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Kongahagedara Tempita Viharaya |
Kongahagedara Tempita Viharaya, also known as Sri Bodhidrumarama Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: කෝන්ගහගෙදර ශ්රී බෝධිදෘමාරාම පුරාණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Kongahagedara village near Kuliyapitiya town in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka.
History
The history of the Tempita Viharaya (the Temple of Pillars) of this temple runs back to the period of the Kandyan Kingdom (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015). It is said to have been built under the patronage of Migastenne Adhikaram during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1734-1782 A.D.) of Kandy (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021). Migastenne Adhikaram was the 2nd chief minister of the Kandyan Court and the governor of the Satkorale, which includes the present North Western Province (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021). His contribution to building the Tempita image house can be identified by using timber from Mī trees (Madhuca longifolia), and by depicting him in a wall painting inside the shrine room (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021).
In 1911, the Tempita Viharaya was repaired and some of the original murals were repainted (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021).
Tempita Viharaya
Tempita Viharas were popular in many Buddhist temples during the Kandyan Period. These structures were usually built on a wooden platform resting on bare stone pillars or stumps which are about 1-4 feet tall. The roof is generally made of timber and held by wooden stumps. The walls are usually made of wattle and daub and form the main enclosed shrine room containing Buddhist sculptures and murals in the Kandyan style. 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).
Kongahagedara Tempita Viharaya
The Kongahagedara Tempita Viharaya is built upon 16 short stone pillars of irregular shape (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021). The sanctum is surrounded by a narrow ambulatory margined by a peripheral roof-supported wooden columns which are richly ornamented (Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021). The entrance to the shine room is flanked by two guardians holding swards. In the shrine room, there is a seated Buddha statue accompanied by the images of Sariputta (left) and Moggallana (right), the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha. On the side walls are four standing Buddha statues, facing each other. The inner and outer walls of this are decorated with Buddhist murals following the Kandyan tradition.
A Protected Site
The Tampita Viharaya (Viharaya built on stone piles) belonging to the Koongaha Gedara Sri Bodhidrumaramaya Viharaya premises situated in the No. 1164, Kongahagedara Grama Niladhari Division in the Kuliyapitiya Divisional Secretary’s Division, is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 24 July 2009.
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References
Books, Government Gazette Notifications
1) Anuradha, R.K.S.; Kumari, A.S., 2015. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Kurunegala Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-37-2. p.80.
2) Silva, K.D. and Chandrasekara, D.P., 2021. The Tämpiṭavihāras of Sri Lanka: Elevated Image-Houses in Buddhist Architecture. Anthem Press. pp.118-119.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1612. 24 July 2009. p.1024..
4) 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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Attribution
To Whom
LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Mr Navod Hemal for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.
