source of garnets.

Until the 6th century, Godavaya was an important transit port. Ships carrying merchandise from the West exchanged commodities with ships fromChinacarryingsilk.Hence, ships did not need to go further than Godavaya. Articles of trade on the Walawe river shipping route and on land routes were also swapped there.

Godavaya was the seaport for the mediaeval (11th century) southern capital, Maha Nagakula which lay on the Walawe river.

Excavations

From 1994 onwards, a team ofGermanarchaeologistsfrom theUniversity of Bonndirected by late Prof. Dr.Helmut Roth,Dr.Udo Recker(1994-1996) andOliver KesslerM.A. (1997 onwards) conducted joint excavations at Godavaya with theArchaeological Department of Sri Lanka,under Director General Dr. W.H. Wijeyapala and theGerman Archaeological Institute(DAI). They unearthed evidence to prove Godavaya's importance in the maritimeSilk Route,revealing connections from China in the east to theRed Seaand to Europe in the west.

Among the finds have been:

• Sassanian(Persian)
• RomancoinsandHanpottery
• beadsandbangles
• bricksshowingguild marksin the shape of an 'O'
• an ancient landingjettyconstructed on stone pillars up to 3.50 metres high
• a large ancient stoneanchordiscovered underwater

Gota Pabbata Rajamaha Vihara Monastery

On top of the rock overlooking the entire area lay the monastery, theGota Pabbatha Rajamaha Vihara,which had been a religious and administrative centre since the reign of King Gajabahu I. The Brahmi inscription on a rock next to the ancientshrine roomis unique, being the sole evidence for the transfer ofcustoms dutiesto a monastery in the Indian Ocean world at that period.

Normally, only the king was allowed to collect taxes. In Godavaya, the tax fees were donated to the temple for its maintenance.

The monastery area was excavated by a team under Oliver Kessler, who discovered an elevated ancientimage house(Buddhu gedera) and achapter house(Dharma salawa) on the west side of the monastery. They found a standingBuddhastatue about 3.50 metres tall and twoBodhisattvastatues each about 1.80 metres in height. Traces ofweather-resistantcolouring - the source of which is unclear - are evidence that the statues date back to a period before the 8th century.

Customs house

The team found a custom office building, decorated with ornaments showing anelephantplacing his trunk inlotusflowers.Clay sealsbearing the emblem of alionwere used to seal goods and cargo as proof that the customs duty was paid.

Quarry

A quarry was also discovered. One big pillar covered with many drill marks dating to the middleAnuradhapuraperiod before the 5th century, lies in front of the huge rock, close to the ocean.

Shipwreck

In late 2008, an underwater search of the seas around Godavaya, carried out by the Central Cultural Fund, revealed thewreckof a ship, possibly dating back to 2nd century BC-1st century AD. Together with the ship were found black and red warepottery- dating from the 2nd century BC to the 4th century - together with a stonethroneand colouredball clayfor making painted roofingtiles.

Godavaya wildlife sanctuary

Godavaya is home to five of the seven global marineturtlespecies:hawksbill,leatherback,green turtle,loggerheadandolive ridley turtle,which are all threatened.It has been proposed that the leatherback turtles of Sri Lanka and theNicobar Islandsform a separate, genetically distinct Indian Ocean subpopulation.Godavaya beach is possibly the best leatherback turtle nesting beach in the island,with the largest nesting population.

A 3.85 kilometre section of the beach at Godavaya was declared a wildlife sanctuary ('Godavaya Sanctuary') by the Government of Sri Lanka under the Fauna and Flora ProtectionOrdinanceon 10 May 2006. It extends 500 metres into the sea and 100 metres from the high tide level onto the land.

The seaward limit includes the turtles' aquatichabitat(mainlycoral reefswhere they forage and rest), while the land limit envelopes their land Nesting habitat.

Tsunami

When theBo xing Day tsunamiof 2004 struck Sri Lanka, the villagers of the fishing hamlet, among them two archaeologists, took refuge in the temple on the rock. This probably contributed to the lack of fatalities, contrasting with the thousands of deaths in the surrounding areas.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Archäologischer Anzeiger 2009/1, Beiheft, Jahresbericht des DAI, S. 358–360.
• Kessler, Oliver (1998): The Discovery of an Ancient Sea Port at the Silk Road of the Sea. Archaeological Relics of the Godavaya Harbaour. In: M. Domroes/H. Roth (Hrsg.): Sri Lanka, Past and Present. Weikersheim 1998, S. 12–37.
• Kessler, Oliver (2001a), zus. mit H. Roth/U. Recker/W. Wijeypala: The Godavaya Harbour Site. Report on the Excavations 1994–1997. H.-J. Weisshaar/H. Roth/W. Wijeypala (Hrsg.): Ancient Ruhuna. Sri Lankan-German Archaeological Project in the Southern Province, Vol. 1. Mainz 2001, S. 291–326.
• Kessler, Oliver (2001b): Der spätantik-frühmittelalterliche Handel zwischen Europa und Asien und die Bedeutung des Almandins als Fernhandelsgut. E. Pohl/U. Recker/C. Theune (Hrsg.): Archäologisches Zellwerk, Beiträge zur Kulturgeschichte in Europa und Asien. Festschrift für Helmut Roth zum 60. Geburtstag. Internationale Archäologie: Studia honoraria; Bd. 16. Rahden/Westf. 2001, S. 113–128.
• Kessler, Oliver (2003): The Excavations at Godavaya (Godapavata Patana). An ancient Sea Port and Trading Station at the Silk Road of the Sea. In: Administration Report for Ceylon 1996. Colombo 2003, S. 48–50.
• Kessler, Oliver (2008): Excavations at Godavaya and a Recently Unearthed, Hitherto Unknown 2nd Century Inscription of King Gajabahu I. Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference of the European Association of South Asian Archaeologists, Leiden 1999. Raven, Ellen M. (Hrsg.): South Asian archaeology 1999: proceedings of the fifteenth International Conference of the European Association of Southeast Asian Archaeologists, held at the Universiteit Leiden, 5–9 July 1999. (Gonda indological studies 15). Groningen 2008.