Temple on pillars:

Research on the

Tampita Viharas in the kurunegala district

Ganga Rajinee Dissanayaka

The traditional Buddhist building structural

design special features in the art of buildings,

The structures built on a wooden platform

resting on short granite pillars or stumps are a

unique type of image houses from the 17th to

19th centuries.

At the Tampita Viharas statues, murals

and decorative motives from the pre-

Kandyan and Kandyan period of art can

be studied

Unfortunately some temples are in a bad state

of preservation and this project aims to

document the work of architects and craftsmen

of Tämpita Vihāras. Although they can be

seen in the Kurunegala, Gampaha, Kandy and

Matale districts the majority are located in the

Kurunegala District.

For the initial documentation and analysis, the

following sample of Tampita Viharas have been

selected located in

(1)Inguruwatta (2)Kaluhenadiwala

(3)Kolambagama (4)Koduruwapola

(5)Nakkwatta (6)DambadenniyaGalgamuwa

(7)Datawa (8)Dikirikawa (9)Dorabawila

(10)Panduwasnuwara (11)Bihilpola(12)Kanugala

(13) Dambadeniya (14) Bingiriya

The Prototype Map of a Temple of Pillars

The project focuses on the following:

The period it was constructed with an attempt to

create a periodization of the Tampita Viharas and its

evolution.

Basic characteristics and special features of the

structures chosen

Specialty of roof construction and construction of an

ambulatory

Painting and wood carvings and statues

Still photography and video documentation will be

the data base as well as interviews conducted in

site.

I hope this project will throw new light on the

Tämpita Vihāras and be able to give new insite to

the Discourse Communities that constructed and

used the Tampita Viharas.

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(Department Of Archeology)

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