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image source : ‘The Upcountry Repository of Buddhist Art – The Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka’ By Ganga Rajinee Dissanayaka
Kiriyathanna Sri Sudarshanarama Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient temple hidden just 7 km from Mawanella.
Among the many modern buildings in the temple, one of the unique features a visitor could observe at this temple is the ancient Tampita Viharaya. Tampita Vihara was a popular architectural feature of temples during the Kandyan era. Tampita Vihara is built on a wooden platform assembled on granite pillars rising from the ground.
The uniqueness of this Tampita Viharaya is that this is built at the centre of the Bana Maduwa (Dharma Shalawa – Preaching Hall) making it rather an internal structure of the Bana Maduwa. The pillars of this hall are cylindrical hinting at Dutch architectural features and possibly a later extension to the tampita vihara.
The pillars of this temple are 6 feet 4 inches tall, comparatively taller than the usual Tampita Viharaya. The structure is built on 12 granite pillars out of which 8 have been plastered. Only four pillars can be identified as granite.
The image house on the Tampita Viharaya is 9 feet 7 inches long and 7 feet 6 inches wide. There is a circumambulating path around the image house protected by a wooden balustrade. At the top of the entrance, you find 1932.8.11 inscribed, the date on which this structure was renovated. The door frames and the paintings of the image house have been replaced during renovation. The paintings on the outer wall depict scenes from hell. A seated Buddha statue flanked by two standing Buddha statues can be found inside the image hall.
To reach the temple take the Rambukkama Road from Mawanella and travel for 6.6 km till you come across the by road towards Kiriyathanna. The temple is just 100 meters into the Kiriyathanna road.
by Kusumsiri Wijewardhana
Also See
- Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka Index
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of Kiriyathanna Sri Sudarshanarama Rajamaha Viharaya
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
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Traveling Directions to Kiriyathanna Sri Sudarshanarama Rajamaha Viharaya
| Route from Mawanella to Kiriyathanna Sri Sudarshanarama Rajamaha Viharaya |
| Distance : 6.7 km Travel time : 20 minutes Driving directions : see on google map |