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Amunukole Tempita Viharaya |
Amunukole Tempita Viharaya, also known as Sri Wardhanaramaya (Sinhala: අමුණුකොලේ ශ්රී වර්ධනාරාමය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Amunukole village near Kobeigane in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka.
History
The Tempita Viharaya (the Temple of Pillars) of this temple is believed to be a work belonging to the Kandyan Period. However, none of the art or statues in this Tampita Viharaya show the typical influence of Kandyan art.
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).
Amunukole Tempita Viharaya
Amunukole Tempita Viharaya is built upon 9 short stone pillars roughly 1 feet 3 inches in height. The Buddha shrine is surrounded by a narrow ambulatory-like space margined by a peripheral short wall and roof-supported wooden columns. The entrance to the shine room is flanked by two guardians. In the shrine room, there is a Buddha statue in Bumi-sparsha Mudra depicting the great defeat of Mara by the Bodhisattva at the time of his enlightenment. This statue is accompanied by the images of Sariputta (left) and Moggallana (right), the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha. The scene of Prince Rahula asking for his “inheritance” from the Buddha upon his return to the home city is depicted on the left-side wall of the Buddha shrine, while King Suddhodhana observing the moment is depicted on the right-side wall.
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References
Books
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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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.
