Evidence for physicians from Brahmi Inscriptions<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe evidence of physicians who lived before the common era in Sri Lanka is found in Brahmi inscriptions, that were carved on the surface of caves where Buddhist monks resided between 3rd<\/sup> Century B.C.E to 2nd<\/sup> Century C.E.\u202fThe below two inscriptions give us information about physicians.<\/p>\n\n- An inscription by the name of Picca\u1e47\u1e0diy\u0101va (2nd<\/sup> Century B.C.E.) gives evidence of king Maharajaha Devanapiya\u2019s physician by the name of Gobuti.<\/li>\n
- Information of a physician called Mitaha, is also found in the R\u0101ja\u1e45ga\u1e47\u0113 inscription (2nd<\/sup> Century B.C.E): \u201cupaska veja Mitaha puta Mi\u1e6digabutiya le\u1e47e\u201d<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2.png\")
Fig 1 – Picca\u1e47\u1e0diy\u0101va inscription \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nKings who patronized the development and evolution of medical tradition in Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe development of medicine in Sri Lanka owes much to the kings. Several of them ordered the construction of hospitals and encouraged health care.<\/p>\n
Evidence of hospitals in the fifth century B.C.E<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa<\/a>, the great historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, gives evidence of sivik\u0101\u015b\u0101l\u0101 (a hall where the \u015bivalinga was deposited or a convalescence home) and sotthi\u015b\u0101l\u0101 (hall that Brahmins used for chanting or a hospital) during the reign of king Pa\u1e47\u1e0duk\u0101bhaya (437-367 B.C.E). According to the commentary of the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa, Mah\u0101va\u1e43sat\u012bka, two illustrations are given of a sivik\u0101\u015b\u0101l\u0101 and a sotthi\u015b\u0101l\u0101. If the above given fact is true, it should be noted that there were separated halls for treatments even in the 5th<\/sup> B.C.E.<\/p>\nThe preservation of dead bodies<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe preservation of corpses has long been known in the Indian ocean<\/a>. \u201cMahinda thera\u201d, the son of Emperor A\u015boka, who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka died during the rule of King Uttiya (5th<\/sup> century B.C.E.). According to the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa, his dead body was preserved with treatment.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/3.jpg\")
Fig 2 – Painting representing the Thera Mahinda and the king Devanampiyatissa. Kelaniya Rajamaha vihara. \u00a9 Osmund Bopearachchi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nKing Uttiya had made arrangements to lay the dead body in a golden chest sprinkled with fragrant oil, and the well-closed chest was laid upon a golden, adorned bier. The king commanded solemn ceremonies. The chest was brought to the Mah\u0101vih\u0101ra (the main temple). The king then commanded diverse offerings throughout the week.<\/p>\n
Care for patients and animals<\/strong><\/h3>\nDuring the battle between Indian King Elara and Sri Lankan king Dutug\u00e4mu\u1e47u (161-137 B.C.E), an elephant called Ka\u1e47\u1e0dula was injured by the balls of red-hot iron and molten pitch.<\/p>\n
It was further recorded that the injured elephant was treated by physicians. The Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa states, \u201cThe elephant was covered with a cloth and had put its armor on it and had bound upon its skin a seven times folded buffalo hide and above it had laid a hide steeped in oil, and set it free\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/4.jpg\")
Fig 3 \u2013 Evidence shows that elephants and various animals, including snakes and birds, benefited from Ayurvedic treatment in ancient Sri Lanka \u00a9 Unsplash Gautam Arora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nFinancing and organizing the health care system<\/strong><\/h3>\nKing Wasabha (65-109 C.E)\u202ffacilitated the payment of a wage (gilan vetup) <\/em>to the poor as well as to the sick Bhikkus (monks).<\/p>\nKing Buddhad\u0101sa (340-368 C. E) set up hospitals in every village on the island. He made a summary of the essential content of all the medical textbooks and compiled a book called S\u0101r\u0101rtasangraha and distributed it among the physicians in Sri Lanka for the betterment of the future physicians. He appointed physicians for ten villages each. He gave salaries to physicians from the income derived from the paddy fields. He also appointed physicians for elephants, horses, and soldiers.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/5.jpg\")
