Atupothdeniya Tempita Viharaya

Atupothdeniya Tempita Viharaya, also known as Atupothdeniya Pothgul Viharaya (Sinhala: අටුපොත්දෙණිය ටැම්පිට විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Atupothdeniya village in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.

History
The Tempita Viharaya of this temple is believed to have been constructed by the revenue collector of the Hapitigam Korale area during the Dambadeniya Period (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021). The village Atupothdeniya is said to be the main supplier of Ola leaves that were used for manuscripts during that era (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021).

Tempita Viharaya
Tempita Viharas were popular in 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. The walls are usually made of wattle and daub and form the main enclosed shrine room containing Buddhist sculptures and murals in 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).

Atupothdeniya Tempita Viharaya
The rectangular-shaped Tempita Viharaya of Atupothdeniya temple is approximately 35 ft. in length and 13 ft. in width and has been balanced on 21 short stone pillars 2 ft. in height (Chandrasoma, 2013). The sanctum houses a seated Buddha statue, two standing Buddha images and the images of the gods Vishnu and Skanda (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021).

A protected site
The ancient Tempita image house in the Atupothdeniya Purana Viharaya premises situated in the Mirigama Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.

References
1) Chandrasoma, S., 2013. Gampaha Distrikkaye Tempita Vihara (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-9159-85-8. pp.57-62.
2) Silva, K.D. and Chandrasekara, D.P., 2021. The Tämpiṭavihāras of Sri Lanka: Elevated Image-Houses in Buddhist Architecture. Anthem Press. pp.162-163.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
4) Wijayawardhana, K., 2010. Sri Lankawe Tampita Vihara (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-551-752-2. p.12.

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This page was last updated on 16 March 2023
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