Hanguranketha Pattini Devalaya

Hanguranketha Pattini Devalaya
Hanguranketha Pattini Devalaya (Photo credit: Google Street View)

Hanguranketha Pattini Devalaya (Sinhala: හඟුරන්කෙත පත්තිනි දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated about 100 m behind the Potgul Viharaya in Hanguranketha in Nuwara Eliya District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to Goddess Pattini, the patron goddess of fertility and health. The shrine is considered unique and notable as it preserves several rituals and customs that are not found in other Pattini Devales in Kandy (Seneviratna, 1983).

History
Although the establishment date of this edifice is not known, there is evidence to prove that this Devalaya existed during the reign of King Rajasingha II (1635-1687 A.D.). However, according to some, this shrine was erected during the reign of King Sri Vira Parakrama Narendrasinha [(1707-1739 A.D.) Abeywardana, 2004; Seneviratna, 1983]. Later King Kirti Sri Rajasingha (1747-1782 A.D.) renovated the shrine. During the 1818 Uva–Wellassa uprising period, the shrine was minorly damaged by the British troops.

The shrine
The shrine is small and consists of a Vahalkada, facade and a side entrance doorway. Carved stone slabs of elephants and guards are found fixed to the outer and inner walls of the shrine (Seneviratna, 1983). The anklet of this deity is said to have been enshrined in the sanctum as the object of worship (Abeywardana, 2004).

A protected site
The Devalaya building, Vahalkada, kitchen and the rampart of Pattini Devalaya at Hanguranketha in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Hanguranketha are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 1 November 1996.

See also

References
1) Abeywardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka.  pp.250-251.
2) Seneviratna, A, 1983. Kandy: An Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments, with Historical, Archaeological, and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Central Cultural Fund. Ministry of Cultural Affairs. p.141.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, no: 948. 1 November 1996.

Location Map
This page was last updated on 7 November 2022
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