Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya – ගොඩකවෙල ශ්‍රී මහින්ද පුරාණ ටැම්පිට රජමහා විහාරය

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Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya
photo by : Lalith Kekulthotuwage

Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Viharaya is an ancient temple with a Tampita Viharaya built during the era of the Kandyan kingdom. The temple lies right on the center of the Godakawela town between Madampe and Pallebedda.

A Tampita Viharaya is a structure built on a wooden platform which rests on 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. These buildings were a popular religious architectural design during the Kandyan period.

The Tampita Viharaya at the Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Viharaya is believed to have been built by Dumbara Meegasthanne Adhikaram on the instructuctions of king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781) of Kandyan Kingdom. The temple was deserted few decades ago but today has been developed in to one of the foremost Pirivena Temple in the area.

The Tampita Viharaya at the temple looks as two storied building from outside due the layered roof. The viharaya is built on 8 massive square beams laid on 16 uneven granite pillars of about 2 feet high. A 1 foot high platform built with rocks and filled with soil has been built surrounding pillars. The wooden platform is built with 2 inch thick Jack and Na wood planks. The Tampita Viharaya is 22 feet long and 17 feet 3 inches wide.

The inner chamber of the image house is covered in murals including scenes from jathaka stories such as Sama, Nalapana, Watu and Thelapaththa. In addition to the Buddha statues, there is a statue of deity Saman without any weapons. This is believed to be a depiction of the deity Saman after attaining the level of Sowan.
https://youtu.be/V-aHUfjAQmw?t=26

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Map of the Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

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Driving Directions to Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Route from Pelmadulla to Godakawela Sri Mahinda Purana Tampita Viharaya

Though : Kahawatta
distance : 21 km
Travel time :15-30 minutes
Time to spend : 40 mins
Driving directions : see on google map

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