Moonstones and guardstones explained

A moonstone, sandakada pahana in Sinhala, is a semicircular carved slab placed at the foot of the steps leading to a shrine in the Cultural Triangle. It acts as a doorstep, and the carving is meant to be walked over as you approach the sacred space.

The design is widely interpreted as a map of the path from worldly life to enlightenment. Walking over it, a pilgrim symbolically crosses from the cycle of rebirth towards the lotus at the centre, which represents nirvana. Interpretations vary between scholars, so guides may give slightly different readings.

Moonstones are unique to Sri Lankan Buddhist architecture in their developed form. Similar semicircular doorsteps exist in India, but the rich symbolism of the Anuradhapura type grew up on the island, mostly between roughly the 6th and 10th centuries. They mark entrances to image houses, stupa terraces and important monastery buildings, but not every building had one.

Reading a classic Anuradhapura moonstone from the outside in shows a clear sequence. The outer ring is flames, often read as desire or the fires of worldly existence. Next comes a procession of four animals, elephant, horse, lion and bull, often linked to birth, decay, disease and death.

Inside the animals is a creeper, representing craving, then a row of geese, symbols of purity or of those who can tell good from bad. At the centre is a lotus, the symbol of enlightenment. Some moonstones add more bands of foliage.

Guardstones, muragala in Sinhala, flank the steps of many Cultural Triangle shrines. Early examples were plain slabs, later ones carved with a pot of plenty or a dwarf, and the most developed show a naga king, a serpent deity in human form with a hood of cobra heads, holding a vase of plenty and a flowering branch.

The naga king guards the entrance and offers prosperity. The finest is at the Ratnaprasada in Anuradhapura, where the carving is unusually graceful and detailed. Polonnaruwa's Vatadage has fine guardstones too.

Guardstones in the Cultural Triangle often come in pairs, one on each side of the steps, with the naga kings mirroring each other. Dwarfs called ganas, fat and cheerful, appear on some guardstones and on the risers of steps, especially at Polonnaruwa. They are thought to be attendants of Kubera, god of wealth, and they add a playful note to otherwise solemn entrances.

The best moonstones and guardstones in the Cultural Triangle are at Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. In Anuradhapura, the moonstone at the building known as Mahasen's Palace, near Abhayagiri, is widely considered the finest. The Ratnaprasada guardstone, also in the Abhayagiri area, is the most celebrated guardstone.

In Polonnaruwa, the Vatadage has moonstones at each of its four entrances, with the bull removed from the animal ring. Lankan Stays & Trails guides usually plan an Anuradhapura route that passes both Abhayagiri pieces in the cool of the morning.

Moonstone and guardstone designs in the Cultural Triangle changed over the centuries. Anuradhapura moonstones are the most complete and finely carved. In Polonnaruwa, the bull disappears from the animal ring, perhaps reflecting Hindu influence, since the bull is sacred to Shiva.

By the Kandyan period, moonstones became more stylised, sometimes more rectangular, and the classic symbolism faded. Seeing an Anuradhapura moonstone and a Polonnaruwa one on consecutive days makes the change clear.

Moonstones are fragile and many are fenced off. Do not stand on roped examples, even though the originals were made to be walked over.