Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall

The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, also known as BMICH (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යාන්තර සම්මන්ත්‍රණ ශාලාව, Tamil: பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச மாநாட்டு மண்டபம்) is a convention centre located in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Given by the People's Republic of China as a gift, the conference hall was built in honour of the foreign policy of  S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1956 to 1959. 

The BMICH is managed by the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation that was established on 4 February 1975.

History

The construction of the hall was initiated on 24 November 1970, by the then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The Chinese government donated LKR 35 million towards the construction as a gift to the people of Sri Lanka. On 17 May 1973, the completed conference hall was ceremoniously declared open by S. Bandaranaike.

In 2000, the construction work of the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre was commenced on the same premises with the help of China. Built-in memory of Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first stateswoman in the world, the exhibition centre was officially opened in 2003.

Building

The octagon-shaped BMICH building was designed by Dai Niancy, a prominent figure in the history of modern Chinese architecture (Lu, 2010). The building comprises the main conference & concert hall, delegates' lounge, banquet hall, and press lounge.

Summary

1970 - China and Sri Lanka signed the agreement.

1973 - Opening ceremony of BMICH.
1973 - International Rubber Conference.

1974 - 4th Commonwealth Medical Conference.

1976 - 5th Non-Aligned Movement Summit.

1983 - Commencement of renting office spaces for government organizations.

1991 - 6th SAARC Summit.

1998 - 10th SAARC Summit.

2000 - Construction of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.

2003 - Opening of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.

2005 - Opening of Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS).

2008 - 15th SAARC Summit.

2009 - Opening of Mihilaka Medura and Kamatha.

2012 - Refurbishment of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition & Convention Centre.

2013 - 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

2014 - World Conference on Youth.

2017 - United Nations Vesak Festival

See also

#) Magam Ruhunupura International Conference Hall

References

1) Lu, D. ed., 2010. Third world modernism: architecture, development and identity. Routledge.
2) Official website of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall - BMICH#History

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Talaimannar Pier and Railway Station

The Talaimannar Pier and railway station are located in Talaimannar in Mannar District, Sri Lanka.

History

The proposal to build a rail bridge across the Palk Strait was originally brought forward by the British government in 1894, in order to facilitate the transportation of workers from Tamil Nadu, India for the tea plantations in Sri Lanka. In 1902, the rail line between Colombo and Kankesanturai was opened and a branch of this railway line was built in 1913, linking Madawachchiya and Talimannar Pier.

The Talaimannar station was opened on 24 February 1914. The pier and railway station functioned in 1914 to ferried passengers between Talaimannar and Dhanuskodi (Rameswaram, India) At the time, it was considered the cheapest mode of transport of passengers and goods between the two neighbors. In 1967, both piers at Talaimannar and Dhanuskodi were damaged by the "Dhanuskodi Cyclone" which caused to suspend of the ferry service between the two countries. Three years later, the infrastructure had been repaired and the ferry service was commenced again.

However, the service had to be abandoned again in 1983/84, due to the escalating war situation in Sri Lanka. The war between the government forces and LTTE (a rebel group designated as a terrorist organization) badly affected the ferry transportation between the two countries. During this period, the railway lines were completely destroyed by the LTTE and the steel bars of the track were used by them to build their bunkers (Thalpawila, 2017).

The Thalaimannar railway station was abandoned in 1990 and reopened on 14 March 2015, after the end of the civil war.

Pier

The pier was extending about 960 ft North of the mainland coast and supported a double railway track. The present pier is about 848 ft long and remains in a highly dilapidated state (Asanga & Nishantha, 2018)

A protected monument

The old pier at Thaleimannar belonging to Old Pier village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division Thaleimannar is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 24 March 2016.

References

1) Asanga, M. V. G. K.; Nishantha, I. P. S., 2018. Mannarama Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-10-9. p.76.
2) Thalpawila, O. N., 2017. Road to Jaffna - Road to Reconciliation in Sri Lanka. The International Conference on Land Transportation, Locomotive Heritage and Road Culture - 2017, Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. p.14.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1960. 24 March 2016. p.229.

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Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Cemetery

Ibbankatuwa Megalithic Cemetery (also known as Ibbankatuwa Proto-historic Burial Site) is an ancient burial site situated in Dambulla in Matale District, Sri Lanka. Extended in an area of about 13 hectares, the site comprises a large number of burials in cists made of stone slabs dating to the 7th century B.C. The cemetery is considered the biggest and the best-preserved proto-historic burial site in the country.

