Walala Purana Tampita Viharaya

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වලල පුරාණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය - Walala Purana Tampita Viharaya — වලල පුරාණ ටැම්පිට විහාරය – Walala Purana Tampita Viharaya
Photo Credits : Lahiru kulasekara

The small town of Walala is situated in the Kandy district, positioned between Madawala and Rajawella, about 2.6 km from Madawala and 5.5 km from Rajawella. To reach the Walala Purana Tampita Viharaya from Walala junction, take Vawinna Road for a few hundred meters.

Among the newer buildings, you will find a Tampita Viharaya, a temple built on pillars. Tampita Vihara was a common architectural style during the Kandyan kingdom, where temples were constructed on platforms supported by an array of pillars, often made of stone.

The Walala Tampita Viharaya stands on 25 stone pillars, each 48 cm high. A small circumambulatory path surrounds the inner chamber of the viharaya. The path in the front and on both sides is 66 cm wide, just enough for a person to walk, while the rear path is even narrower at 61 cm. The inner sanctum, or image house, measures 4.42 meters in length and 2.80 meters in width. The entire structure measures 5.74 meters in length and 4.11 meters in width. The roof is supported by 18 wooden pillars rising from the raised floor, with simple carvings. A wooden staircase leads to the structure, and the outer door frame is a plain wooden structure with carvings of two intertwined peacocks (Monara Pootuwa). This door opens onto the circumambulatory path, which leads to the main entrance of the inner chamber.

The main entrance to the image house is through an even larger wooden door frame designed in the Chandrawanka style. Two guardian deity statues stand beside the entrance, with a painting of the Sun and the Moon above them. The door frame is adorned with vibrant floral and creeper designs.

Inside the inner chamber, the main seated Buddha statue faces the door, with a typical flame-style halo surrounding the Buddha. Paintings of Sariyuth and Mugalan Theros are displayed beside the Buddha statue. Four larger-than-life standing Buddha statues are placed along the sidewalls, each complete with a headdress and a halo surrounding the body.

An elongated mandapa is located in front of the Tampita Viharaya, constructed entirely of brick and mortar. There are entrances on the front and sides of this mandapa. In 1956, to commemorate the 2500th year of Sambuddha Jayanthi, a bell tower with a pandol-like structure was added in front of the mandapa.

References

Chandrasekara, D. P., & Silva, K. D. (2021). The Ṭämpiṭavihāras of Sri Lanka: Elevated Image- Houses in Buddhist Architecture. Anthem Press.
https://www.samkathana.lk/images/pdf/final_grid.pdf

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Travel Directions to Walala Tampita Viharaya

Kandy can be reached from Colombo via the old Colombo-Kandy road (option 1), which is scenic but heavily congested, especially on Fridays and Sundays. However, the new Central Expressway (option 2) has opened up a new route, which is longer but less cumbersome.

Route 1 from Colombo to Kandy	Route 2 from Colombo to Kandy
Through: Walapane – Raja Mawatha Distance: 100 km Travel Time: 3.0 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Warakapola – Kegalle – Kadugannawa Distance: 121 km Travel Time: 4.15 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.
Route From Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
Through : Walapane – Raja Mawatha Distance: 100 km Travel Time: 3.0 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.