
Nalanda Gedige - center of Sri Lanka
Posted by:
Becktracker
N 07° 40.195 E 080° 38.746
44N E 460932 N 847823
The ancient Nalanda Gedige temple was designated the center of Sri Lanka by the ancient islanders
Waymark Code: WM13R4T
Location: Sri Lanka
Date Posted: 02/07/2021
Views: 3
from wikipedia:
Nalanda Gedige is an ancient complete stone temple near Matale, Sri Lanka and its original site was considered as the center of Sri Lanka. The building was constructed in between 8th and 10th centuries with dravidian architecture in( Pallava style )and is believed to have been used by Tamils.[1][2] Also some scholars describe this building is a dravidian architecture dedicated to a Mahayanaa cult with pronounced Trantric learning and known for an ancient monument of possible Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhist affinities.[3]
Nalanda Gedige is designed on the lines of a Hindu temple with a mandapa, an entrance hall (originally roofed), a short passage to a bare cello, and an ambulatory round the holy center. A limited number of the original Hindu deity statuettes exist within the temple, however, a statue of the God Kubera appears on the south side of the tympanum over the sanctuary, a feature that can only be seen in Sri Lanka.
The richly decorated facade sections, laboriously reassembled in 1975, are predominantly in the South Indian style. Although they cannot be precisely dated, they are believed to have originated sometime between the 8 to 11th centuries.
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