Gadaladeniya Viharaya

Gadaladeniya Vihara Gadaladeniya Vihara Gadaladeniya Vihara

Gadaladeniya-templet på Sri Lanka är ett gammalt kloster som byggts på en klippa i Diggala, i distriktet Kandy. Enligt en inskription som är graverad i väggarna byggdes templet 1344 e.Kr. av kung Buwanekabaghu IV. Templet designades av den sydindiska arkitekten Ganesvarachchari i en stil som liknar sydindisk arkitektur.

Höjdpunkter från Gadaladeniya-templet:

  • Huvudhelgedomen har en stor sittande Buddha-statyr under en Makara Thorana (drakbåge) och fyra stående Buddha-statyer.
  • Den största sittande Buddha-statyren ska ha skurits ur stenen, täckts med gips och målats i guld.
  • Makara Thorana är dekorerad med gudar och himmelska kroppar.
  • Väggarna och pelarna är alla graverade i den äkta sydindiska stilen med elefanter, dansare och andra figurer.
  • Kammaren inuti kupolen har en Buddha-statyr som förstördes av portugiserna.
  • Helgedomen bredvid huvudhelgedomen är tillägnad gud Vishnu, och bredvid Vishnu-templet finns en stor stupa byggd på klippan av kung Parakramabágus V.
  • Den stora huvudstupan har ett tak som stöds av fyra pelare, och fyra mindre stupor omger den i de fyra huvudriktningarna. Varje mindre stupa har ett helgedomsrum och en blomsterplatta. Denna struktur är känd som Vijayothpaya eller Vijayantha Prasana, uppkallad efter Indras gudspalats.
  • Efter att ha lidit av försummelse i flera århundraden, överlämnades templet till en buddhistmunk av kung Viraparakrama Narendrasinha på 1700-talet och har varit under klostrets förvaltning sedan dess.
  • Templet var ursprungligen känt som Dharma Keerthi Vihara enligt inskriptionen på väggen och fick först namnet Gadaladeniya på grund av byn med samma namn där det ligger.
  • Andra namn för Gadaladeniya är "Saddharmathilake" och "Saddharmalankaraya".
Gadaladeniya Vihara Gadaladeniya Vihara Gadaladeniya Vihara

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.