Muwapitiya Tempita Viharaya, also known as Sri Sudharmarama Tempita Vihara (Sinhala: මුවපිටිය ටැම්පිට විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Muwapitiya village in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka.
History
The Tempita Viharaya of this temple is believed to have been constructed during the Kandyan Period (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).
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).
Muwapitiya Tempita Viharaya
Constructed on an elevated platform of about 3 ft. in height, the Tempita Viharaya of Muwapitiya temple consists of two segments; the shrine and the Mandapa [(the front porch) De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009; Wijayawardhana, 2010]. The shrine has been balanced on 13 short stone pillars 0.75 m in height and the Mandapa has been added to it later. (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The shrine is surrounded by a narrow ambulatory and a handrail running around it. The ceiling and interior walls of the shrine are painted with murals depicting Buddhist themes such as Suvisi Vivaranaya (Buddha to be receiving the blessing from 24 previous Buddhas). The shrine houses three Buddha statues; a seated Buddha with standing Buddhas on either side (Bell, 1904). The seated statue is 3 ft. 10 inches in height and is gilt (Wijayawardhana, 2010).
The structure was restored and conserved by the Department of Archaeology in the 1950s during the Buddha Jayanthi (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009; Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021).
A protected site
The ancient Tempita image house in the Sudharmarama Viharaya premises situated in Muwapitiya village in the Rambukkana Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 1 November 1996.
References
1) Bell, H.C.P., 1904. Report on the Kegalle District of the Province of Sabaragamuwa. Archaeological Survey of Ceylon: XIX-1892. Government Press, Sri Lanka. p.37.
2) 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.27.
3) Silva, K.D. and Chandrasekara, D.P., 2021. The Tämpiṭavihāras of Sri Lanka: Elevated Image-Houses in Buddhist Architecture. Anthem Press. pp.142-143.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 948. 1 November 1996.
5) Wijayawardhana, K., 2010. Sri Lankawe Tampita Vihara (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-551-752-2. p.12,245-250.
5) Wijayawardhana, K., 2010. Sri Lankawe Tampita Vihara (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-551-752-2. p.12,245-250.
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This page was last updated on 18 March 2023
