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photo by Milinda Huruggamuwa
Edandawala Purana Tampita Viharaya lies in the remote village of Edandawala just 8 km away from Kurunegala. The temple can be reached through Puttalam road or Dambulla road but easiest to from Puttalam road. Travel 5 km up to Gonagana junction (just after passing Saragama reservoir and the Saragama Viharaya across the reservoir) on the Puttalam road and take the Tittawella road for 3.5 km to reach the temple opposite a picturesque paddy field.
A Tampita Viharaya is a structure built on a wooden platform which rests on a number of stone stumps usually 3-4 feet tall. The roof is held by a structure built of timber and the walls are generally made of wattle and daub. The walls inside the chamber is more or less always covered in paintings drawn mainly in Kandyan style.
The Tampita Viharaya at the Edandawala Purana Viharaya was built during the Kandyan era and consists of 2 floors. The Image house is built on tall 6-7 feet high granite pillars and a wall is built around the pillars creating a separate chamber below the image house. Access to the image house is through a stone stairway. A circumambulating path is built around the image house protected by a wooden balustrade. The path is narrow except at the front.
The wall in front at the entrance is completely filled with moulds of various figures and designs. A Dragon Arch with 2 lions standing on 2 legs at the bottom has been moulded around the door. Six deities, 3 on each side are floating above the arch. Two guardian deities with cobra hoods stand in protection beside the dragon arch.
A seated Buddha image in Samadhi posture lies at the centre inside the image house. Statues of Saman and Vishnu deities lie beside the Buddha statue. Two standing Buddha statues facing each other are built on opposite walls. In addition, images of the Kataragama deity and the king Kirthi Sri Rajashinhe can also be seen inside the temple. The inner walls are covered in murals of arhats, Solosmaha Stana (sixteen holy places) and scenes from Jathaka stories. Fortunately, the statues and the murals still maintain their original form.
There is also a very old building in front of Tampita Viharaya used as the living quarters by the bhikkus. According to the chief prelate of the temple Sangaraja Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero (1698-1778) has been living at these quarters for about a year.
The Tampita Image house (built on stone Piles) belonging to the Edandawela Raja Maha Viharaya premises situated in the Edandawela Grama Niladhari Division in the Maspotha Divisional Secretary’s Division, Kurunegala District was declared as a protected archaeological monument in 2009.
References
- Anuradha, R.K.S. and Kumari , A.S. (2015) පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක – කුරුනෑගල දිස්ත්රික්කය. Colombo: Department of Archaeology Sri Lanka.
- Abeywardana, M.Y. (2009) “The Antiquities Ordinance (Chapter 188) ,” The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, 1612, p. 1023.
Also See
- Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka Index
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of the Edandawala Purana Tampita Viharaya
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Driving Directions to Edandawala Purana Tampita Viharaya
| Route from Kurunegala to Edandawala Purana Tampita Viharaya |
| Though : Mallawapitiya distance : 8.5 km Travel time :20 mins Time to spend : 20-30 mins Driving directions : see on google map |
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