Cemetery site

The cemetery site is located on the left bank of the Dambulu Oya, a tributary of Kala Oya. It generally consists of stone cist type burial graves of the Megalithic tradition. The burial chambers are square and rectangular in shape and have been constructed by placing granite slabs vertically erected (Karunaratne, 2010). Several chambers were covered with capstones and some of them were visible on the surface even before the excavations. In 1984, surface explorations performed at the site exposed a few non-Brahmi symbols (pictograms) inscribed on three separate cist capstones (Seneviratne, 1989).

Large and small clay pots containing human ashes were found placed inside the chambers. Certain clay pots were cylindrical in shape and smaller containers were discovered inside some of these clay vessels. Some tombs consist of multiple urns. A few pots contained minute bone fragments but none of the tombs contained complete or partial skeletons (Karunaratne, 2010).
 
During the excavations, a large number of beads made of minerals such as clay, carnelian, onyx, agate were found inside the chambers (Karunaratne, 2010). A majority of beads discovered in Ibbankatuwa are said to be exotics that originated hundreds of miles away in peninsular India (Karunaratne, 2010). Cloth pins, bangles, leaf-shaped diadem, and metal objects such as iron, copper alloy, and gold were among the other findings of Ibbankatuwa (Karunaratne, 2010).

Settlement site
It is believed that the Ibbankatuwa cemetery was associated with a settlement belonging to the early iron age. Polwatta, an ancient human settlement located not far from the Ibbankatuwa burial site is considered to be the complementary human settlement of this burial site.

The Ibbankatuwa settlement was first excavated during the PGIAR-CCF-KAVA (Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology-Central Cultural Fund-The Kommission fur Algemeine und Vergleichende Archaeologie) collaboration project in 1988 (Karunaratne, 2010). More excavations were done during the 1989, 1990, and 1991 field seasons. According to C14 data, it was found that the site was occupied for several centuries, at least from the Proto-historic/Early-historic transition phase to the middle historic period (Karunaratne, 2010).

Ibbankatuwa is considered the only Proto-historic cemetery site in Sri Lanka where a corresponding settlement has been excavated (Karunaratne, 2010).

Excavations

The first excavation was performed in the Ibbankatuwa burial site in 1970 by Dr Raja De Silva, a former Archaeological Commissioner (Karunaratne, 2010). Consideration was again given to the site in 1982 when the Dambulla Cultural Triangle was established(Karunaratne, 2010). After that, two excavations were conducted in 1988 and 1990, by a team of German (KAVA) and Sri Lankan (CCF & PGIAR) archaeologists led by Prof. Senake Bandaranayake. They investigated a cluster of 21 burial chambers and its corresponding C14 data revealed that the cluster was in use at least from around 600 B.C.

The third excavation was carried out in August 2015, by the Central Cultural Fund. They excavated a new area located west of the cluster of 21 burial chambers. During this excavation, 47 burials, 26 stone cists, and 21 urn burials were discovered by them.

The conserved site was opened for public viewing on 11th February 2017.

A protected site

The megalithic tombs, situated in the village of Ibbankatuwa, in the Grama Niladhari Division of Ibbankatuwa, in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Galewala, are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 23 October 2009.

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Attribution

1) Ibban Katuwa, Sri Lanka 0021 by G41rn8 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
2) Ibban Katuwa, Sri Lanka 0024 by G41rn8 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
3) Ibban Katuwa, Sri Lanka 0027 by G41rn8 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

References

1) Karunaratne, P.P., 2010. Secondary state formation during the early iron age on the island of Sri Lanka: The evolution of a periphery. University of California, San Diego. pp.122-123,180,182, 184-185,190.
2) Seneviratne, S., 1989. Pre-state chieftains and servants of the state: a case study of Parumaka. pp.99-130.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1625. 23 October 2009. p.1596.

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Tomb of Adam, Talaimannar

An Islamic place of worship called by the locals as Tomb of Adam (or Adam's Grave) is located in Urumalai village in Talaimannar in Mannar District, Sri Lanka.

Folklore

Depending on traditional beliefs, the site is venerated by the local Muslim community as the grave where the giant bodies of Adam and Eve were buried.

Structures

The site contains two long semi-cylindrical structures lie on the sand. The structures are about 13 m long and 1.2 m wide (Asanga & Nishantha, 2018). By the side of the two structures is a small boat with the engraving 786 – 1968.

According to the local Muslim community, this is an ancient site with a long history. However, no valid historical or archaeological evidence has been found from the site (Asanga & Nishantha, 2018).

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References

1) Asanga, M. V. G. K.; Nishantha, I. P. S., 2018. Mannarama Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 978-955-7457-10-9. p.79.

