Uda Aparekka Sepalikaramaya

Sepalikaramaya temple in Uda Aparekka, features an ancient stone inscription (likely 10th century) and relics hinting at 15–16th century structures.
Uda Aparekka Sepalikaramaya
Uda Aparekka Sepalikaramaya

Sri Sepalikaramaya (Sinhala: උඩ අපරැක්ක සේපාලිකාරාමය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Uda Aparekka village in Matara District, Sri Lanka.

History

There is a small plot of land with a Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa) near the temple premises surrounded by paddy fields and where a stone pillar containing a fragment of an inscription is found (Vanarathana, 1994). The stone is carved with the figures of the sun and the moon and contains several unclear lines of writing probably belonging to the 10th century A.D. (Vanarathana, 1994). A grant made to a procession (an Attani-perehera-deemana) by a king-styled Abasalamevan Mapurmaka is said to have been mentioned in the record (Vanarathana, 1994). This king has not been identified.

During several excavations done within the temple premises, fragments of tiles and bricks have been unearthed (Vanarathana, 1994). It is said that some of these bricks contained the figures of swans belonging to the 15-16 centuries A.D. (Vanarathana, 1994). The temple also owns a land named Pinwatta where some traditional functions such as An-edeema, pol-geseema and Thovila are conducted since the past.

Uda Aparekka pillar inscription

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References

Books

1) Vanarathana, K., 1994. Matara Puravidyathmaka Ithihasaya (In Sinhala). ISBN: 955-9325-00-0. pp.162-163.

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Attribution

To Whom

LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mr V. M. Vidanapathirana for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.

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