Insatiate itch for scribbling
The first social networking site was probably the mirror-like wall at
Sigiriya, where visitors posted their thoughts and comments, 1400 years
before the launch of facebook or Twitter. Today we continue ‘the
insatiate itch for scribbling’ mentioned by Prof Paranavitana, using a
keypad or still using a stylus on a touchpad.
Though the term of endearment ‘Sweetheart’ had entered the English
language somewhere during the 13th century, Prof Senerath Paranavitana
had found this word in a ninth Century graffiti on the Sigiri
mirror-like wall. The word is Miyelandi, found only once among all the
Sigiri graffiti, written by the poet Kabaramini. (Sigiri Graffiti 381).
According to Prof Paranavitana, it is a term of affection. Miye
(Sanskrit Madhu) is honey and la is the heart, thus we have ‘little
honey heart’ or ‘my little sweetheart’.
Sivala Bati from Venavana (Velu vana?) wrote (556), ‘What a delight
to see the sky, the mirror-like wall and the pond. Are the women in the
paintings gi-rasa pu kalaka? (drunk with songs). This was at least 200
years before Khayyam.
The verse, ‘like the hare drawn on the moon/ may you live/ for a
thousand years/ but for me/ it would be like one day’, (135), was
written by another anonymous writer, about a thousand years before
Einstein proposed his Theory of Relativity.
Verse 332, describes the lady’s eyes to a mahanel (water-lily), lips
to a banduwada flower (scarlet mallow, Pentapetes phoenicea), the smile
to a saman (jasmine) and her gait to that of a hasa-kata (a female
swan). Her breasts to the neli-pala (‘king’?-coco-nut). In 394, the monk
Sen from Kayabura, refers to her eyebrows as nim-pathek (kohomba leaf).
According to verse 399, the ladies are wearing sina-pata (Chinese silk).
 But
in verse 373, the lady’s heart is compared to a labu-palutaka (dried
bottle gourd). Several verses refer to five hundred damsels of the
paintings. Vira Vidur Bati in 249 and 560, pan-siyak agnan.
Though most verses extol the beauty of the women of the paintings,
Boyila in 227 had found the real women among the visitors were more
attractive, sabavin gahenun ran-vanun dutu, as it happens today, when
the young men have their eyes more on the female visitors than on the
beauties on the rock face.
People were aware of crystalline material, as we read in some of the
graffiti. Paranavitana interprets the word pili to also mean crystal
(pathika in Pali). There is a reference to a crystal lamp in verse 299,
‘blue eyes reminded of the light from a pili-dili (crystal lamp). Again
in 398, where the kat-bita (mirror-like wall) is referred as pili-bitu
(crystal wall).
The poet Mihind during the second half of the 8th century described
the sisi-kisni kala bith (mirror-like wall made of moon-stone).
Paranavitana explains the moon-stone is believed to exude water when
exposed to moonlight. (511). Another wrote ‘the wall of moonstone/ has
borrowed its shining splendour/from you’ in praise of the beautiful
maidens. (145)
There are several verses where the samvanan (dark-skinned beauties)
are admired and preferred over the ranvanan (fair-skinned). ‘The
dark-skinned one among the golden-hued, made my mind quiver’, (232) and
‘the dark complexion of the long eyed beauty I preferred’, wrote Jetmala
from Polonnaru, (233). It is unfortunate that today the young women are
brain-washed by big business to consider their dark skin as ugly and
tempt them to resort to artificial means of making their skin to look
fairer.
The term gona (bull) to mean ‘idiot’ was in use by women even then.
‘Idiotic men come and sing, but do not offer rum and molasses to the
ladies’. But K Jayatilleke does not agree with Paranavitana as he
interprets the words to mean the men do not try to free the women who
have been locked up on the wall (272).
Plagiarism probably existed even in the 8th century. There are
several verses about the beauties who hurled themselves from the rock,
on hearing of the death of the king. Did all of them have the same
thoughts? Or did one copy from another? An anonymous writer scratched
268, while 296 was written by Dala-sivala.
Also Beyandhi ran-vanu nirind-isira viyevhi, Mesini miyehemha yi
gal-agini henayun vanno (267) was by Sivakala, wife of Utur. Naranidu
layu meleyin sevin la no vahannen, Beyandhi ran-vannu giri-hisni
hen-nayun vanno anon (300), Balai manga piya vana-vu-himin men-ho, Nasi
no yi himi samarharhu vagulo giri-bitin anon. (309)
Kitala, also in the 9th century comments on pseudo-poets. ‘when the
rana-monara (golden peacock) came to dance, the kos too comes to dance
(Paranavitana identifies kos as the karuncha bird, Sarus crane - Grus
antigone and also as the cuckoo). He refers to another poem and says
there are those who boast but are unable to write a poem.
Today we tend to think that all five hundred beauties adorned the
western rock face, but there are verses addressed to the beauties on the
summit, who had been seen even 400 years after the fall of Kassapa.
Beyadehi udugala peha ranvanun dutumo (golden hued ones on rock face and
summit) (371), balimi digassan gala mata (saw the long eyed ones on rock
summit), (435).
Visitors then too had to be requested not to touch the paintings.
Bitu situ tama ata gesu dosin, Those who touched the ladies could not
win their affection.(676), atin me no-madimin basu, please go down
without touching. (677). And about the selfish, ‘what should be said to
those people/ who does not think of coming down/ once they reach the
summit, so others could go up’ (57). The number of visitors at the time
could be imagined from this. ‘A hundred thousand householders, gazing a
hundred thousand times to impress their memory’. (162).
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Paranavitana has recorded 685
verses, and recently Benyl Priyankara had recorded another 400. Today we
do not have the time to impress our memory, when we visit Sigiri, we
only impress the memory card in our camera. We do not have an
opportunity to record our thoughts and feelings on the mirror-like wall
at Sigiriya, but have to post them on facebook, Twitter or our blogs.
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