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Ambagaspitiya Ambalama

The Ambagaspitiya Ambalama is an old wayside rest in the village of Ambagaspitiya in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by travelling along the Yakkala - Radawana road about 4.7 km distance from the Yakkala junction.

Ambalama

Ambalamas are traditional resting places built by locals to accommodate wayfarers who were travelling to distant places. They were also used as a place for people to gather, hold meetings and serve as a public place in society. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Ambalamas were spread all over the country.

The structure

The Ambalama has been built by erecting twelve granite pillars. Connecting these twelve pillars, a short wall goes around the structure. On the inside, around the Ambalama, are seats fixed to the short wall. The seats are made in two levels probably due to the caste differences that prevailed at the time of its construction. The entrance is set at the northern side of the Ambalama.

The pillars are octagon in shape with four-sided medial panels. Several rock carvings are also found on some of the pillars. The pillar capitals are made of wood and decorated with Pekada carvings. The four-sided roof with an elevated middle portion is paved with semi-cylindrical roof tiles (Sinhala Ulu).

A protected monument

The Ambagaspitiya Ambalama at the 3rd-milepost of the Yakkala - Radawana road in Ambagaspitiya village in Palle Tuttiripitya Grama Niladari Division in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Mahara is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

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References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1214. 22 November 2002.

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Sri Jinendrarama Tempita Viharaya (Warapalana)

Sri Jinendrarama Tempita Viharaya or Sri Jinendraramaya (Sinhala: වරපලාන ශ්‍රී ජිනේන්ද්‍රාරාම ටැම්පිට විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in the village of Warapalana in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by travelling along the Yakkala - Radawana road (B479) about a 6.7 km distance from the Yakkala junction.

History

According to traditional beliefs, the history of the Jinendrarama temple is going back to the latter part of the 18th century (Chandrasoma, 2013; Wijayawardhana, 2010). At that time there was not any Buddhist temple in the Warapalana area and nearby temples, such as Varana, Pilikuttuwa have located some considerable distance from the village. Therefore, this temple was established during that period (Kandyan Period) as a religious place for the Buddhists who lived in the Warapalana village (Wijayawardhana, 2010). It is said that a Buddhist monk named Veuda Vipassi Thera from Anuradhapura, had pioneered this establishment (Chandrasoma, 2013; Wijayawardhana, 2010).

The new image house of the temple has been constructed in 1922.

Tempita Viharaya

Tempita Viharas (the temples on pillars) were a popular aspect of many Buddhist temples during the Kandyan period. These structures were usually built on a wooden platform resting on bare stone pillars or stumps which are about 1-4 feet tall. The roof is generally made of timber and held by wooden stumps and wattle walls. The walls form the main enclosed shrine room containing Buddhist sculptures and murals belonging to the Kandyan style. Some Tempita Viharas have narrow verandas and ambulatories circulating the main enclosed space. The construction of these buildings started in the 17th century and lasted until the end of the 19th century (Wijayawardhana, 2010).

Jinendrarama Tempita Viharaya
The Tempita Viharaya is the main aspect of this temple with archaeological value. It has been built upon 25 granite pillars about 3 feet tall (Chandrasoma, 2013; Wijayawardhana, 2010). The roof is four-sided and paved with semi-cylindrical roof tiles (Sinhala Ulu). A stone-made flight of steps makes access to the ambulatory surrounding the Tempita image chamber. The ambulatory is about 3 feet wide and a short wall of about 3 ft. 10 in. tall runs along its outer boundary (Wijayawardhana, 2010). The total Tempita structure is about 19 feet long and 15 feet and 3 inches wide (Chandrasoma, 2013; Wijayawardhana, 2010).

The inside walls of the image chamber are adorned with paintings and sculptures belonging to the Kandyan style. The main sculpture is a seated Buddha statue accompanied by two standing Buddha statues facing each other at both the left and right walls (Chandrasoma, 2013). All the Buddha figures have halos around their bodies. On the sides of the two standing Buddha images are two deities, Vishnu and Kataragama/or Saman (Chandrasoma, 2013; Wijayawardhana, 2010).

Presently, the Tempita Viharaya has been restored and conserved by the Archaeology Department.

A protected site

The Tempita Viharaya situated in Sri Jinendrarama Vihara premises in Udututtiripitiya Grama Niladhari Wasama of the Mahara Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

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References

1) Chandrasoma, S., 2013. Gampaha Distrikkaye Tempita Vihara (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-9159-85-8. pp.13-17.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
3) Wijayawardhana, K., 2010. Sri Lankawe Tampita Vihara (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-551-752-2. pp. 12,264-269.

