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Photo By : Ravi Pieris
Polambegoda Sri Sudarshanarma Piriven Viharaya is a temple in the Kegalle District which dates back to 1769 when a regional ruler named Weragoda Nilame acquired this land from Molligoda Maha Adhikaram to build this temple. The publication “Sri Lankawe Tampita Vihara” by Kusumsiri Wijewardhana has identified this temple by the name Polambegoda Sri Ratana Jothyaramaya.
A unique feature of this temple is the ancient Tampita Viharaya which was preserved in 1982 and lately in 2014. Tampita Vihara was a popular architectural feature of temples during the Kandyan era. Tampita Vihara is a structure built on a wooden platform assembled on granite pillars rising from the ground.
One of the unique features of this Tampita Viharaya is the abundance of Deities within the building. You can find statues of Gana, Eshwara, Saman, Vishnu, and Aluth Nuwara deities and paintings of Suniyam deity in this Vihara Ge. The walls inside the image house have been decorated with sceneries from the life of Prince Siddhartha.
This tampita viharaya is believed to have been built in the late 19th century and is built on 12 granite pillars of 3 feet in height. The image house is 12 feet in length and 9 feet 7 inches in width. A 2 feet 9-inch wide circumambulating path is built around the image house with a protective wooden balustrade. The front area is much wider with 4 feet 8 inches across. The whole building is 20 feet long and 18 feet wide.
A wooden stairway leads up to the Tampita Viharaya. The main seated Buddha statue inside the image house is 3 feet 6 inches tall. This image is flanked by 2 standing Buddha statues in the Abhaya mudra. Images of Sariyuth and Mugalan maha Thero worshipping Buddha are painted beside the main Buddha statue.
The roof is painted with a continuing Nari Latha figure which is starting at the center of the roof. The top portion of the outer wall of the image house is painted with Buddha figures. These have been carelessly repainted destroying their original value.
To reach the temple take the Aranayake Road Road from Mawanella and travel for 7 km along this route till you reach the Polambegoda Junction. The temple lies on the left at this junction.
by Kusumsiri Wijewardhana
Also See
- Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka Index
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Polambegoda Sri Sudarshanarma Tampita Viharaya
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Traveling Directions to Polambegoda Sri Sudarshanarma Tampita Viharaya
| Route from Mawanella to Polambegoda Sri Sudarshanarma Tampita Viharaya |
| Distance : 7 km Travel time : 20 minutes Driving directions : see on google map |