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Pamburana Walukarama Viharaya |
Sri Walukarama Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: පඹුරණ ශ්රී වාළුකාරාම පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Pamburana village in Matara District, Sri Lanka.
History
The history of this temple site dates back several centuries from the present. The name Panguran (or Pamburana) is mentioned in a few old Sandesha Kavyas (messenger poems) such as Thisara (14th century), Mayura (14th century), Kokila (15th century) and Parevi. The names of two novice monks who resided in this temple are recorded in an ola-leaf book preserved in Urapola Rathanajothi Pirivena and this document is thought to have been written between 1785-1803. The Stupa and the Chapter House of this temple are believed to have been established during the time of the erudite Buddhist monk Sitinamaluwe Dhammajothi Thera in the 19th century. The inscription on the Stupa reveals that it was erected on 26 April 1831 while the chapter house was built on 24 October 1817. The library building is said to have been declared open in 1948 by D. S. Senanayaka (b.1884-d.1952), the first Prime Minister of Ceylon. The new image house was added to the temple in 1972.
The nearby Sariputhra Secondary School was established on 7 November 1927 by Kamburugamuwe Rathanajothi Thera who became the incumbent of Walukarama temple in 1920.
The Image House
The old image house of Walukarama Viharaya is believed to be more than 300 years old. The murals adorning its walls show the artistic features of the paintings of the Kandyan Period. The building was repaired in the 1930s during the time of Kamburugamuwe Rathanajothi Thera.
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Attribution
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LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Lalith Kekulthotuwage for providing the necessary photographs required for this article.