Halpe Pattini Devalaya (Ella)

Halpe Pattini Devalaya is a Devalaya Shrine dedicated to Pattini, the patron goddess of fertility and health. It is located in the village of Halpe in Badulla District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by travelling along the Bandarawela - Badulla road about 5 km distance from Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya.

History

According to a traditional belief, this Devalaya had been originally erected in Hettipola, a village located in close proximity to the present Devalaya site. However, it was shifted to the present site later (Priyadarshani & Gunasena, 2017).

Shrine

The main shrine which houses the image of Pattini is called Maligawa and is a two-storied structure supported on short stone columns and beams (Priyadarshani & Gunasena, 2017). Its upper floor is made up of timber panels and can be accessed through a wooden ladder. A sandalwood statue of the goddess Pattini and several other objects such as lances, lamps, and water containers are found in the inner chamber of the shrine.

The roof of the shrine has been supported on simply carved timber columns with lotus bracket capitals (Priyadarshani & Gunasena, 2017). Images of doorkeepers and a small Makara Thorana (a dragon arch) depicting the typical Kandyan tradition are found at the entrance of the shrine.

A protected site

The Pattini Devalaya, Sinhasana Mandapaya, and the kitchen located in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Ella are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

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References

1) Priyadarshani, S.A.N.; Gunasena, I.P.P., 2017. Pauranika Sthana Ha Smaraka: Badulla Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 955-9159-48-8. pp.15-16.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.

Location Map

This page was last updated on 9 June 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map