Sri Pushparamaya Viharaya: A Hidden Buddhist Temple
I visited the nearby market several times during my stay at Bandarawela Hotel. When I was strolling down the temple road one evening, a Torana caught my eye. It served as the entrance to the beautiful Buddhist temple Sri Pushparamaya Viharaya. A Torana is an arched gate that represents the Buddha’s four all-encompassing life events. It reminded me of the Sanchi Stupa right away, except this gate was white.
The East of Torana represents the birth of Buddha, the West depicts the first dharma speech, the South represents enlightenment, and the North represents Nirvana. The Vandanamalikas are a type of free-standing ornamental Torana. In Buddhist and Jain architecture, it is extremely important. The Indian Torana gave rise to the Japanese Torii, Chinese Paifang, Thai Sao Ching Cha, and Korean Hongsalmun.
A flight of stairs awaited me as I walked past this Dvara-Torana, which was affixed over a medieval gateway. Each stair is hand carved with intricate and detailed designs. As I ascended the stairwell, I found myself in the temple’s front courtyard. A learning centre or a Dhamma discourse hall was on my left. A Buddhist temple was on my right, and a massive Stupa stood in front of me. I went on a tour of all of them. The Dhamma discourse hall at the temple has stunning colonial-style architecture.
After receiving Buddhist lessons, a few young monks were seen walking out. The inner hall is surrounded on both sides by wooden stands. The main temple, on the other hand, is made up of a collection of Buddhist structures. It’s a delight to be in this room. Such a serene translation! With its elegant dome, the white Stupa, on the other hand, takes centre stage. The dome is adorned with slender golden lines that give it a divine appearance.
“The hearts of many shall be made calm and glad,” King Ashoka said at the time when he built stupas. Sri Pushparamaya Viharaya is a place like that. For a while, I sat in the courtyard, recalling a visit to an Indian stupa. It reminded me of what I’d learned about the massive gates that guard each Buddhist temple’s entrance. These gates primarily represent Kingdom prosperity. During the reign of the Maurya Dynasty in India, the majority of the original Buddhist temples were constructed. Buddhist temples are said to have been established in Bandarawela by King Walagamba.
Buddhist temples are said to have been established in Bandarawela by King Walagamba. The ancient Dhowa Rock Temple, which sits alongside the Badulla-Bandarawela highway, is a prime example of 1st-century architecture. The highlight of this temple is a massive, unfinished Buddha carved into the rock face. It was a peaceful feeling to be here. It’s well worth spending the entire day here. I’m not surprised that Buddhism is the world’s fourth-largest religion, with 520 million adherents. I’ll be on a quest for enlightenment and nirvana the next time I visit Sri Lanka. Buddhism is my calling, is it yours?
