Athuraliya Sudarshana Pirivena Sri Sudarshana Pirivena , popularly known as Atapattam Viharaya (Sinhala: අතුරලිය ශ්රී සුදර්ශන පිරිවෙණ, අටපට්ටම් විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Athuraliya village near Akuressa town in Matara District, Sri Lanka. The image house of the temple is considered unique and rare as it has been constructed in the shape of octagon (Wikramaratne, 2015). A large pillar containing niches on its eight sides is found in the centre of the building. The pillar rises upward and ends with a small Stupa built above the roof level. Buddha statues in standing and meditating posture have been placed inside each niche. The outer walls of the image house have been painted with murals showing Jataka stories including Vidura, Sambawa, Sasa, Maha Kanha and Vessantara (Wikramaratne, 2015). The ceiling is also decorated with paintings showing various motifs including nine planetary deities and twelve zodiac signs. A protected site The image house with ancient paintings in the Godapitiya Sri Sudharshanara…