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Sri Vivekarama Purana Viharaya, Hewaniwala

Sri Vivekarama Purana Viharaya is an old Buddhist temple located in the village of Hewaniwala in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.

A protected site

The ancient image house located in Hewaniwala Viwekarama Vihara premises in Palle Tuttiripitiya Grama Niladhari Wasama of the Mahara Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.

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Gallindawatta Ambalama, Ambagaspitiya

The Gallindawatta Ambalama is an old wayside rest in the village of Ambagaspitiya in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by traveling along the Yakkala - Radawana road about a 3.7 km distance from the Yakkala junction.

History

Ambalamas are traditional resting places built by locals to accommodate wayfarers who were travelling to distant places. They were also used as a place for people to gather, hold meetings and serve as a public place in society. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Ambalamas were spread all over the country.

The structure

The Ambalama is situated on the verge of paddy land and has been built by erecting four granite pillars fixed on the ground. The floor is square in shape and paved with stone slabs. The roof is tiled with Sinhala Ulu and held by four granite pillars. A well built with granite blocks is found adjacent to the Ambalama.

A protected monument

The old Ambalama at Gallinda Watta land in Ambagaspitiya village in Mahara Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

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References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1214. 22 November 2002.

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Bendiyamulla Tombstone of Karunaratne

The Bendiyamulla Tombstone is a monument located on the roadside of the Gampaha - Miriswatta highway about 1.2 km distance from the Gampaha Hospital. It has been erected to commemorate Karunaratne, a wealthy landowner.

Karunaratne

Don David Karunaratne was a politician and one of the wealthiest men in the Gampaha area. He was elected to parliament at the 1st parliamentary election in 1947, representing the United National Party (UNP), for the Gampaha electorate. After the death of Karunaratne, his remains were deposited in a small stone-built house erected on a plot of land he owned.

Karunaratne is also popular for his social work. Rathnavali Balika Vidyalaya and Gampaha Base Hospital are said to be established/developed with the help of Karunaratne.

Agra Building

In the 1930s, Karunaratna constructed a palatial mansion called Agra, in Bendiyamulla. After the demise of Karunaratne, the property was inherited by his elder daughter but by the mid-1970s, there were no direct descendants to claim the property. In 1978, the mansion was taken over by the government and converted into state property. The mansion is today used as the office of the District Secretariat of Gampaha (Gampaha Kachcheri).

Tomb

The tomb is quadrangular in shape and has been built on an elevated basement. It can be entered through a flight of steps accompanied by decorated Korawakgal (wingstones) and Sandakada Pahana (moonstone). However, a large commercial building has been constructed around the monument recently, disturbing the view as well as the value of the tomb.

A protected monument

The Bendiyamulla Tombstone adjoins Miriswaththa - Gampaha highway belonging to Bendiyamulla village situated in Grama Niladhari Division, Bendiyamulla in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Gampaha is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 12 June 2015.

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References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1919. 12 June 2015. p.395.

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Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery (Polgahawela)

The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery or Mahamevnawa Bhavana Asapu Moolasthanaya (Sinhala: මහමෙව්නාව බෞද්ධ ආරාමය), located in Polgahawela, Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka is the main Mahamevnawa temple of its chain of monasteries in Sri Lanka.

Mahamevnawa Organization

The organization was established in 1999 in Sri Lanka by Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera, for the purpose of spreading the teachings of the Gautama Buddha. At present, there are more than 90 Sri Lankan and international branches including Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, and the United States.

Polgahawela Branch

The monastery at Polgahawela was established in Waduwawa village on 14 August 1999. Currently, the temple is home to over 100 monks. 

Other Local Branches

Central Province: Kundasale, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Rattota.
Eastern Province: Ampara, Kantale, Vilgamvehera Raja Maha Viharaya.
North Central Province: Anuradhapura, Galnewa, Habarana, Kahatagasdigiliya, Kebithigollewa, Polonnaruwa.
North Western Province: Anamaduwa, Bowatta, Ibbagamuwa, Mahawa, Polpithigama, Pothuhera, Thamba Kanda, Uyandana.
Sabaragamuwa Province: Balangoda, Eratna, Pinnawala, Siripagama.
Southern Province: Deniyaya, Galle, Matara, Sooriyawewa, Walasmulla.
Uva Province: Bandarawela, Bibila, Buttala, Kataragama, Mahiyanganaya, Mariarawa, Monaragala, Mullegama, Welimada.
Western Province: Bulathsinhala, Divulapitiya, Horana, Kaduwela, Kochchikade, Malabe, Nittambuwa, Serupita.

