View source for Dodanthale Raja Maha Vihara

{{Infobox religious building
| building_name           =Dodanthale Raja Maha Vihara
| native_name             = දොඩන්තලේ රජ මහා විහාරය
| infobox_width           =
| image                   = Dodanthale.jpg
| image_size              =
| alt                     =
| caption                 = The image house
| map_type                =
| map_size                =
| location                = [[Mawanella]], [[Sri Lanka]]
| coordinates             = {{coord|07|13|47.7|N|80|25|45.9|E|display=inline,title}}
| religious_affiliation   = [[Buddhism]]
| rite                    =
| region                  =
| state                   =
| province                =[[Sabaragamuwa Province]]
| territory               =
| prefecture              =
| sector                  =
| district                =[[Kegalle District|Kegalle]]
| cercle                  =
| municipality            =
| consecration_year       =
| status                  =
| functional_status       =
| heritage_designation    = [[List of Archaeological Protected Monuments in Kegalle District|Archaeological protected monument]] (10 November 1978)
| leadership              =
| website                 =
| architecture            = yes
| architect               =
| architecture_type       = [[Buddhist Temple]]
| architecture_style      = [[Tempita Vihara]]
| founded_by              =
| general_contractor      =
| facade_direction        =
| groundbreaking          =
| year_completed          = 1748
| construction_cost       =
| specifications          =
| capacity                =
| length                  =
| width                   =
| width_nave              =
| height_max              =
| dome_quantity           =
| dome_height_outer       =
| dome_height_inner       =
| dome_dia_outer          =
| dome_dia_inner          =
| minaret_quantity        =
| minaret_height          =
| spire_quantity          =
| spire_height            =
| materials               =
| nrhp                    =
| added                   =
| refnum                  =
| designated              =
| designation1            =
| designation1_offname    =
| designation1_date       =
| designation1_type       =
| designation1_criteria   =
| designation1_number     =
| designation1_free1name  =
| designation1_free1value =
| designation1_free2name  =
| designation1_free2value =
}}
'''Dodanthale Raja Maha Vihara''' (also known as '''Sri Seneviratne Uposatha Raja Maha Vihara''') is an historic [[Buddhist temple]] situated in [[Mawanella]], [[Kegalle District]], [[Sri Lanka]]. The temple is located about {{convert|4|km|mi|abbr=on}} away from the  [[Mawanella]] town. The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an [[List of Archaeological Protected Monuments in Sri Lanka|archaeological site in Sri Lanka]].<ref name="Archaeological">{{cite web|url=http://www.archaeology.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/protected%20monument%20list%202012-12-12.pdf|date=12 December 2012|title=Protected Monument List 2012-12-12|publisher=[[Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka)|Department of Archaeology]]|access-date=2 January 2017|archive-date=2018-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123073223/http://www.archaeology.gov.lk/web/images/pdf/protected%20monument%20list%202012-12-12.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The designation was declared on 10 November 1978 under the government [[The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka|Gazette]] number 10.<ref name=Gaz10->{{cite journal|title=Gazette|date=10 November 1978|journal=[[The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka]]|volume=10}}</ref>
==History==
The temple at Dodantale was first designed by chief [[Adigar|Adikaram]] Molligoda to serve as a royal palace. It is said that the ground floor of this palace was intended to use as royal audience hall while the first floor as living quarters of royalty and the third for the [[Relic of the tooth of the Buddha|tooth relic of Buddha]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Heritage of Sabaragamuwa: major natural, cultural, and historic sites|last= Abhayavardhana|first=E. P|publisher=Sabaragamuwa Development Bank|date=2002 |isbn=978-955-575-077-6 |page=72|language=en}}</ref> The location had natural protection from all sides, with hills to the north and south and a moat on the eastern and western sides. The walls of the structure are {{convert|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} thick. Prior to the third storey being constructed Molligoda converted the building to a Buddhist Vihara. The building was completed in 1832.
The building is {{convert|15.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|12.3|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide, with twelve entrance steps up to the hall. The ground floor of the vihara is used as a preaching hall, with two wooden staircases leading up to the second floor. The roof is tiled with Koku Ulu tiles.
==Image house==
The temple is well known for its image house, built in [[Tempita Vihara]] tradition. Usually the pillars used for the many of other Tempita buildings found in the country are about {{convert|0.9-1.23|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height. However the pillars used in Dodantale temple are about {{convert|1.84|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height<ref name="div2">{{cite web | url=http://www.divaina.com/2016/09/14/badada03.html| title=ටැම්පිට විහාර සම්ප්‍රදාය|newspaper=[[Divaina]]| publisher= [[Upali Newspapers]] | quote=සමහර ටැම්පිට විහාර වල ගල්කණු පොළව මට්‌ටමේ සිට අඩි 6 ක්‌ පමණ උසින් පිහිටන අවස්‌ථාද ඇත. එයට කදිම නිදසුන මාවනැල්ලේ දොඩම්තලේ රජමහා විහාරය හා අම්බුළුගල රජමහා විහාරයේ පිහිටි ටැම්පිට විහාරයි. (translation = The height of stone pillars of some Tempita temples are about 6 feet from the ground. The best examples for that kind of Tempita Vihara are Mawanella Dodamthale Rajamaha Vihara and Ambulugala Rajamaha Vihara.)|date=14 September 2016 | access-date=11 January 2018}}</ref> and has been built as a two storied structure where the ground floor serve as the preaching hall (Bana Maduwa) and the upper floor as the image house.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mediæval Sinhalese Art|last=[[Ananda Coomaraswamy|Coomaraswamy]]|first=A. K.|date=1908|publisher=Essex House Press|page=118|language=en}}</ref>
There are three Buddha statues in the image house at the upper floor which is surrounded by a veranda. All the statues are curved out of timber.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Heritage buildings of Sri Lanka#Dodanthale image house|author=Nimal De Siva |author2=D.P. Chandrasekara |publisher=[[National Trust Sri Lanka|The national trust Sri Lanka]]|year=2009|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-0093-01-4 |page=20}}</ref> The inner walls and the ceiling of the image house are decorated with [[Kandyan Era Frescoes|Kandyan period murals]]. Among them a portrait of the [[Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy|Kirti Sri Rajasinha]] (1747-1782) wearing the Kurulu Padakkama (Bird pendant) has been identified.{{Sfn|Coomaraswamy|1908|p=212}} Kurulu Padakkama is a jewel made for the Adikaram Molligoda which has a [[Sinhala language|Sinhalese]] inscription on the reverse.{{Sfn|Coomaraswamy|1908|p=211}} Also an old wide-mouthed large earthen vessel called Pathra, used to hold water or to receive offerings from worshipers, has been preserved in the Vihara premises today.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Spolia Zeylanica, Volumes 1-4|author=National Museums of Sri Lanka|publisher=National Museums of Sri Lanka|date=1907 |page=7}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.lankapradeepa.com/2021/02/dodanthale-viharaya.html Dodantale Raja Maha Viharaya]
*[http://amazinglanka.com/wp/dodanthale/ Dodanthale Sri Seneviratnarama Purana Tampita Viharaya]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Kegalle District]]
[[Category:Archaeological protected monuments in Kegalle District]]