A visit to kandy
Kandy is a most beautiful city in the Sri Lanka.There are foure traditions current among the people on the origin of the city of Senkadagala.
The city was named a Brahmin named Senkanda.
The city was named after the queen of Vikramabahu III who was known as Senkanda.
The word Chenkantam is an epithet for Lord Siva. The city would have been named after a shrine dedicated to Siva or a Brahmin by that name.
The city was named after a red coloured stone named Senkadagala.
Dalada Maligawa – Temple of Tooth Relic
Dalada maligawa was first named Dalada-ge meaning the house of the Tooth Relic. Later people cold it the Dalada maligawa or Palace of the Tooth relic, in keeping with the Sinhalese name for the Raja maligawa (Royal Palace), and its situation in the midst of the royal buildings. The temple was originally built in two storeys by Vimaladharmasuriya I (1592-1603 A.D.) the remains of which are no longer extant.
Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707 A.D.)Then erected a three storeyed building
to house the Tooth Relic.
The patthirippuwa or the octagon with the moat in front was added by the last King of Kandy.Who was undoubtedly celebrated kandyan craftsman Devendra Mulachari was the architect. It was not a part of the Temple but a resting place for the king and was given over to the Temple in the recent past
Lankatilaka
Lankathilaka viharaya is situated in Handessa.This temple was built by Senalankdhikara the chief minister of king Buwanekabahu IV.The architect was Sthapati Rayar,a south Indian. According to the Lankatilaka copper-plate inscription the original building of Lankathilaka was 80 feet high. The sight of colossal image of the Buddha seated under Makara Thorana is quite arresting. The walls on the two sides as well as the ceiling are painted with scenes of the lives of previous 24 buddhas.The whitel stupa and the Bodhi-Tree on the temple premises add much to the beduty of the temple.
In the 15th century, according to Culavansa,Parakramabahu VI of Kotte had carried out renovation and reconstruction in Lankathilaka.
Gadaladeniya
Gadaladeniya raja maha viharaya or Gadaladeniya temple was built by king Bhuwanekabahu IV in 1344 A.D.The chief architect was a south Indian named Ganesvarachari.The temple as known as Dharmakirthi Viharaya initially. It was named after the founder monk then. The Nikaya sangrahaya named it Saddhrmathilaka and the Saddharmalankaraya as Gadaladeniya viharaya after the village.
The viharaya remained neglected until king Narendrasingha dedicated it to Velivita Sangaraja.Gadaladeniya became noted as Dharmakirti II and Vimalakirti I two erudite monks who resided there and contributed to the literary development of the country.
The main shrine room has a seated Buddha under a Makara thorana.The Buddha was on vajrasana or adamantine seat under a sacred Bo-tree.The Makara thorana is decorated on both faces with gods such as Sakra,Brahma suyama,Santusita,Natha and Maitri.
There is a roofed dageba on the rock of the temple and also a devale as well the deity worshipped there was known as Visnu.
Embekka Devale
To view Embekka devale you’ll have to go to Welamboda.This Devale is dedicated to god Skanda or Kataragama.This is the perfect example for the Sri Lankan architecture in wood. Carvings on rafters, beams columns,brackets,door-ways,doors and windows. In the digge or the dancing hall alone there are 128 designs and 256 floral designs,64 lotus designs on pekada or brackets,30 on beams and 36 on cross-bars totaling 514 in all. The perfect example is the carving of mother and a child on the pillars of the vahalkada or the entrance porch of the Devale.
A visit to kandy
Kandy is a most beautiful city in the Sri Lanka.There are foure traditions current among the people on the origin of the city of Senkadagala.
The city was named a Brahmin named Senkanda.
The city was named after the queen of Vikramabahu III who was known as Senkanda.
The word Chenkantam is an epithet for Lord Siva. The city would have been named after a shrine dedicated to Siva or a Brahmin by that name.
The city was named after a red coloured stone named Senkadagala.
Dalada Maligawa – Temple of Tooth Relic
Dalada maligawa was first named Dalada-ge meaning the house of the Tooth Relic. Later people cold it the Dalada maligawa or Palace of the Tooth relic, in keeping with the Sinhalese name for the Raja maligawa (Royal Palace), and its situation in the midst of the royal buildings. The temple was originally built in two storeys by Vimaladharmasuriya I (1592-1603 A.D.) the remains of which are no longer extant.
Vimaladharmasuriya II (1687-1707 A.D.)Then erected a three storeyed building
to house the Tooth Relic.
The patthirippuwa or the octagon with the moat in front was added by the last King of Kandy.Who was undoubtedly celebrated kandyan craftsman Devendra Mulachari was the architect. It was not a part of the Temple but a resting place for the king and was given over to the Temple in the recent past
Lankatilaka
Lankathilaka viharaya is situated in Handessa.This temple was built by Senalankdhikara the chief minister of king Buwanekabahu IV.The architect was Sthapati Rayar,a south Indian. According to the Lankatilaka copper-plate inscription the original building of Lankathilaka was 80 feet high. The sight of colossal image of the Buddha seated under Makara Thorana is quite arresting. The walls on the two sides as well as the ceiling are painted with scenes of the lives of previous 24 buddhas.The whitel stupa and the Bodhi-Tree on the temple premises add much to the beduty of the temple.
In the 15th century, according to Culavansa,Parakramabahu VI of Kotte had carried out renovation and reconstruction in Lankathilaka.
Gadaladeniya
Gadaladeniya raja maha viharaya or Gadaladeniya temple was built by king Bhuwanekabahu IV in 1344 A.D.The chief architect was a south Indian named Ganesvarachari.The temple as known as Dharmakirthi Viharaya initially. It was named after the founder monk then. The Nikaya sangrahaya named it Saddhrmathilaka and the Saddharmalankaraya as Gadaladeniya viharaya after the village.
The viharaya remained neglected until king Narendrasingha dedicated it to Velivita Sangaraja.Gadaladeniya became noted as Dharmakirti II and Vimalakirti I two erudite monks who resided there and contributed to the literary development of the country.
The main shrine room has a seated Buddha under a Makara thorana.The Buddha was on vajrasana or adamantine seat under a sacred Bo-tree.The Makara thorana is decorated on both faces with gods such as Sakra,Brahma suyama,Santusita,Natha and Maitri.
There is a roofed dageba on the rock of the temple and also a devale as well the deity worshipped there was known as Visnu.
Embekka Devale
To view Embekka devale you’ll have to go to Welamboda.This Devale is dedicated to god Skanda or Kataragama.This is the perfect example for the Sri Lankan architecture in wood. Carvings on rafters, beams columns,brackets,door-ways,doors and windows. In the digge or the dancing hall alone there are 128 designs and 256 floral designs,64 lotus designs on pekada or brackets,30 on beams and 36 on cross-bars totaling 514 in all. The perfect example is the carving of mother and a child on the pillars of the vahalkada or the entrance porch of the Devale.
