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Ridi Vihare: The Flowering of Kandyan Art-by Uditha Devapriya   Dr Sinha Raja-Tammita Delgoda’s Ridi Vihare: The Flowering of Kandyan Art Stamford Lake Publications, 2006, This is a fascinating study of one of the more fascinating Buddhist temples of Sri Lanka, authored by one of our foremost historians. The Ridi Vihare or “Silver Temple” traces its history to the second century BC. It occupied a prominent place until the 14th century AD, when it disappeared from view. 300 years later, during the time of the Nayakkar kings of Kandy, it regained that position. What Dr SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda attempts in his book is to explore its history and its art, viewing them not in isolation but in unison. The result is a superb work of scholarship, at once edifying and accessible. The history of Ridi Vihare begins with “the greatest king of Anuradhapura”, Dutugemunu, in the second century BC. The Mahavamsa ...