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See also

#) Nelligala International Buddhist Center

#) Umandawa Global Buddhist Village

 

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Thilakarathnarama Viharaya, Borella

Thilakarathnarama Viharaya (or Thilakarathnaramaya) is a Buddhist temple located in Borella town in Colombo District, Sri Lanka.

A protected site

The ancient Stupa of Borella Thilakarathnarama Purana Vihara in Borella (South) Grama Niladhari Wasama of the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 8 July 2005.

References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1401. 8 July 2005.

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Kengalla Ambalama

The Kengalla Ambalama (Sinhala: කෙන්ගල්ල අම්බලම) is an old wayside rest in the village of Kengalla in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It is located on the roadside of the Kandy - Mahiyangana highway (A 26) about 14 km distant from Kandy town.

History

Ambalamas are traditional resting places built by locals to accommodate wayfarers who were travelling to distant places. They were also used as a place for people to gather, hold meetings and serve as a public place in society. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Ambalamas were spread all over the country. The Ambalama at Kengalla is believed to have been built in 1905 by Karaithylingam Pillai, a wealthy businessman who had migrated from South India (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).

The structure

The structure is built of stone and rectangular in shape with a short porch in front. Two sets of columns fixed in two concentric tiers bear the roof and make the resting area. The resting area has two levels: the outer low ground and the middle section. The middle section is at a higher level and is said to have been used by people of the privileged caste (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).

Attribution

1) IMG_3698 & IMG_3702 by Denish C are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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.168.

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Kadugannawa Ambalama

The Kadugannawa Ambalama is an old wayside rest in the village of Kadugannawa in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. It is located on the roadside of Colombo - Kandy highway about 7 km distant from the Pilimatalawa town.

History

Ambalamas are traditional resting places built by locals to accommodate wayfarers who were travelling to distant places. They were also used as a place for people to gather, hold meetings and serve as a public place in society. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Ambalamas were spread all over the country. The Ambalama at Kadugannawa is one such structure built during the British Period (1815-1948) of Sri Lanka (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).

The structure

The structure has a rectangular ground plan with an additional porch in front (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The porch is entered through two sets of steps. The inner space of the Ambalama has been divided by a wall (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The roof is paved with clay tiles and supported by columns and walls made of wattle and daub.

The Ambalama was recently restored by the Ministry of Tourism under the guidance of the Department of Archeology. 

A protected monument

Kadugannawa Ambalama in Pahala Kadugannawa Village in the Mahakadurawa Grama Niladhari Wasama of the Mawanella Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 July 2011.

Attribution

1) Kadugannawa Ambalama by MediaJet is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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.166.

2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1716. 22 July 2011. pp.510-511.

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Kondagala Pilima Geya

Kondagala Pilima Geya/Pilimage (or Kondagala Viharaya) is an old image house located in the village of Kondagala in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by traveling along the Nelundeniya - Galapitamada road about 1.2 km distance from the Nelundeniya junction.

Shrine

The temple consists of an old image house and a Bodhi tree. Other aspects such as Stupa, preaching hall are not found in the temple premises. The image house has been built on a natural rock plane on which several marks of letters, pillar holes are found. At the entrance of image house is a Makara Thorana (a dragon arch) with two doorkeepers. Below the Makara Thorana (above the door) is a figure of a clock with Roman numerals.

The shrine was renovated and preserved by the Department of Archaeology in 2016.

A protected site

The old image house and the drain in the natural rock belonging to the Kondagale Vihara premises in the Grama Niladhari Wasama No. 85, Dedigama in the Warakapola Divisional Secretary’s Division are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 30 December 2011.  

References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1739. 30 December 2011. p.1091

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Waduwawa Bambaragala Viharaya

Not to be confused with Kandy Bambaragala Viharaya

Bambaragala Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: වඩුවාව බඹරගල විහාරය) is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in the village of Waduwawa in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka.

History

The image house of the Bambaragala temple contains paintings belonging to the Kandyan tradition. However, the existence of drip-ledged caves suggests that this temple has its roots extending to a very early period, probably to the Anuradhapura Era.

A protected site

The cave temple with old paintings and the drip-ledged cave with an inscription in Waduwawa Bambaragala Purana Viharaya in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Alawwa are archaeological protected monuments, declared by government gazette notifications published on 18 January 1974 and 8 July 2005.

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References

1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: No: 1401. 8 July 2005.
2) The government gazette notification: No: 95. 18 January 1974.

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