
Passing Nawalapitiya and Ginigathhena, Pasbage Korale is a historically import area. It is said in the Navangama inscription, one of the oldest inscriptions in the country, that this area was a ideal resting place for devotees going on Sri Pada pilgrimage. The area of Pasbage Korale is located at an altitude of 589 meters above sea level. Rainfall of about 42.82 mm throughout the year.
Savandarapiriya Pattini Devale lies 3.8 km from Nawalapitiya on the Ulapane road. A tiny foot path up the hill provides access to the devalaya. Only an insignificant small board marks it as the access path to the devalya (see image above), this too is only visible from the Ulapane side. Devotees frequent this place generally on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
According to legend, this Tampita Devalaya is attributed to king Buwanekabahu IV (1341-1351) of Gampola kingdom and it is also said that he and the queen had spent a night at the Savandarapiriya Pattini Devale on a pilgrimage to Sri Pada mountain. Another legend attributes this devalaya to queen Henakanda Biso Bandara. folklores about this mysterious queen are many. She is believed to be born of a Beli fruit and even deity of Kataragama was mesmerized by her beauty (see here). Henakanda Biso Bandara is believed to be a queen of king Wickramabahu III (1357-1374) of Gampola kingdom (Abeyawardhana,2004).
Historically this is important building as only very few devalaya is built on pillars. The building has been erected on a 3 inch thick wooden platform sitting on top of stone pillars. The walls are built with wattle and (Abeyawardhana,2004). However the original structures and plan of the tampita feature had been changed several times. Wooden beams of the original building have been removed and left at the premises of the shrine (Moragolla Hydropower Project Feasibility Study Final Report, 2012).
No photo of the Savandarapiriya Sri Pattini Tampita Devalaya could be found.
References
- Ceylon Electricity Board (2012) Moragolla Hydropower Project Feasibility Study Final Report – Volume 3 Enviorenmental Impact Assessment Study . Colombo, Sri Lanka: Ministry of Power and Energy.
- Abeyawardhana, H. A. P. (2004) Heritage of Kandurata: Major Natural, Cultural, and Historic Sites. Kandy: Kandurata Development Bank, in association with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
- ගමගේ චතුරිකා (2011) සිරිපා බැතිමතුන්ගේ ගිමන්හල පස්බාගේ කෝරළේ, dinamina.lk. ලංකාවේ සීමාසහිත එක්සත් ප්රවෘත්ති පත්ර සමාගම. Available at: http://archives.dinamina.lk/2011/01/29/_art.asp?fn=f1101293&p=1 (Accessed: December 17, 2022).
Also See
- Tampita Vihara of Sri Lanka Index
- Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of the Savandarapiriya Sri Pattini Tampita Devalaya
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 Savandarapiriya Sri Pattini Tampita Devalaya
Route from Ginigathena to Savandarapiriya Sri Pattini Tampita Devalaya |
Though : Nawalapitiya distance : 16 km Travel time : 30 mins Time to spend : 20 – 30 mins Driving directions : see on google map |