Fig 4 \u2013 Medicinal troughs like this one found near Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya, are typical of the medical equipment used in ancient Sri Lanka \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nKing Buddhad\u0101sa built shelters for cripples and the blind in various places. Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa<\/em><\/strong> gives further information about his great pity. He had a pocket in his mantel where his knife was enclosed. He used to use this knife to relieve anyone affected by pain. The king healed physical and spiritual diseases.<\/p>\nKing Buddhad\u0101sa was a renowned physician. He treated a snake stricken with a stomach disease, a Bhikkhu (a Buddhist monk) who had consumed milk with worms, a horse who was afflicted with hemorrhage, a man who had swallowed the egg of a water snake, a Ca\u1e47\u1e0dala woman (a woman of low caste) whose womb had taken a wrong position seven times with child, a Bhikkhu disturbed in his exercises by a writhing disease, a young man who drank water with frog eggs, and a man who often doubted the monarch.<\/p>\n
Outstanding achievements of various kings in terms of healthcare<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/6.jpg\")
Fig 5 – Famously noisy Sri Lankan crows existed in ancient times. It is written that King Parakkramab\u0101hu I (1153-1186 C.E) treated a crow suffering from an ulcer that had formed in its cheek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs we have seen, many kings have marked the history of Sri Lanka<\/a> by organizing the health system. Here are some other notable rulers that can be found in historical sources.<\/p>\n\n- King Mah\u0101n\u0101ma (410-432 C.E) built refuges for the sick.<\/li>\n
- King Datusena (459-477 C.E) constructed halls for cripples and people who suffered from diseases.<\/li>\n
- King Sil\u0101k\u0101la (518-531 C.E) expanded the treasure allocated for the maintenance of hospitals.<\/li>\n
- King Agb\u014d VII (754-760 C.E) treated the sick.<\/li>\n
- King Udaya I (780-785 C.E) built hospitals both in Polonnaruwa (an ancient capital city in Sri Lanka) and Pa\u1e47\u1e0d\u0101viya (a town in the dry zone of Sri Lanka); the income received from the village was donated to those hospitals. He also constructed halls for the cripples.<\/li>\n
- King S\u0113na I (819-839 C.E) constructed a hospital to the west of the capital.<\/li>\n
- \u202fKing S\u0113na II (839-874 C.E) constructed a hospital at Ch\u0113tiyagiriya (a town in the dry zone of Sri Lanka).<\/li>\n
- King Kassapa IV (898-914 C.E) built hospitals in Anur\u0101dhapura (an ancient capital city of Sri Lanka) and Polonnaruwa for combating the Upasagga disease. He also built medical halls in many towns.<\/li>\n
- King Kassapa V (902-912 C.E.) built a hospital in the city and endowed the villages with medical facilities.<\/li>\n
- King Parakkramab\u0101hu I (1153-1186 C.E) built a great hall for many hundreds of sick people where each sick person was attended to by a special slave. As required, a female slave was occupied preparing medicine, food, and liquid both during the day and night. The king appointed the physicians. Healing activities were tested daily. The king treated a crow suffering from an ulcer that had formed in its cheek.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ruins of ancient hospitals in Sri Lanka\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/span><\/h2>\nThroughout Sri Lanka, there are many remnants of ancient hospitals that attest to the islanders\u00a0\u00bb interest in medicine. These ruins bear witness to highly regulated practices.<\/p>\n
The hospital complex at Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/7.jpg\")
Fig 5 – Inside the hospital complex of Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma hospital complex was situated near the Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma d\u0101g\u00e4ba in Anur\u0101dhapura<\/a>. The site was excavated by H.C.P Bell and the entrance is yet to be identified. The rooms for the patients may have been arranged around the shrine room as in the Mihintal\u0113 hospital Complex (near Minhintale town in modern Sri Lanka).\u202f\u202f The shrine room is considerably big in size. The guard stones as well as moonstones, can be identified.<\/p>\nThe hospital might have been built before the 8th<\/sup> century C.E. and was probably in good maintenance during the following century. The Kiribathvehera pillar inscription shed light on the endowment given to this hospital by king Ka\u015byapa IV.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/8.jpg\")
