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Ingenious elephant lamp at Dedigama – marvelous craftsmanship of yesteryear By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Unique elephant lamp discovered from *Dedigama Kota Vehera (Sutighara Stupa) is an ingenious creation based on hydro static principles displayed at the Dedigama Museum. The elephant lamp has been excavated from the upper relic chamber of Sutighara Stupa at Dedigama in 1951. There are three stupas of the Kota Vehera type in Sri Lanka; Sutighara Cetiya at Dedigama, *the stupa at Yudaganawa (largest stupa in the south and east of Sri Lanka) and the Damila thupa at Polonnaruwa which date to the 12th century and are attributed to King Parakramabahu I. According to scholars, during the Polonnaruwa Era, the oil lamp has been an integral element of art and religion of Sri Lankan society and various artistic elements had been added to adorn the structure of the oil lamp. Oil lamps had often been made with ...

Dec 29, 2021 Posted by In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged , , , , , , , ,
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Hanguranketha – refuge of Kandyan Kings By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated off the beaten track and rarely visited by local as well as foreign tourists, charm, beauty and solitude pervade Hanguranketha, the spectacular tiny hamlet in the Central Highlands. According to scholars, Hanguranketha is derived from “Sangaruwan ketha” (meaning thriving paddy fields in Sinhala). Steeped in history and legend and situated approximately 29 kilometers southeast of Kandy City, kings had used Hanguranketha during the Kandyan Kngdom as a refuge when the hill capital (Kandy) was attacked by invading foreign troops. According to legends, King Senarath (1604 – 1635) had constructed the first Royal Palace in Hanguranketha. According to *Robert Knox’s records, the Palace had been surrounded by a white washed giant wall during the Kandyan Kingdom and the entrance of the Palace had intricately carved doors and door panels. An inscription by Queen Leelawathi of *Polonnaruwa Era had been found in ...

Oct 15, 2021 Posted by In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged , , , , , ,
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Sasseruwa : Tracing back to the original Avukana statue – TEXT & PIX BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE Source:Sundayobserver I first came to know Sasseruwa in the early 1980s through the now defunct Isura- a monthly Sinhala magazine, published by the then Land, Land Development and Mahaweli Development Ministry, to educate the people on Mahaweli development projects. Thecolourful magazine was much sought after by me as a student. In one issue, it featured the restoration of a tank of the Sasseruwa temple with a photograph of the Buddha statue in the Mahaweli ‘H’ System in Meegalewa. Now, visiting this place after four decades, I recalled the memories of my student days. ...

Mar 24, 2021 Posted by In Articles Tagged ,
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