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| Figure 1: The original features of the Tempita Viharaya at Gangaramaya can not be identified |
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Gangarama Tempita Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: කඩුකන්න ගංගාරාම ටැම්පිට පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Kadukanna village near Telijjawila town in Matara District, Sri Lanka. It is believed to have been established in the Buddhist year 2298 (or 1755 A.D.) and some renovations have been done to the temple in 1986.
The Tempita Viharaya is the main monument of this temple with architectural importance. This type of buildings were popular in many Buddhist temples during the Kandyan Period. They were usually built on a wooden platform resting on bare stone pillars or stumps which are about 1-4 feet tall and the roof is generally made of timber. The walls are usually made of wattle and daub and form the main enclosed shrine room containing Buddhist sculptures and murals. 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).
Due to later renovation works, the original features of the Tempita Viharaya building at Gangarama temple can not be identified today.
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Attribution
#) LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Lalith Kekulthotuwage for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.
References
1) 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 26 November 2023
