Deldeniya Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: දෙල්දෙණිය රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Deldeniya village in Kandy District, Sri Lanka.
History
This temple is believed to have been established either by Wathhimi Bandara (or Karaliyadda Bandara) in the 16th century or by King Kirti Sri Rajasingha (1747-1782 A.D.) during the Kandyan Period (Rajapakse, 2016). According to some sources, the history of the Stupa of the temple goes back to the Kurunegala Period [(1293-1341 A.D.) De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009; Senanayaka, 2018]. The name Deldeniya is mentioned in Nampotha, an ancient text written after the 14th century.
The Vatadageya (Stupa house), the Bodhi tree, the Siri Pathul Gala (a carved footprint of the Buddha) and the boundary stones of the present Pohoya-geya (the chapter house) are considered old monuments of the temple (Rajapakse, 2016). The Vatadageya which is roughly square in shape covers the bubble-shaped Stupa (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). The roof of it has been covered with clay tiles and a clay pinnacle has been installed on top of it. There are twelve pillars in the four corners in clusters of three (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009).
A protected site
The ancient Chaitiya (Stupa) on the Deldeniya Purana Vihara premises in No.218 Deldeniya Grama Niladhari Division in Yatinuwara Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 6 June 2008.
Attribution
1) LankaPradeepa.com would like to thank Vishwa Sri Jayasinghe for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.
References
1) 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.82.
2) Rajapakse, S., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Ha Smaraka: Mahanuwara Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. ISBN:955-9159-34-8. p.81.
3) Senanayaka, P., 2018. Senkadagala Mahanuwara pradeshaye peranima Bauddha Vihara Arama (In Sinhala). Samodhana, The Journal of Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. Vol.7 (1). pp.55-83.
4) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1553. 6 June 2008. p.524.
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This page was last updated on 30 June 2023