Greetings from Sri Lanka. The other day I took the opportunity to visit a temple in the south which has a tunnel temple full of historical as well as attractive architectural features. I have shared the features of a small tunnel temple with you in an earlier content. But in this beautiful temple located in Vavrukannala village, a long tunnel temple can be seen. What is special about this tunnel temple is that there are no paintings that contain stories from the time of the Buddha. Other Sri Lankan Buddhist tunnel temples feature traditional paintings and murals. So I hope to present unique architectural elements through this content.
A temple built during the reign of Devanampiyatissa, who ruled Sri Lanka many years ago. On either side of the open entrance door are placed blank shapes on the wall. In some temples, there is no design here except for the carvings of demons, dragons or devas at the entrance.
After we arrived at the temple site, we built a small building surrounded by wooden plates and glass, adding some triangular shapes and making a roof. It looks somewhat attractive. There was some creation inside it using some wood carvings.
It can be seen inside a frame of six pillars with beautiful designs covered with glass, similar to the shape of Dalada Maliga in Kandy city, which is highly worshiped by Sri Lankan Buddhists. A leaf-shaped wooden design is fixed around the roof.
Many beautiful lotus designs are carved on the concrete pillars where the Bodhi tree stands. The floor is covered with modern tiles with floral motifs. An interesting set of bulbs hangs from the concrete ceiling.
One place of the temple is amazing with stone carvings. It is a matter of happiness that the carvings created by the carvers of the past are still safe today. See how the leaves, flower petals, flower stamens etc. have been harvested very clearly. A large number of structures made by architects in the past can still be seen in Sri Lanka today.
Then we entered the tunnel temple. This tunnel temple has been created by excavating the ground below the plateau where the Bodhi tree is located. As I mentioned earlier, there are different types of statues and murals in the Wewrukannala Tunnel Temple. It has been explained here about the severe punishments that will be inflicted in the future in the place that is believed to be located under the ground called hell in the souls born after death. Many parents bring their children to this tunnel temple because the statues and pictures with severe punishments in the future if they do something wrong show the children to follow the right path.
After entering the cave temple, the first thing you see is a scene where Yama, who is believed to be the king of hell, orders the criminals. Elongated teeth protruding from the mouth and facial expressions show a terrifying appearance. I could see that little children were afraid of this place. A fierce weapon is also shown in hand. He is also flanked by two fierce looking bodyguards. It is commendable that the composition containing this scene is performed live. But the creator may have used old works of art for that. However, it should be mentioned that all these images are imaginary.
Now you can see the terrible torments that the guilty will have to face in hell due to the mistakes made in the previous soul. There is a belief in our religion that Yama's disciples in hell are ready to punish all those who have done bad deeds. On seeing these sculptures there is a fear of even doing wrong work.
The tunnel temple extends to a normal distance. One side of the walls has been used to restore the decaying paintings. On the other hand, the murals remain the same. Because it is dark inside the tunnel, the light is always on.
New or restored murals can be seen along one side of the wall. It is sure that they can be seen more colorfully after they are painted and coated. All these paintings show that there is no forgiveness if you do something wrong. That is the most unique feature seen in the tunnel temple. Murals decorated with different colors set a good example for the society.
After spending some time in the tunnel temple, we got to see the building where Saravajna's relics are displayed while coming to the Buddha's house after giving a small donation for the development of the temple. Traditional Buddhist architectural features were seen there. It was temporarily closed so it was not possible to see the relics.
Even before entering the old-looking Buddha House, which was under construction, one could see a familiar architecture. It had two gates with four lion faces of a comical shape, and it is easy to imagine a mixture of Dutch architecture. But because of the ancient Buddhist-shaped designs seen above, it can be concluded that this is a building full of mixed architectural features.
On the other side, a part with an Aech-shaped door and window is still under construction. Perhaps the temple authority has decided to maintain the Buddha House as a single building or two buildings. Above the wall you can see some architectural designs of Indian temples. Attractive carvings can be seen everywhere on the wall.
A unique feature that was not seen before could be seen in this old temple. A large tray was seen carrying four crocodiles and a nirman with four sinners. Generally, crocodiles were not seen in Buddhist architecture. It can be said that this is a different type of design. This will undoubtedly add an attractive shape once painted.
We entered the Buddha's house through the surface of the stone covered floor.
The wooden carvings near the entrance to the Buddha House are attractive. At the same time, the wooden gate leading inside became a design that attracted my heart. Because even simple architectural carvings are mind-blowing.
After entering the Buddha House, we can see various sizes of Buddha statues and deity statues. In addition, the idols of various charitrapadas, which are stories of Buddha, are depicted here. Although it is not a tunnel temple, due to the darkness here, electric light has been provided constantly. According to Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition, Lord Buddha's robe is made in yellow or orange. Only in some cases can one see the creation of a white robe of the Buddha. They are small rewards most of the time. Or they are recently created.
Sculptures referring to various ancient stories of our religious master Buddha have been depicted here. This temple is a very attractive temple because there are statues full of various carvings and designs. According to our religion, a special place has been assigned to God, so the image of God has been depicted in every temple.
Even the concrete ceilings are diverse and the murals depicting Buddhist religious symbols and motifs add more attraction to us. Through each of my visits to various temples I hope to present to you the distinctive architectural features. It will definitely give you another chance to gain some knowledge.
Standing next to the sons are a group of monks who were given special treatment by the Buddha, so they are made of small statues. But those monks have given followers because of their constant offering to the Buddha. It is mentioned in the historical stories of the past.
The size of Buddha statues in Vavrukannala temple is more than other temples in Sri Lanka. I came to know that there are many reasons for that. This ancient temple, built during the reign of Devanampiyathissa, provides a lot of evidence for that. It is mentioned in our history that more Buddha statues were added to the existing temples especially during the reign of the king.
Apart from Buddha and deity statues, paintings can also be seen in some places of Buddha's house. They were created by artists using old works of art.
Another beautiful view of Buddha was seen at Wewrukannala temple. That is to create murals for the monks who lived in this temple and contributed a lot to its revival and also for Buddhist shrines of ancient value located in various places in Sri Lanka.
*A symbol of the unique architecture of ancient Sri Lanka, Wewrukannala Temple is definitely a must-see for anyone, I recommend. The reason for this recommendation is because I have visited this temple on four occasions. Also, the architectural features in this temple are unique. Also, there is no shortage of devotees who come to this temple, which is composed of attractive designs. The amount of space needed to park any vehicle in this temple has increased the number of tourists. See you in next valuable content.
