Sellawali Rajamaha Viharaya also known as Wela Meda Pansala is considered a well-preserved gallery of Kandyan Era art. The temple lies in the village of Haloluwa in Kulugammanasiya Pattuwa in Kandy District.
According to the Sellawali Sannasa, this temple was built by Queen Chandrawathie, mother of King Wickramabahu III (1357-1374) of the Gampola kingdom (Abeyawardhana,2004). According to Lewis, this temple was built by Sellawali Devi, niece of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe’s (1798 – 1815) brother-in-law Kuttinayake Deviyo.
The small image house made out of dressed stone was constructed during the Gampola period and is similar to the Palkumbura Raja Maha Viharaya. It has a doorway measuring 1.28 metres (50 inches) in length and 0.49 metres (19 inches) in width. The thickness of the door is 0.08 metres (3 inches).
The paintings belonging to the Kandy period had been done using white, black and red colours. A painting of the Suvisi Vivaranaya (24 declarations) and the Vessantara Jataka are among the valuable murals in the temple. Eight places of worship out of the 16 have been painted. Unfortunately, the conservation of these valuable paintings has been neglected.
References
- Abeyawardhana, H. A. P. (2004) Heritage of Kandurata: Major Natural, Cultural, and Historic Sites. Kandy: Kandurata Development Bank, in association with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
- Lewis, J.P. (1921) “Kandyan Notes,” The Ceylon Antiquary Literary Register Volume VII 1921-1922, VII(Part II), p. 110.
- Seneviratna, A., 1983. Kandy: an Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments With Historical, Archaeological and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Colombo: Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, p. 161.
Also See
Map of Halloluwa Pallegama Sellawali Rajamaha Viharaya
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Travel Directions to Halloluwa Pallegama Sellawali Rajamaha Viharaya
From Kandy to Halloluwa Pallegama Sellawali Rajamaha Viharaya |
Though : Distance : 8 km Travel time : 20 mins Time to Spend : about 30 minutes Driving directions : see on Google Map |
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