Archaeologists have recorded over 200,000 ruined Buddhist
Monasteries and Temples in Sri Lanka. Of them, over 70,000 were in the
North and the East.
The development of temples in Sri Lanka
Throughout the 2550 years of unbroken & recorded civilization of the
Sinhalese, the Buddhist temples have been built all over the island. Two
great events in the early history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka contributed
to the continuous development of temples in Lanka. Those were the
transplantation of a branch of the
Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi
from India & the arrival of The
Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha
from India. Today there are over 8,000 temples in Sri Lanka. These could
be categorized according to the period of construction.
- Anuradhapura Period-3rd Cen. BC-9th Century
- Polonnaruwa Period 10th - 13th Century
- Dambadeniya Period Mid. 13th-Mid 14th Century
- Gampola Period-Mid. 14th-Beg. 15th Century
- Kotte Period-Beg. 15th-end 16th Century
- Kandy Period-(End 16th Cen-1815 )
- Modern Period-Since1815
The range of temples
Sri Lankan Buddhist temples (viharas) exist in a broad range of shapes
or sizes, ranging from temples Golden Dambulla Rock Temple
(Mulkirigala) rock monastery
to the enormous monastic complexes of the
great kingdoms of Anuradhapura
Three basic elements: image house, dagoba (stupa) & bo tree enclosure
In spite of the variety of the temples throughout the island, the
temples comprise of three basic elements: an image house, a dagoba & a
bo tree enclosure. The image house (pilimage or pratimagahara) houses
the temple's Buddha statues along with statues & paintings of deities.
The image house is often preceded by an antechamber or surrounded by an
ambulatory. The bo tree enclosure (bodhighara) is a uniquely Sri Lankan
feature. Most of the island's bo trees are grown from saplings taken
from Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree
, which has been grown
from a cutting taken from the very tree under which the Buddha achieved
supreme enlightenment. Bo tree enclosures are often surrounded by
railings & raised on terraces with tables set around them for the
offerings of flowers. The trees & the railings are draped of colourful
strings of prayer flags.
Some of the temples have subsidiary shrines called "devales" devoted to
deities from the Sinhalese Buddhist pantheon, such as God Vishnu, God Maha Sumana Saman
& God Upulvan.
Refectories & dormitories
Temples have dormitories & refectories for the Buddhist monks, as well a
poyage ("House of the Full Moon") in which monks assemble to recite
Buddhist scriptures on poya (full moon) days.
Digge (Drummers hall) is a product of Kandyan-era. It is an open-sided
columned pavilion, where drummers perform during temple ceremonies.
Buddhist temple iconography
Buddhist temples are adorned with wealth of symbolic decorative carvings
Sri Lanka's moonstones, the step stones to temples, dagobas & other
important buildings are among the world's finest artistic achievements.
Polished semi-circular slabs of granite are carved in concentric
semi-circular rings ("half-moons", about 1m in radius). The first ring
depicts flames of fire, through which one must pass to be purified. The
next ring shows animals which represent the four stages of life: 1
Elephant-birth; 2 Horse-old age; 3 Lion-illness; 4 Bull-death & decay.
These continue in an endless cycle symbolizing the continuous rebirths
to which all beings are subjected to. The third row represents the
twisting serpent of lust & desire, while the fourth is that of swans
carrying lotus buds, representing purity. The lotus in the centre is a
symbol of nirvana. Moonstones are designed for the soothing of mind &
concentration of the devotees.
On both sides of the moonstones are beautifully carved guard stones with
makara (dragon) designed to incorporate feature from eight symbolically
significant creatures: the foot of the lion, the crocodile's mouth &
teeth & elephant's tusk, the body of a fish, the peacock's feather, the
serpent's tongue & the monkey's eyes. The bases of stairways & other
entrances into temples are often flanked by guardstones (doratupalas),
depicting low-relief carvings of protective deities who are believed to
ward off malign influences.
The fact that the Lotus, the pure white flowers blossom directly out of
muddy waters is considered symbolic of the potential for Buddhahood
which everyone is believed to carry within them. Buddha figures are
usually shown seated on lotus thrones.
Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka characteristically have all the
surfaces-walls, ceilings & doors decorated with murals of varying
degrees of sophistication, ranging from primitive daubs to the great
The Kandyan style
A distinctive architectural tradition which developed during the Kandyan
era (17th-18th century). With the fall of ancient kingdoms of
Anuradhapura & Polonnaruwa (of rainwater reservoirs & vast networks of
irrigation), the prosperity of the Sinhalese waned. Sinhalese Buddhist
architecture became small-scale & intimate, as exemplified by the dozens
of beautiful little temples in the city of Kandy & the surrounding
countryside. Architects often made use of wooden pillars to erect open
sided pavilions, topped with the elegant hipped roofs. The Kandyan era
saw a great flourishing of mural paintings too.