Embekka Devalaya (Tempel)

Embekke Templet Embekke Templet Embekke Templet

Embekke Templet i Sri Lanka: Et sted med noget af det bedste træhåndværk i verden

I Udu Nuwara-området i Kandy-distriktet ligger et tempel med en historie på over seks århundreder. Bygget under kong Wickremabahu III's regeringstid (1371-1394 e.Kr.), som regerede i kongeriget Gampola, er templet praktisk talt dækket af træudskæringer. Træværket er af UNESCO bekræftet som noget af det bedste og mest detaljerede i verden. Templet er dedikeret til guden kendt som 'Murugan' af hinduisterne og 'Katharagama-guddommen' af buddhisterne.

Historien

Legenden fortæller, at kong Vickramabahu III's gemalinde, Henakanda Biso Bandara, vågnede fra en underlig drøm, hvori guden viste sig og bad hende om at bygge et tempel til ham. Da hun fandt ud af, at en trommeslager, Rangama, havde haft den samme drøm, betragtede de det som et varsel og byggede et tempel sammen. Det oprindelige tempel skulle have været en tre-etagers bygning, der desværre ikke overlevede tidens tand.

Strukturen

Templet består af tre hovedområder. Det første er Garagha-helligdommen, som er den indre helligdom, hvor gudens statuer er placeret. Næste er Dansesalen eller Digge, som repræsenterer kongens gemalinde Henakanda Bandara, og hvor dansebegivenheder blev afholdt i kongernes tid. Den sidste sektion er Trommeslagerhallen, der repræsenterer trommeslageren Rangama, og hvor musikbegivenheder engang blev afholdt.

Træhåndværket

Bortset fra Helligdommen er resten af templet næsten udelukkende lavet af træ. Fra udskårne træsøjler i hallerne med åbne sider til det smukt udformede tag, er hele området dækket af udskæringer. Søjlernes baser er ottekantede, mens deres toppe ender i form af fire blade stablet i en firkant. Søjlerne har forskellige billeder udskåret i siderne af baserne. Derudover pryder udskæringer bjælker, spær og dørkarme.

Bemærkelsesværdige udskæringer blandt disse mesterværker inkluderer flettede svaner, dobbelthovedede ørne, flettede rebmønstre, et ammende billede, en soldat, der kæmper på hesteryg, kvindelige dansere, brydere, kvinder, der udgår fra en åre, fugl-menneske-hybrider, elefant-tyr-hybrider, elefant-løve-hybrider og meget mere. Udskæringerne i hele templet omfatter 125 serier af dekorationer, 256 liyawela-type designs, 64 lotusdesigns, 30 dekorative mønstre og tagdesigns, hvilket resulterer i 514 unikke designs.

Templets tag er et glimrende eksempel på gammel træarkitektur, hvor de 26 spær understøttes af en enkelt træpind.

Relaterede ruiner

Omkring en ottendedel mil væk fra templet ligger der nogle ruiner med en gruppe stenpiller. Udskæringerne på pillerne er identiske med dem fra Embekke-templet. Det siges, at et tag af træ engang hvilede på disse piller, men nu er de faldet i ruiner.

Både Embekke Templet og de nærliggende ruiner er værd at besøge for elskere af både historie og kunst.

Embekke Templet Embekke Templet Embekke Templet

About Kandy District

Kandy district is situated in the centrel province of Sri Lanka. One of the seven World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka, Kandy was once home to the Kandyan Kings of yore in the 16th-century and a fountainhead for all the music, arts, crafts and culture in the country. About 129 km away from Colombo, Kandy is ensconced amongst a hilly terrain and all eyes are drawn to the centre of the city, where the Kandy Lake forms a charming feature. Kandy retains great religious significance for Sri Lanka, because it is in this charming city that the Dalada Maligawa or "Temple of the Tooth" is located, within which the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha lies well guarded.

The Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is situated about 5 km to the west of the city centre at Peradeniya and is visited by 1.2 million people per year. It is the largest botanical garden on the island. The Udawatta Kele (Udawatta Forest) is a protected sanctuary situated in the heart of the city, just north of Temple of the Tooth.

Kandy is a Sinhala majority city; there are sizeable communities belonging to other ethnic groups, such as Moors and Tamils. Kandy is second only to Colombo the center of the Sri Lankan Economy. Many major co operations have large branch officers in Kandy and many industries include textiles, furniture, Information Technology and jewellery are found here. Many agriculture research centers are located in the city.

And a fountainhead for all the music, arts, crafts and culture in the country. About 129 km away from Colombo, Kandy is ensconced amongst a hilly terrain and all eyes are drawn to the centre of the city, where the Kandy Lake forms a charming feature. Kandy retains great religious significance for Sri Lanka , because it is in this charming city that the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Toothis located, within which the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha lies well guarded.

About Central Provincce

The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.

Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.

The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.

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