Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya (ගොඩකවෙල ශ්‍රී මහින්ද පුරාණ ටැම්පිට රජමහා විහාරය)

54 years ago2 days ago04 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya
photo by : Lalith Kekulthotuwage

Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Viharaya is an ancient temple with a Tampita Viharaya built during the era of the Kandyan kingdom. The temple lies right in the centre of the Godakawela town between Madampe and Pallebedda.

A Tampita Viharaya is a special building constructed on a wooden platform supported by several stone stumps, typically around 3 to 4 feet tall. Its roof is supported by a timber frame, and the walls are often made of wattle and daub, a mixture of woven branches and clay. Inside, the chamber walls are usually adorned with paintings, often in the Kandyan style, depicting religious themes and stories. These buildings were a popular religious architectural design during the Kandyan period.

The Tampita Viharaya at the Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Viharaya is believed to have been built by Dumbara Meegasthanne Adhikaram on the instructions of King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781) of Kandyan Kingdom. The temple was deserted a few decades ago but today has been developed into one of the foremost Pirivena temples in the area.

The Tampita Viharaya at the temple looks like a two-storied building from the outside due to the layered roof. The viharaya is built on 8 massive square beams laid on 16 uneven granite pillars of about 2 feet high. A 1-foot high platform built with rocks and filled with soil has been built surrounding pillars. The wooden platform is built with 2-inch thick Jack and Na wood planks. The Tampita Viharaya is 22 feet long and 17 feet 3 inches wide.

The inner chamber of the image house is covered in murals including scenes from Jataka stories such as Sama, Nalapana, Watu and Thelapaththa. In addition to the Buddha statues, there is a statue of the deity Saman without any weapons. This is believed to be a depiction of the deity Saman after attaining the level of Sovan.
https://youtu.be/V-aHUfjAQmw?t=26

Also See

Map of the Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Driving Directions to Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Route from Pelmadulla to Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Through : Kahawatta
distance : 21 km
Travel time :15-30 minutes
Time to spend : 40 mins
Driving directions : see on Google map

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Kamburupitiya Ambalama (කඹුරුපිටිය අම්බලම)
Kamburupitiya Ambalama is one such Ambalama built in 1909. This is a comparatively large Ambalama built with Brick and mortar, standing in the centre of the Kamburupitya town. The Ambalama is fully covered. The front is built with a short wall and square and cylindrical pillars the empty space is covered with latticework structures for ventilation. The entrance is on the side. […]
Matikumbura Kalawana Sri Sugatharamaya Tampita Viharaya (මැටිකුඹුර කලවාන ශ්‍රී සුගතාරාමය ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
Matikumbura Kalawana Sri Sugatharamaya Tampita Viharaya in Kurunegala District was declared a protected Archaeological Monument by the gazette dated 7th December 2001. […]
Ruins of Allirani Fort in Arasapuram, Kilinochchi (අරිසපුරම් අල්ලිරානි කොටුව නටබුන්)
Ruins found at Arasapuram are believed to be ruins of a fort of Queen Allirani by the locals. However, no formal archaeological excavation has been done on this site. These ruins most probably belonged to an ancient monastery built millennia ago. […]
A Ride Through the Historic Hamilton Canal (Dutch Canal)
The Hamilton Canal also known as the Dutch Canal and Paru Ela in Sinhalese, connecting Puttalam and Colombo, has a rich history dating back to the colonial era. It was first started by the Portuguese (1505–1656) who started cutting the waterway from the Kelani Ganga River. They built the canal to redirect river floods and protect fertile paddy land. […]
Negombo Lellama Fish Market : An Explosion of Colours
The Negombo Fish Market is a bustling hub of activity located in the coastal city of Negombo, Sri Lanka. It is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and the wide variety of fresh seafood available for sale. Fishermen bring in their catches from the Indian Ocean, and the market comes alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of the sea. […]
Dutugemunu Pillar at Ruwanweli Seya (දුටුගැමුණු ශිලා ස්ථම්භය)
Many do not pay special attention to this pillar which is generally called "Dutugenumu Pillar" but the story behind this pillar is interesting as the construction of the Ruwanweli Seya itself. This pillar was installed by King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BCE) on the advice of Mihindu Maha Thero. […]
Dalada Maligawa of Kurunegala Kingdom (කුරුණෑගල රාජධානියේ දළදා මාලිගාව)
The old city of Kurunegala Kingdom was spread between Kuruminigala and Ibbagala, bounded by Athugala. Even today ruins of the palace complex, the Temple of Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) and other buildings inside a semi-circular are found on this strip of land between Athugala and Kuruminigala. […]
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (පින්නවල අලි අනථාගාරය)
The Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka was established in 1975 on a land area of nine hectares, a prime land of coconut plantation. At the inception there were only seven orphans. Some members of this generation now given birth to the second and third generation and the story continues. […]
Mihintale – The Cradle of Buddhism (මිහින්තලාව)
In the 3rd century BC, area of Mihintale (mihinthalaya) was a thick jungleand was a hunting ground reserved for the royals. All this changed in 250 BC when the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka, Mahinda Maha Thero arrived at the Mihintale (mihinthalaya) rock to meet king Devamnampiyatissa. […]
Kotte Kingdom (කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය)
Kotte Kingdom was the capital of our island from 1415-1565 AD predominated by the long reign of Parakrama Bahu VI, the last Sinhala king who ruled a unified L anka. […]
Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription (කෝට්ටපිටිය පුවරු ලිපිය)
The Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription is considered one of the 14 valuable inscriptions of the Anuradhapura Era. The pillar inscription is believed to have been placed by King Mahinda IV (956-972) and is 6 feet in height and 1.5 feet wide. 45 lines of text have been inscribed on this pillar. […]
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Burial Grounds
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Cemetery was initially uncovered and examined in 1896 by R. W. Levers. Subsequently, in the 1970s, Raja De Silva from the Department of Archaeology led excavations at Gurugalhinna. However, the burials at the site have not been scientifically dated. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]
Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription (රණව ආඬියාගල ටැම් ලිපිය)
Placed by King Dappula IV in the early part of the 10th century, this Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription declares a sanctuary for Animal, Plants as well as Humans in the Namal Uyana area. Even royal guards were prohibited from entering this area to apprehend criminals. […]
Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila (දඹේගොඩ ටැම් ලිපිය)
Established by King Mahinda IV (956-972) Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila narrates the religious acts of the king and lays down rules for the administration of certain religious establishments. […]
Mihintale Slab Inscriptions and the Relic House (4වන මිහිඳු රජුගේ මිහින්තලේ පුවරු ලිපි)
The inscription of King Mahinda IV belonging to the tenth century is installed on the two sides of the entrance to this Vihara. The relic house is a square building. […]
King Agbo’s Kantale Wewa Reservoir
The picturesque Kantale Wewa ( tank) is the largest contribution of King Agbo II (608-618) who ruled only for 10 years. Renovation of the Kantale Wewa was carried out by Parakramabahu the Great (1153 - 1186) and has been not short of attention from the colonial times. […]
Ampara Nuwaragala Kanda Ruins
Nuwaragala, once the kingdom of Saddatissa, brother of King Dutugemunu, still boasts of ruins of an old castle and a rock pool built on top of the mountain. […]

Also See

Map of the Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Driving Directions to Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Share this:

Like this:

Leave a ReplyCancel reply