Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Cave temples had been used in Sri Lanka since ancient times, fine examples if these include the magnificent cave temple complex in Dambulla built by king Valagamba. Cave temples has preserved some of the best examples of Sinhalese art and Sinhalese architecture. In the years gone by of monarchy rule in ancient Sri Lanka the rock cave shelters ...
Ancient Sri Lankan architecture is also significant to sustainability, notably Sigiriya which was designed as an environmentally friendly structure. Monasteries were designed using the Manjusri Vasthu Vidya Sastra, a manuscript which outlines the layout of the structure. The text is in Sanskrit but written in Sinhala script.
The temple is composed of five caves of varying sizes and magnificence. [3] The caves, built at the base of a 150m high rock during the Anuradhapura (1st century BC to 993 AD) and Polonnaruwa times (1073 to 1250), are by far the most impressive of the many cave temples found in Sri Lanka.
According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the ...
The Koneswaram temple, located in Trincomalee, is one of the most revered Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. On April 14, 1622, during the Tamil New Year, the Portuguese destroyed the temple in a brutal attack. The Portuguese general Constantino de Sá de Noronha led the assault, with soldiers disguising themselves as Iyer priests to gain entry.
The exact date of the Ketheeswaram temple's birth is not universally agreed upon. [5] According to historian Paul Peiris, Thirukketheswaram was one of the five recognized Ishwarams of Siva in Lanka long before the arrival of Vijaya in 600 B.C. [1] The shrine is known to have existed for at least 2400 years, [1] with inspirational and literary evidence of the postclassical era ( 600BC ...
Anuradhapura was also the centre of Theravada Buddhism for many centuries and has been a major Buddhist pilgrimage site with ruins of many ancient Buddhist temples, including the famous Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest still-living, documented, planted tree in the world [1] and that is believed to have ...
The architecture of Sri Lanka displays a rich variety of architectural forms and styles. Shaivism has had a significant influence on early Sri Lankan architecture, during the reign of King Ravana, then Buddhism has also had a significant influence on Sri Lankan architecture, since it was introduced to the island in the 3rd century BCE. [1]