Sri Pushparama Viharaya (Balapitiya)

Sri Pushparama Viharaya, Balapitiya
Welithara Sri Pushparama Viharaya, also known as Amarapura Mulagandhi Nikaye Mulasthana Nayaka Pansala (Sinhala: වැලිතර ශ්‍රී පුෂ්පාරාම විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Welitara village in Galle District, Sri Lanka. It is located about 1.4 km distance from Balapitiya bus station facing the Colombo-Galle main road. The temple belongs to the Mulaghandi Sect of Amarapura Nikaya.

History
This temple is believed to have been established in 1803 (Ranchagoda, 2015). The construction work of the Stupa has been commenced in 1909 (2453 A.D.) by two devotees named N. Sebestian de Silva Vijayakulatilaka Edirisinghe and Senapathi Avihamida de Silva. and was completed by N. Barlin de Silva Vijayakulatilaka Edirisinghe.

Dhamma discourse hall
The Dhamma discourse hall (the preaching hall) of this temple can be identified as a special structure with archaeological value (Ranchagoda, 2015). The design of this building is considered unusual as it differs from the typical Buddhist architecture found in other temples in the country. It resembles architectural characteristics very similar to a Christian church (Ranchagoda, 2015). The front facade and the pointed arches of doors and windows indicate that the design of this building was based on colonial church architecture (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). Inside the building, two wooden staircases which begin from the two sides of the main hall lead into the balcony and run around the inner hall (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).

A protected site
The ancient Buddha shrine and the Dhamma discourse hall within the precincts of Velitara Sri Pushparama Maha Vihara situated within the Grama Niladhari Division of Welithara in the Balapitiya Divisional Secretary Division are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 6 June 2008.

Sri Pushparama Viharaya, Balapitiya
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References
1) De Silva, N.; Chandrasekara, D.P., 2009. Heritage buildings of Sri Lanka. Colombo: The National Trust Sri Lanka, ISBN: 978-955-0093-01-4.  p.96.
2) Ranchagoda, T. O., 2015. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Galla Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-53-4. pp.17-18.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1553. 6 June 2008. p.524.

Location Map
This page was last updated on 5 March 2023
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