Bibile Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya (බිබිලේ කොටසර පියංගල රජමහා විහාරය)

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Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya at Bibile is an ancient temple with a history going as far as the king Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BC) of the Anuradhapura Kingdom based on ancient Chronicles.

Thupawansa, the Chronicle of the Great Stupa records a story related to this temple.

During the building of the Great Ruwanweliseya Stupa by King Dutugemunu (161-131 BC), a priest in the Kotasara Piyangala Viharaya wanted to donate a brick to the Ruwanweliseya but the king explicitly instructed the builders to use material purchased by him. Thus this priest got friendly with the brick builder and took precise measurements of a brick. The priest then collected the necessary clay and built a brick by himself and added it to the rest of the bricks.

King Dutugemunu got wind of this and called the brick builder and asked him if he used a brick not provided by him. The builder replied that one brick was given by a priest living in Kotasara Piyangulu Temple.

Thus this proves that Kotasara Piyangala Viharaya was a flourishing Buddhist temple by the 2nd century BC. Today there are ruins spread over 12 acres and the most significant is the base of a Patanagara building which is 13×11 meters. According to ancient texts, this Patanagaraya was built during the era of King Saddhatissa (137-119 BC) by a minister called Tissa who built a 2-storied and a 3-storied building on the instructions of the king. This two-story building is believed to have served as a Dalada Maligawa during the Polonnaruwa Era.

Recovered gold plated Buddha statue with part of the arm missing at Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya
Recovered gold plated Buddha statue with part of the arm missing at Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya

During the reign of King Wikramabahu ( 1111-1132), Queen Sugala Devi displeased with the king is said to have escaped to Ruhunu Rata with the Dalada. It is believed the Dalada was kept here during this period. Even today there there 2 villages called Uda Malleheva and Palle Malleheva which is believed to be the two villages which supplied flowers to the lower deck and the upper deck of the Dalada Maligawa.

There is also a Tampita Viharaya and the Resident buildings which were built during the reign of Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781).  Entrance to the tampita viharaya is through a mandapa with its roof resting on 4 granite pillars. The moonstone at the entrance is decayed with all the carvings withered away except for a row of elephants. A wooden flight of steps leads to the Tampita Viharaya. The entrance is decorated with a large Dragons Arch. A group of deities lie at the top of the dragon arch.

The entrance to the image house is flanked by 2 guardian deities. A 4 1/2 feet high Samadhi Buddha statue lies at the center of the image house. This is flanked by 2 standing Buddha statues in Abhaya mudra which are about 5 feet high. The murals in the walls and the statues in this image house belong to the Kandyan artistic style.

A circumambulating path is built around the image house protected by a full-height wall. Small windows provide light and ventilation.

The Tampita Viharaya and ancient Bhikku dwelling belonging to Kotasara Piyangala Raja Maha Vihara premises in the Grama Niladhari Division No. 102-B-Mallahewa, in Bibile Divisional Secretary’s Division in Moneragala District, Uva Province was declared as an archaeological protected monument in 2008.

The temple came into the limelight when a 2-foot-tall gold-plated Buddha statue was stolen from the temple in Oct 2013. A similar Buddha statue was stolen in 2013 from the same temple and was never recovered. Thereafter a police guard was added to protect the rest of the ancient valuables lying inside the temple.

This robbery happened even with the police guard. But this time the thieves were caught and the 2’2″ tall and 106-kilo statue was discovered hidden in Hasalaka, san part of an arm which had been cut to melt the Gold.

References

  • Abeywardana, M.Y. (2008) “The Antiquities Ordinance (Chapter 188) ,” The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, 1553, p. 529.

Also See

Map of Bibile Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya

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Driving Bibile Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya

Route from Bibile to Kotasara Piyangala Rajamaha Viharaya
Through : Mahiyangana Road
Distance : 7 km
Travel time : 15 minutes
Driving directions : see on google map

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