sri lanka

sinhala

ancient name of sri lanka

sri lanka

• large island in the indian ocean and located at the southern tip of india

• center of the international trade due to its position on the west to east sea routes

hills and high rocks

cities, palaces, and temples were constructed on blank and blank rocks

hinduism, islam, buddhism, christianism

religion in sri lanka

Dharma-Dipa

Known as the blank, the island of the buddhist doctrine

son of Ashoka, Mahinda Thera

who introduced buddhism in sri lanka

Sacred Bodhi Tree

Planted in Anuradhapura by Sanghamitta Thera (daughter) considered as one of the oldest trees in the world

Adam’s peal

vertical and unmoving, established as the stable pivot around which the universe revolves - Axis Mundi

is alos the horizontal axis, grounding the gathered creativbe cosmic energy radiating it out in all directions

Sree Padafoot (sacred foot print)

mark of Lord Shiva; for buddhists, it is the footprint of Lord Buddha; muslims and some christians believe adam first stepped down onto earth

Sinhalese

earliest colonizers of Sri Lanka

Hydraulic engineering

construction of water tanks (reservoirs) and irrigation canals

Annuradhapura Period

• first capital

• situatd with major ports in the northwest and northeast and surrounded by irrigable and fertile land

• one of the most prorgressive centers of political power in south asia

• popular as ritual and administrative center

Sigiraya

• during the annuradhapura period, sinhalese king kassapa created a city in a rock hill called

Polonnoruwa Period

• invaded and occupied by Cholan

• settled in lower areas

King Vijayabahu

who defeated chola invaders to reunite the country of sri lanka

Jananathamangalam

Polonnoruwa period is also called blank duringg the chola reign

King Parakrama Bahu “The Great”

During the polonnoruwa period, the city was rebuilt by king ?

King Wijayabahu I, King Maha Parakramabahu I, and King Nissankamalla

Important kings during the polonnoruwa period

Kandyan Period

• divided into several kingdoms with its capital at Kandy

• was once occupied by portugese, dutch, british

Kandenuwara

• hill city

naural, rock cut, based on buddhist principles

arch’l character of sri lanka

Anuradhapura

plan:

• relationship between building and landscape

Polonnaruwa

plan:

• expansion of temple to enshrine colossal buddha statue

Kandyan

plan:

• city placed on hill

Anuradhapura

walls:

• brick worl

• white plastered walls

Polonnaruwa

Walls:

• red rick

• lime plastered

Kandyan

walls:

• mostly timber

• painted walls

Dwarapalas

in polonnoruwa, these are door keepeers

Anuradhapura

roof:

• earliest remains are natural rock chambers built for hermits-with drip ledges to carry away rain water; these later developed with walls to form enclosure (rock temples)

Polonnaruwa

• developed of a stupa covered by a roof

Kandyan

• roofs high pitched with wide eaves, slightly curved; finished with terra cotta tiles and eaves tiles with bas-reliefs

Anuradhapura

columns:

• square or octagonal sections

• hexagon vase or abacus for capitals

Poonnaruwa

Columns:

• Pillared building

• lotus motifs

Kandyan

timber columns

Polonnaruwa

• have 4 entrances for a stupa at cardinal points

• colossal statues of the buddha

Kandyan

have richly carved with traditional motifs: lions, lotus, geese, etc.

Stupa

-Places to store ashes of monks who were cremated

1. Temple

2. Dagoba – Focal point of the monastery

3. Bhodi-gara – shrine enclosing a sacred Bodhi Tree

4. Halls for ceremonies, meditation and preaching

5. Court

6. Priory

7. Ponds and bathing places for drinking and ablution

Parts of a Buddhist Monastery

1. paddy- heap

2. bell

3. bubble

4. pot

Common dagoba shape

Thuparama (anuradhapura)

• first buddhist uilding to enshrine collarbone of the buddha which was a gift from india

• originally a paddy-heap then converted to a bell shape

Ruwanveliseya

bubble-shape solid brick dome in the center of 2 spacious square terraces, one above the other with the sides facing the cardinal points with pillared portico and step on one side of the lower terrace

Abhyagiri dagaba

founded as a monastery by sinhalese king Vattagamini

Monumental structure 15m higher than St. Paul’s cathedral containing an amount of solid masonry sufficient to build 8k houses large enough to accommodate 40k

samadhi buddha

the statue of the Budhha in deep meditation

Kuttam Pokuna (abhayagiri complex)

pair of ponds

used as a ritual baths by the monks

granite steps go to the bottom of the pond

Thuparama (anuradhapura)

biggest dagoba in the world constructed by King

Sigiriya

most remarkable of all Sri Lanka’s former cities

Monastery Of Mahintale

-Stands on a hill top 300 m.

-Mahinda Thera, Emperor Asoka’s son preached to the court in 3rd c.

-Large number of large steps were constructed to climb it. Stairway has 1840 steps made of granite, leading to the summit.

-Monastery

- regarded as cradle of Sinhalese Buddhism

Kiri Vihara (polonnaruwa)

sri lanka’s best preserved dagoba

Watadage (polonnaruwa)

Developed of a stupa sheltered by a roof and as is a pillared building around a small stupa