Fig 6 – Medicinal trough at the Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma hospital complex \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe hospital complex in front of the Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya<\/strong><\/h3>\nThis hospital is located in the Anur\u0101dhapura district, just in front of the Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya (a major stupa). Half of the complex is buried under the road that leads to the Sri Mah\u0101bodi from Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya. The Sri Mah\u0101bodi is the sacred bodhi tree shrine; the bodhi tree is a sapling of the sacred bodhi tree in India, under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment; it is considered as the oldest historical tree in the world.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/9.jpg\")
Fig 7 \u2013 The ruins of the hospital complex near Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya in Sri Lanka \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Hospital complex at Mihintal\u0113<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe ruins of the Mihintal\u0113 hospital are scattered near the Ch\u0113thiyagiriya mountain in the Anuradhapura district. As recorded in the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa <\/em><\/strong>King S\u0113na II (839-874 C.E) constructed a hospital at Ch\u0113tiyagiriya. Thirty-one rooms have been identified.<\/p>\nAll the rooms are arranged on a high platform. The distinctive features of this hospital complex are a consulting room, a room for the hot water bath, an outer court, an inner verandah, a courtyard, a shrine room, and a room for the medicinal trough.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/10.jpg\")
Fig 7 \u2013 A medicinal trough of the Minhintale hospital complex \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe hospital complex at M\u00e4dirigiriya\u202f<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11-1.jpg\")
Fig 7 \u2013 Medicinal trough of M\u00e4dirigiriya \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe M\u00e4dirigiriya hospital is situated in the Tamankaduwa area about forty-six miles to the South East of Anur\u0101dhapura. The Hospital can be dated to the 8th<\/sup> and 9th<\/sup> centuries C.E. A pillar inscription that belonged to king Kassapa V testifies that there was a hospital complex there.\u202f<\/em>The inscription orders that the dead goats and fowls should be given to the hospital attached to the Buddhist temple.<\/p>\nThe hospital complex at \u0100l\u0101hanapirvena in Polonnaruwa<\/strong><\/h3>\n
- \n
- An inscription by the name of Picca\u1e47\u1e0diy\u0101va (2nd<\/sup> Century B.C.E.) gives evidence of king Maharajaha Devanapiya\u2019s physician by the name of Gobuti.<\/li>\n
- Information of a physician called Mitaha, is also found in the R\u0101ja\u1e45ga\u1e47\u0113 inscription (2nd<\/sup> Century B.C.E): \u201cupaska veja Mitaha puta Mi\u1e6digabutiya le\u1e47e\u201d<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Fig 1 – Picca\u1e47\u1e0diy\u0101va inscription \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Kings who patronized the development and evolution of medical tradition in Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The development of medicine in Sri Lanka owes much to the kings. Several of them ordered the construction of hospitals and encouraged health care.<\/p>\n
Evidence of hospitals in the fifth century B.C.E<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa<\/a>, the great historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, gives evidence of sivik\u0101\u015b\u0101l\u0101 (a hall where the \u015bivalinga was deposited or a convalescence home) and sotthi\u015b\u0101l\u0101 (hall that Brahmins used for chanting or a hospital) during the reign of king Pa\u1e47\u1e0duk\u0101bhaya (437-367 B.C.E). According to the commentary of the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa, Mah\u0101va\u1e43sat\u012bka, two illustrations are given of a sivik\u0101\u015b\u0101l\u0101 and a sotthi\u015b\u0101l\u0101. If the above given fact is true, it should be noted that there were separated halls for treatments even in the 5th<\/sup> B.C.E.<\/p>\n
The preservation of dead bodies<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The preservation of corpses has long been known in the Indian ocean<\/a>. \u201cMahinda thera\u201d, the son of Emperor A\u015boka, who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka died during the rule of King Uttiya (5th<\/sup> century B.C.E.). According to the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa, his dead body was preserved with treatment.<\/p>\n
