The Anointing Pavilion or Anointing Hall (Sinhala: අභිෂේක මණ්ඩපය) is a ruined building situated in Abhayagiri Monastery premises in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
It is a building that belongs to the type known as Snanaghara (bathing house) described in the Bodhicharyavatara (Wikramagamage, 2004). In ancient times there was a practice of anointing the Buddha images with scented waters and this ritual is held even today in Sri Lanka at some places such as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi premises in Anuradhapura and Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy (Wikramagamage, 2004). This building in Abhayagiriya premises had also been used for the consecration of the Buddha and Bodhisattva images with scented water according to the Mahayana traditions.
The stone pavilion where the water vessels and the images were placed and the drains bringing the consecrated water out of the hall are still visible here. This building is believed to be a work of the late Anuradhapura Period.
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References
1) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural,
and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.97.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 8 January 2023
