TWO LOST TEMPLES

A medieval pilgrimage to two of Sri Lanka’s little-visited but most iconic ancient Buddhist temples

Dating to the early Medieval period and representing some of the finest and most unusual architecture of the period are the Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya temples.

Both combine extraordinary architecture with an abiding atmosphere of Buddhist calm.

LANKATILAKA VIHARA
Built by King Bhuvanekabahu IV (1341 - 1351 A. D.), Lankatilaka Vihara is considered one of the most significant medieval buildings on the island, its architect, as is the way with all great architects, blowing his budget, not least on the wages for the Tamil Pandya sculptors brought from Tamil Nadu to create stunning sculptures. As the Black Death ravaged faraway Europe, Sri Lanka’s late medieval kings enlisted the artistry of a Tamil architect famous for his Hindu temples to create a Buddhist edifice that merged the Sinhalese architecture of the Polonnaruwa period with Dravidian and Indo-Chinese flourishes. It could have been a car crash or a building; instead, Sthapati Rayar, the architect, pulled off a masterpiece. Elegant, highly incised white walls stretch into a roof of patterned tiles across three granite stories, the inside adorned with frescos.

GADALADENYIA VIHARA
Another of King Bhuvanekabahu IV’s creations (1341 - 1351 A. D.), Gadaladenyia Vihara, the largest of all island rock temples, is the work of the Tamil architect, Ganesvarachari. It is an excellent blend of Dravidian and Sinhalese architecture, with a dash of Chinese architectural motifs, perhaps inspired by the intrepid voyages of Admiral Zheng of the Ming Dynasty, who visited the island and eagerly became involved in its politics.