Fig 2 – Painting representing the Thera Mahinda and the king Devanampiyatissa. Kelaniya Rajamaha vihara. \u00a9 Osmund Bopearachchi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n King Uttiya had made arrangements to lay the dead body in a golden chest sprinkled with fragrant oil, and the well-closed chest was laid upon a golden, adorned bier. The king commanded solemn ceremonies. The chest was brought to the Mah\u0101vih\u0101ra (the main temple). The king then commanded diverse offerings throughout the week.<\/p>\n
Care for patients and animals<\/strong><\/h3>\n
During the battle between Indian King Elara and Sri Lankan king Dutug\u00e4mu\u1e47u (161-137 B.C.E), an elephant called Ka\u1e47\u1e0dula was injured by the balls of red-hot iron and molten pitch.<\/p>\n
It was further recorded that the injured elephant was treated by physicians. The Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa states, \u201cThe elephant was covered with a cloth and had put its armor on it and had bound upon its skin a seven times folded buffalo hide and above it had laid a hide steeped in oil, and set it free\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Fig 3 \u2013 Evidence shows that elephants and various animals, including snakes and birds, benefited from Ayurvedic treatment in ancient Sri Lanka \u00a9 Unsplash Gautam Arora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Financing and organizing the health care system<\/strong><\/h3>\n
King Wasabha (65-109 C.E)\u202ffacilitated the payment of a wage (gilan vetup) <\/em>to the poor as well as to the sick Bhikkus (monks).<\/p>\n
King Buddhad\u0101sa (340-368 C. E) set up hospitals in every village on the island. He made a summary of the essential content of all the medical textbooks and compiled a book called S\u0101r\u0101rtasangraha and distributed it among the physicians in Sri Lanka for the betterment of the future physicians. He appointed physicians for ten villages each. He gave salaries to physicians from the income derived from the paddy fields. He also appointed physicians for elephants, horses, and soldiers.<\/p>\n
Fig 4 \u2013 Medicinal troughs like this one found near Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya, are typical of the medical equipment used in ancient Sri Lanka \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n King Buddhad\u0101sa built shelters for cripples and the blind in various places. Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa<\/em><\/strong> gives further information about his great pity. He had a pocket in his mantel where his knife was enclosed. He used to use this knife to relieve anyone affected by pain. The king healed physical and spiritual diseases.<\/p>\n
King Buddhad\u0101sa was a renowned physician. He treated a snake stricken with a stomach disease, a Bhikkhu (a Buddhist monk) who had consumed milk with worms, a horse who was afflicted with hemorrhage, a man who had swallowed the egg of a water snake, a Ca\u1e47\u1e0dala woman (a woman of low caste) whose womb had taken a wrong position seven times with child, a Bhikkhu disturbed in his exercises by a writhing disease, a young man who drank water with frog eggs, and a man who often doubted the monarch.<\/p>\n
Outstanding achievements of various kings in terms of healthcare<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fig 5 – Famously noisy Sri Lankan crows existed in ancient times. It is written that King Parakkramab\u0101hu I (1153-1186 C.E) treated a crow suffering from an ulcer that had formed in its cheek.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n As we have seen, many kings have marked the history of Sri Lanka<\/a> by organizing the health system. Here are some other notable rulers that can be found in historical sources.<\/p>\n
- \n
- King Mah\u0101n\u0101ma (410-432 C.E) built refuges for the sick.<\/li>\n
- King Datusena (459-477 C.E) constructed halls for cripples and people who suffered from diseases.<\/li>\n
- King Sil\u0101k\u0101la (518-531 C.E) expanded the treasure allocated for the maintenance of hospitals.<\/li>\n
- King Agb\u014d VII (754-760 C.E) treated the sick.<\/li>\n
- King Udaya I (780-785 C.E) built hospitals both in Polonnaruwa (an ancient capital city in Sri Lanka) and Pa\u1e47\u1e0d\u0101viya (a town in the dry zone of Sri Lanka); the income received from the village was donated to those hospitals. He also constructed halls for the cripples.<\/li>\n
- King S\u0113na I (819-839 C.E) constructed a hospital to the west of the capital.<\/li>\n
- \u202fKing S\u0113na II (839-874 C.E) constructed a hospital at Ch\u0113tiyagiriya (a town in the dry zone of Sri Lanka).<\/li>\n
