Mahavehera Purana Tampita Viharaya (මහවැහැර පුරාණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය)

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Mahavehera Purana Tampita Viharaya is a Buddhist temple in Madipola, between Galewela and Matale with an ancient Tampita Viharaya built during the Kandyan Kingdom. The temple lies 28 km off  Matale town and 11 km off Galewela.

To reach Mahavehera Ancient Temple from Galewela, take Palapathwela road towards Matale for 5.5 km and reach Wahakotte. Take the Madipola road from Wahakotte for 4.5 km to reach the temple. To reach the temple from Matale, take the Galewela road from Palapathwela and travel 12 km up to Pallepola and take the road towards Madipola. Travel 9 km on this road to reach the temple just before Madipola.

A Tampita Viharaya is a special building constructed on a wooden platform supported by several stone stumps, typically around 3 to 4 feet tall. Its roof is supported by a timber frame, and the walls are often made of wattle and daub, a mixture of woven branches and clay. Inside, the chamber walls are usually adorned with paintings, often in the Kandyan style, depicting religious themes and stories.

The original Tampita Viharaya at the Mahavehera Purana Viharaya is believed to have been built by a regional chieftain. The murals have been possibly done by artists from Nilagama school. The temple was possibly built in the 16th century based on the paintings and writings.

Today this Tampita Viharaya has been enclosed by a larger hall probably built during a later stage.  Unfortunately, the original outer structure of the image house has been altered during these changes. The space between the ground and the platform has been filled and the pillars are now concealed in cement.  A new wooden balustrade has been fixed and the outer wall has been painted in white covering any surviving murals.

The entrance to the image house is through a finely carved wooden door frame is built in the form of Suryawanka. A ‘Palapethi’ and a creeper design go all around the frame. A row of elephants along with handlers are carved at the top of the frame.

A seated Buddha statue from the Kandyan era lies at the centre of the image house flanked by two standing Buddha statues facing each other. A painting of a king can be seen adjoining the seated Buddha statue on the right-hand side. On the left is a painting of deity Vishnu (Upulvan) who is considered the guardian deity of Sri Lanka.

The statues are painted in gold. The inner walls and the roof are covered in murals which have been restored by the archaeology department.

Also See

Map of the Mahavehera Purana Tampita Viharaya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
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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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Driving Directions to Mahavehera Purana Tampita Viharaya

Route from Galewela to Mahavehera Purana Tampita Viharaya
Though : Aluvihare – Atipola
distance : 11  km
Travel time :25 mins
Time to spend : 20 – 30  mins
Driving directions : see on google map

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