During the ancient Kandyan period, there was a unique type of Vihara called the 'Tampita Vihara', also known as 'Deva Matha Viharaya'. TempitaVihara is a temple on pillars. Its most prominent feature is that it is mounted on monolithic pillars or dwarfed rock pillars.

This type of Vihara that stood on raised platforms of wood standing on stone pillars or huge rock boulders was constructed to prevent white ants or other vermin from entering and damaging it. The Panavitiya Ambalama, which we featured last week, has also been built using this method.

‘Tampita Vihara” has yet another name - the “Deva Matha Vihara”. Deva here means timber, and Matha means amid a Vihara of wood. On a recent tour around the interior of Kurunegala, not far from the city, we realised that there are a few such Deva Matha Viharayas in the surrounding areas of Kurunegala.

The Department of Archaeology preserves these ancient monuments. In our ramblings around Kurunegala, we were fortunate to come across one such Deva Matha Vihara at a place called Bihalpola, seven kilometres from Narammala on the road to Kuliyapitiya.

If you travel North-west of Kurunegala, 25 kilometres away lies the Bihalpola Rajamaha Viharaya, a unique Tampita Vihara that dates back centuries. It is just five kilometres down the Kuliyapitiya Road from the Kadahapola junction on the Kurunegala - Madampe road.

The superstructure of the Bihalpola Tampita Vihara is composed of wattle and daub and square in shape. There are three Viharayas, which belong to different periods built on a huge rock boulder on the top of the hill. The Relic Chamber (Dhatu Mandiraya) in the middle is a three-storied building.

The building at the far end of the temple complex is also a shrine room, decorated with murals, which houses the main image of Buddha that belongs to the Kandyan period. A dramatic architectural feature of this small building is that it is built on a framework of massive wooden beams that rest on elevated solid rocks placed on a rock boulder. Some of the wooden pillars have been driven into the rock boulder in some places. The walls of the square Vihara are built with wattle and daub. It also has a characteristic roof thatched with Kandyan Pethi-Ulu (flat tiles).

Floral motifs

According to the historical chronicles, the Bihalpola Rajamaha Viharaya was believed to have been constructed during King Devanampiyatissa and later renovated by King Walagambahu (89-77 B.C.). Among the ruins at the site are a stone pillar inscription, several stone pillars and a stone carved flight of steps possibly belonging to the Anuradhapura period.

The Sunday Observer Online edition Sunday, 25 Apr 2021

Unique Sri Lanka

Bihalpola Rajamaha Viharaya

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