- King Kassapa IV (898-914 C.E) built hospitals in Anur\u0101dhapura (an ancient capital city of Sri Lanka) and Polonnaruwa for combating the Upasagga disease. He also built medical halls in many towns.<\/li>\n
- King Kassapa V (902-912 C.E.) built a hospital in the city and endowed the villages with medical facilities.<\/li>\n
- King Parakkramab\u0101hu I (1153-1186 C.E) built a great hall for many hundreds of sick people where each sick person was attended to by a special slave. As required, a female slave was occupied preparing medicine, food, and liquid both during the day and night. The king appointed the physicians. Healing activities were tested daily. The king treated a crow suffering from an ulcer that had formed in its cheek.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Ruins of ancient hospitals in Sri Lanka\u202f<\/strong>\u202f <\/span><\/h2>\n
Throughout Sri Lanka, there are many remnants of ancient hospitals that attest to the islanders\u00a0\u00bb interest in medicine. These ruins bear witness to highly regulated practices.<\/p>\n
The hospital complex at Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fig 5 – Inside the hospital complex of Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma hospital complex was situated near the Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma d\u0101g\u00e4ba in Anur\u0101dhapura<\/a>. The site was excavated by H.C.P Bell and the entrance is yet to be identified. The rooms for the patients may have been arranged around the shrine room as in the Mihintal\u0113 hospital Complex (near Minhintale town in modern Sri Lanka).\u202f\u202f The shrine room is considerably big in size. The guard stones as well as moonstones, can be identified.<\/p>\n
The hospital might have been built before the 8th<\/sup> century C.E. and was probably in good maintenance during the following century. The Kiribathvehera pillar inscription shed light on the endowment given to this hospital by king Ka\u015byapa IV.<\/p>\n
Fig 6 – Medicinal trough at the Th\u016bp\u0101r\u0101ma hospital complex \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The hospital complex in front of the Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya<\/strong><\/h3>\n
This hospital is located in the Anur\u0101dhapura district, just in front of the Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya (a major stupa). Half of the complex is buried under the road that leads to the Sri Mah\u0101bodi from Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya. The Sri Mah\u0101bodi is the sacred bodhi tree shrine; the bodhi tree is a sapling of the sacred bodhi tree in India, under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment; it is considered as the oldest historical tree in the world.<\/p>\n
Fig 7 \u2013 The ruins of the hospital complex near Ruwanw\u00e4lis\u00e4ya in Sri Lanka \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Hospital complex at Mihintal\u0113<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The ruins of the Mihintal\u0113 hospital are scattered near the Ch\u0113thiyagiriya mountain in the Anuradhapura district. As recorded in the Mah\u0101va\u1e43sa <\/em><\/strong>King S\u0113na II (839-874 C.E) constructed a hospital at Ch\u0113tiyagiriya. Thirty-one rooms have been identified.<\/p>\n
All the rooms are arranged on a high platform. The distinctive features of this hospital complex are a consulting room, a room for the hot water bath, an outer court, an inner verandah, a courtyard, a shrine room, and a room for the medicinal trough.<\/p>\n
Fig 7 \u2013 A medicinal trough of the Minhintale hospital complex \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The hospital complex at M\u00e4dirigiriya\u202f<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fig 7 \u2013 Medicinal trough of M\u00e4dirigiriya \u00a9 Nadeesha Gunawardana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The M\u00e4dirigiriya hospital is situated in the Tamankaduwa area about forty-six miles to the South East of Anur\u0101dhapura. The Hospital can be dated to the 8th<\/sup> and 9th<\/sup> centuries C.E. A pillar inscription that belonged to king Kassapa V testifies that there was a hospital complex there.\u202f<\/em>The inscription orders that the dead goats and fowls should be given to the hospital attached to the Buddhist temple.<\/p>\n
The hospital complex at \u0100l\u0101hanapirvena in Polonnaruwa<\/strong><\/h3>\n
- Information of a physician called Mitaha, is also found in the R\u0101ja\u1e45ga\u1e47\u0113 inscription (2nd<\/sup> Century B.C.E): \u201cupaska veja Mitaha puta Mi\u1e6digabutiya le\u1e47e\u201d<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renasl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/12-e1683712893595.jpg\")