GADALADENIYA VIHARA

The Buddhist temple of Gadaladeniya was built on a hill in 1344 under the patronage of King Bhuvanekabahu IV, according to inscriptions carved on the walls. It is said to be the largest stone temple in Sri Lanka. Its architecture is in the Dravidian style, common in South India, with touches of Sinhalese architecture from the Polonnawura era. The temple is entirely made of granite except for the two sikharas topping the central temple, which are made of brick. These are octagonal in shape at their base before taking the form of a dagoba. The tiled roof resting on stone pillars and partially covering the building was added in the 18th or 19th century. Beautiful paintings can still be seen which provide interesting clues as to how the temple was built. The main temple houses a beautiful 2.5 meter statue of Buddha performing Dhyana Mudra with his fingers in a meditative posture. It is guarded by four other standing Buddha representations. To the north of the main shrine is a small room dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.

A second shrine is located in the center of the site, the Vijayantha Prasada dedicated to the god Indra. It was built later than the main temple by King Parakramabahu V. Originally the four stupas placed at the cardinal points and surrounding the central stupa of 12 meters housed representations of the four divine kings. Now you will see statues of Buddha in a sitting position.