Lewangama Sadanandarama Purana Tampita Viharaya

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(6 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)

Lewangama Tampita Rajamaha Viharaya
Photo by : Duminda Krishantha

Lewangama Sadanandarama Purana Tampita Viharaya lies hidden away on the side of a large paddy field between Karawanella and Warakapola in the Kegalle District. To reach this temple you need to travel 15.5 km from Warakapola towards Ruwanwella or 7 km from Anguruwella Junction in Ruwanwella towards Warakapola. An insignificant narrow concrete by-lane through a paddy field will take you to this ancient temple.

Levangama village was a Gabadagama, a type of village directly controlled by the king or the royal treasury, tasked with providing resources or services to the monarchy, since the time of the Kotte kingdom. It is believed that Ahaligoda Disava sponsored the construction of this Tampita Viharaya in 1667, and Mapitigama Adigar sponsored its renovation in 1830. (Chandrasekara & Silva, 2021, p. 135)

The Tampita Viharaya at Lewangama is notably larger than the average other such structures, as it is situated at the center of the Bana Maduwa (preaching hall), making it an integral part of the larger structure. The viharaya is built on 20 stone pillar stumps and spans 140 feet (42.67 meters) in length and 85 feet (25.90 meters) in width (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015).

The circumambulating path around the inner sanctum is as wide as the sanctum itself. While there was once a guard railing surrounding this path, it has since been dismantled. The inner sanctum has two entrances—one at the front and another on the left. Both entrances are similar in size, decoration, and the presence of guardian deities, suggesting equal importance, which is an uncommon feature in image houses (Chandrasekara & Silva, 2021, p. 135).

At the main entrance of the Tampita Viharaya stand two larger-than-life statues of guardian deities holding swords raised above their heads. At the side entrance, two Naga guardian deities with cobra hoods are depicted carrying punkalas (pots of plenty) (Chandrasekara & Silva, 2021, p. 135).

According to the report on the Kegalle district of the province of Sabaragamuwa, by then Archaeological Commissioner, HCP Bell published in 1904, he visited this temple in 1880’s. Based on his report, the outer wall of the temple has been painted with various designs and Jathaka Stories such as Daham Sonda, Maha Kannaka, and Dharmapala Jathakaya. He also reports the paintings of Wrestlers, Hansa Puuttu, creeper designs, Narilatha, and Naga Trees on the wall. Unfortunately, most of these designs have been painted over during later renovations. However, some of these paintings have been restored to some extent by the Department of Archaeology. There are several paintings on this temple showing British influence. Paintings with British soldiers are the most significant.

The inner chamber of the image house is dominated by a Buddha statue in the samadhi position. This is 40 feet (12.19 meters) high and 32 feet (10.36 meters) wide. Two standing Buddha statues lie beside the main statue. The robes of all three statues have been painted with yellow colour (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015).

Inner walls depict jathaka stories such as Wessanthara and Maha Kanthaka. A statue of Eheliyagoda Disawe can be seen on the left wall of the image house. Next to it is a statue of Vishnu and on the opposite wall is a statue of the deity Saman (Anuradha & Kumari, 2015).

Alternate names : Levangama Tampita Viharaya, Levangama Sadanandarama Rajamaha Viharaya, Lewangama Sadanandarama Rajamaha Viharaya

References

Anuradha, R. K. S., & Kumari, A. S. (2015). පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක – කුරුනෑගල දිස්ත්‍රික්කය. Department of Archaeology.
Bell, H. C. P. (1904). Archeological, Survey of Ceylon : Report on the Kegalla District of the Province of Sabaragamuwa. George J. A. Skeen.
Chandrasekara, D. P., & Silva, K. D. (2021). The Ṭämpiṭavihāras of Sri Lanka: Elevated Image- Houses in Buddhist Architecture. Anthem Press.

Also See

Map of Lewangama Purana Tampita Viharaya

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.