Thuparama Pilimage is a Gedige-type image house located at the southwest corner of the Sacred Quadrangle in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.
Thuparama Pilimage (Polonnaruwa) T huparama Pilimage or Thuparamaya Image House (Sinhala: පොළොන්නරුව ථූපාරාම පිළිම ගෙය) is a Gedige -type (vaulted) image house located at the southwest corner of the Sacred Quadrangle in the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa , Sri Lanka. This image house is the only ancient monument among those in Polonnaruwa where the original roof is well preserved. History Although it is called Thuparama Pilimage, the builder or the original name of this monument is not known (Paranavitana, 1950; Ray, 1960). Some believe that this is the shrine that, according to the chronicle Culavamsa , was built by Mahinda, a courtier of King Parakramabahu I [(1153-1186 A.D.), to deposit the Tooth Relic of the Buddha (Ray, 1960). However, there is another theory that suggests this edifice was built during the reign of King Vijayabahu I [(1055-1110 A.D.) Jayasuriya, 2016]. Image House The walls and the roof of Thuparama Pilimage have been completely built out of bricks without using wood and therefore, known as a Gedige-type …
