Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya (ගණේගම අරමුණපොළ රජමහා විහාරය)

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Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya which is also commonly referred to as Ganegama Rankoth Viharaya lies 2.5 kilometres before Pelmadulla Town in center of a paddy field. The history of the temple goes as far back as King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BC) of the Anuradhapura Kingdom.

According to the historical chronicle Bodhi Wansa, this temple was one of the locations where one of the first 32 samplings of the Sri Maha Bodhi was planted by King Devanampiyatissa. This Bodhi tree can be seen even today at the temple.

In the early days, this was called Denawaka Viharaya.  The Chronicles again speaks of this temple during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186) of Polonnaruwa Kingdom. It is said that King Vijayabahu I established an army camp at a basin (ද්‍රෝණය) between Kiribathgala Kanda and Kuttapitiya hills which is believed to be this location. Thus this temple also has been called Dronawakka Viharaya (Denavaka Viharaya) in one era. This is the name which has been used to identify this temple in the Vihara Asna (Nam Potha) which is believed to have been published during King Parakramabahu IV (1411-1463) of Kotte Kingdom as the reading book for students.

The Buddhist order faced major a decline with no proper priesthood during the reign of King Vijayabahu I (1070-1110) and he invited higher ordinate priests from Burma (now Myanmar) to ordinate local priests and reinstate the priesthood in Sri Lanka. This temple has been frequently used by priests who arrived from the Arammana area of Burma. The Arammana had become Aramunupola with time and is now known as the Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya.

The recovered wooden Buddha statue at Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya
The recovered wooden Buddha statue at Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya
Source : www.lankadeepa.lk

King Parakramabahu IV (1411-1463) of Kotte Kingdom who had a deep bond with his mother developed many temples in honour of his mother, in addition to the building of one of the greatest spiritual and historic Pirivenas of that time. One such temple to receive his attention was Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya where he had built a shrine using the best stonemasons from up country and low country and assigned the temple under the Pepiliyna Sunethra Devi Pirivena.

Therefore it is considered that this temple is one of the few temples in which both up-country and low-country styles of stone masonry can be seen in a single place. The building is built using 27 exquisitely carved rock pillars.

At two ends of the roof of this building, you can see two golden pinnacles and due to these the temple also became known as  Ganegama Rankoth Viharaya.

Portuguese captain Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo during his stint in then Ceylon between  1594 and 1612 is said to have used Denavaka as a camping ground on one of his attempts to attack the Kandyan Kingdom. When news arrived that the Portuguese army marching towards Denavaka looting and destroying all Buddhist temples lying on their path, the villagers had managed to hide a large Buddha Statue carved out of wood and other sacred items by submerging them in the Denaka River. Most of the valuables of the temple have been looted by the Portuguese.

This 4-foot statue was later recovered and lies in the main statue house even today.  There are some other Buddha statues and animal statues in the image house belonging to the Kandyan era. All these have been made by filling clay onto a wooden frame.

Italian art expert Luciano Maranzi in 1968 attempted to restore the faded paintings in this temple during his visit to restore the famous Sigiriya Frescos which were vandalized by unknown persons. During this attempt, he managed to recover a painting with a Portuguese soldier and 2 cats within these paintings consolidating the stockade of Azevedo at this temple.

Primary Source : Ratnapuraya – Etha Siyawasa saha Thawath Katha
by H.M Jayantha Wijerathne

Alternate Names : Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya, Ganegama Rankot Rajamaha Viharaya, Ganegama Rankoth Rajamaha Viharaya, Pelmadulla Rankot Rajamaha Viharaya, Pelmadulla Rankoth Rajamaha Viharaya,

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Map of Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya

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Travel Directions to Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya

Route from Colombo to Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya Route 2 from Colombo to Ganegama Aramunapola Rajamaha Viharaya
Through : Kesbewa – Horana – Ratnapura – Pelmadulla
Distance : 110 km
Travel time : 3 hours.
Driving directions : see on google map
Through : Kaduwela – Avissawella – Ratnapura – Pelmadulla
Distance : 107 km
Travel time : 3  hours.
Driving directions : see on google map

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