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When one thinks of Palwatta today, the image that often comes to mind is its vast sugar plantation. However, thousands of years ago, this area was a flourishing center of Buddhist culture, dotted with temples and monastic structures.
Sri Ovagiri Rajamaha Viharaya is located approximately 3 kilometers from the Palwatta Junction on the road toward Passara. The temple’s stupa has been rebuilt atop the ruins of an ancient stupa situated on a rocky plateau. A path leading to the stupa has been formed by steps cut into the rock, with granite steps at the upper levels.
Scattered across the temple grounds are numerous granite remnants of an ancient temple that once stood here. Broken stone pillars, remnants of old structures, still stand in several spots. Granite flower altars of various shapes and sizes lie dispersed throughout the site.
Documentation by Sumanasekara Banda
According to Sumanasekara Banda (1986, pp. 30–31), who documented the ruins over four decades ago, a stupa built on a cliff and the remains of several ancient buildings could still be observed at the time. Stone steps provided access to the stupa. Even then, a new stupa had already been constructed over the original ancient stupa.
Stone pillars were found scattered across the site, along with several square stone slabs measuring 2 feet 8 inches, 2 feet 5 inches, and 2 feet 2 inches. Both stone and bricks had been used in the construction of the stupa and other buildings. The dimensions of the bricks suggest that the structures date back to the Polonnaruwa period. The decorative bricks used for the stupa walls were particularly large—9 inches thick and 1 foot 5 inches long.
Among the ruins was a stone statue, possibly representing a king, measuring 2 feet 2 inches in height and 9 inches in width. The statue’s arms were broken, and the figure itself was largely damaged.
Intriguing Clay Slab Carvings
Also discovered by Sumanasekara Banda at the site was a clay slab featuring two men in bas-relief, mounted on an elephant. Each figure held an object resembling a parasol. Atop the elephant’s head was a vessel shaped like a cauldron, from which a flower appeared to be blooming. The elephant itself measured 7 inches high and 9 inches long. The top portion of this slab was broken. Another slab depicted a building model, adorned with a large flower motif beneath an arch. A third clay slab portrayed a horse-rider figure.
References
- Sumanasekara Banda, S. J. (1986). ඌවේ දායාද (1st ed.). Sarvodaya Vishwa Lekha.
Also See
Map of Pelwatta Sri Ovagiri Rajamaha Viharaya
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Travel Directions to Pelwatta Sri Ovagiri Rajamaha Viharaya
| Route from Wellawaya to Pelwatta Sri Ovagiri Rajamaha Viharaya |
| Through : Thanamalwila Road Distance : 13 km Travel time : 20 mins Time to spend : 30 – 45 mins Driving directions : see on google map |
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