Nakkawatta (Nakkawaththa) is is village lying in between Kuliyapitiya and Narammala in the Kurunegala district. You need to travel 11m from Kuliyapitiya towards Narammala or 9.5km from Narammala to reach the Temple Road in Nakkawatta. You can reach the temple by travelling approx 1km on this by road.
The temple goes back at least to the Kandyan Era you would find an ancient Tampita Viharaya, a temple on pillars.
Tampita Vihara was a popular architectural feature during the Kandyan kingdom where the temple was built on a platform which was held on an array of pillars, mostly stone.
The Tampita Viharaya at Nakkawatta is built on 10 stone pillars with an average height of 61cm. Although the structure is small, a small 46cm circumambulating path is found around the inner sanctum. The inner sanctum which is the image house is 3.35 meters long and 2.44 meters wide. The whole structure is 6.20 meters long and 4.50 meters wide.
A large rock has been cut in to 4 steps to enter the temple. The 2nd step is cut in form of a moonstone with some carvings which are now mostly faded. This tampita Viharaya was declared as a protected archaeological monument on 19th May 1967.
References
Also See
- Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka Index
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Nakkawatta Sri Sudarshanaramaya Purana Tampita Viharaya
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Travel Directions to Nakkawatta Tampita Viharaya
Colombo to Nakkawatta Tampita Viharaya |
Though : Katunayake – Minuwangoda – Giriulla – Dambadeniya Distance : 86 km Travel time : 1 hour 45 mins Time to Spend : about 30 minutes Driving directions : see on Google Map |