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Kantaka Chethiya was renovated in 1930’s to the current status. When this stupa was discovered, it has been a just a mound of earth covered by various debris. This has been known as the Kiribadapavu Dagaba, Kiribat Vehera, or Giribhanda Vehera during this time. But a stone inscription found close by has identified the original name of this stupa as Kantaka Chethiya.
It is unknown who built this stupa but it is said that the King Lanjatissa (119-109 BCE) has built a stone mantel for this stupa. Therefore we can assume that the stupa was built prior to 119 BCE. The present stupa is 425 feet in diameter and is about 40 feet high. This stupa is most popular for one of the most well preserved vahalkada which can be seen today.
Vahalkada is a special architectural feature which are four projective front pieces on the four sides of the stupa. The southern vahalkada is the best preserved. This gives a excellent example of the design of vahalkada at the very early periods.
The band of ‘Ghana‘ figures on top the structure take special place in most buddhist buildings. They are also called ‘Vamana‘ figures or ‘Bahirawa‘ figures. They are sort of mythical dwarfs in various amusing positions.
In this structure one has a horse head, another bear head, another monkey head, and some are standing on the head. They also carry various musical instruments in their hands. The most significant Ghana figure here is the one with the elephant head who carry no musical instrument. Historian, Professor Paranawithana believes that this is the very first form of the God Ganesh, a very popular god in Hinduism. This god is now represented by a elephant head and 4 arms.
This is a unique carving since according to professor Basham, there were no carvings of Ganesh even in India before the 5th century. Moreover, this does not fit in with the general Sinhala tradition of art (Wijeseekera,1990).
The paintings on the southern vahalkada also takes a special place in the Sri Lankan History. Except for Sigiriya Frescos, Mihinthale is one of the very few places that frescos belonging to earliest periods can be seen. One such set of paintings was found inside the relic chamber of Giribanda Stupa which is now in the Mihinthale Museum.
The other is the paintings on the southern vahalkada. These are painting of lions but most of them has been faded away. Primarily red and yellow colours has been used for these paintings.
References
- Wijeseekera, N. (1990) in Archaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990) – Volume 4 : Sculpture . Sri Lanka: Department of Archeology (Commemorative Series), p 10.
Also See
Map of the Kantaka Chethiya at Mihintale
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Driving Directions to Kantaka Chethiya at Mihintale
Mihintale can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and through Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttalam you will pass the scenic Wilpattu area. From Kurunegala, there are two main routes to Mihintale. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is through Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the most commonly used is the Kurunegala – Dambulla route (Route 2).
| Route 01 from Colombo to Mihintale (A3) | Route 02 from Colombo to Mihintale |
| Though : Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance :231 km Travel Time : 5.15 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map | Through : Central Expressway – Badagamuwa – Dambulla Distance : 223 km Travel Time : 4.45 hours Driving Directions : see on Google maps |
| Route 03 from Colombo to Mihintale | Route from Anuradhapura to Mihintale |
| Though : Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Padeniya – Thambuthegama Distance : 232 km Travel Time : 5 hours Driving Directions : see on Google map | Distance :15 km Travel Time : 30 minutes Driving Directions : see on Google map |