Hi my loving travelers,
Greetings from Sri Lanka. About two weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit Yatagala Old Temple, a place of high cultural and historical value in Sri Lanka. References The old temple was built during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa of Sri Lanka. This temple has three parts and the first two parts were presented in one content earlier. You can browse through this content by asking if you want to see about it. A lot of evidence can be seen in this temple as a temple built during the Old Kingdom. Some recent constructions can also be seen inside the Yatagala Temple. Apart from that, new renovations made to objects built in ancient times can also be seen. The tunnels between several large rocks and the ruins of a water pond can also be seen here. So I invite you to visit this content to see the ancient ruins of the Yatagala temple with high historical value and the attractive features of the recently built temple dedicated to the deity.
Two circular shaped seats were created to sit around two small rocks to worship the Bodhi tree. These two pieces of stone are cut into certain shapes. From a distance, it has a charming and ancient feel.
Two steps are made of black stone to go into the tunnel between these rocks that are connected to each other. Although the ironwork here is recent, the stone steps are ancient. Look at the position of the stones here. It is truly amazing.
Beyond the above-mentioned stairs, we walked forward along the stairs with a lower height. Although small tunnels were seen here, it is possible that there were longer tunnels at that time. Even today, the fact that the ruins remain to this extent increases the historical value of the temple. There is a Buddha statue inside the two rocks.
Statues made of stone were found in Sri Lanka around the cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura. Even now, the ruins of the shrines around those cities can be seen. As I mentioned earlier, Yatagala Temple was built by King Devanampiyathissa, who ruled Anuradhapura, so a Buddha statue may have been created here from black stone. The Buddha is seated on a lotus seat in a meditative mudra. There are some carvings on the rectangular stone slab in front of it. Most likely I think this is an epitaph because of its appearance and stone carving.
I entered the Yatagala old Temple in the evening because the sun was going down. The evening sunlight fell on the rocks of the small tunnel and brought a golden glow. It was like a light shining through the rock. Black stone is also used for covering the ground here.
It is possible to continue walking in the rock over the ground covered with black stone fragments. But more people could not move between them because there was little space. But the awesomeness here is incredible. The architects of that time must have had great knowledge to create amazing creations challenging even such a unique natural location.
A structure made of animal bones was also seen near a staircase, which was used to hold and light the incense sticks used by devotees visiting the temple. But when I went closer and touched it, I felt that the structures were made of cement. However, those that are born out of naturalness should be praised.
We had the ability to climb on these rocks that were connected to each other, but we did not do it because of the hindrance of the temple's honor. Because we don't need to turn our backs on a Buddha statue and do anything. It has been handed down from the past inhabitants as a damage we do to the honor of the Buddha.
As I mentioned to you at the beginning of this content, you can see a ruined pond in this place. The water in that pond has dried up now. A small Buddha statue built a few years ago can be seen at that place. Because of the lack of water, water sevel has spread over the rocks since a few years ago. I do not have much understanding about the hand seal shown in this picture.
I found another good proof that there was a pond to supply the necessary water to the temple. By seeing a very small bridge. I'm still curious as to why there was a small underground cistern that supplied water. However, it is clear that there was an advanced irrigation technology at that time.
A tunnel door to enter the Buddha's house full of Buddha statues, deity statues and paintings related to the stories of Buddha's time was seen in this rock. At that time, this type of tunnel doors might have been built with the aim of protecting ancient and cultural elements from foreign invasions.
Moving forward among the rocks, I could see another small tunnel. It also appeared in the form of a small pond. But I had no evidence to say whether it was a floating pond.
Walking down the temple grounds past all the tunnels and rocks, I came across a beautiful architecturally shaped building with a triangular roof. Before seeing it, I had no idea what it was built for.
Anyway, I went down through the rocks and found an entrance to this building. The architectural features of the entrance are unique. The shape of the doors in this recently constructed building is very beautiful. The purity of Sinhala Buddhist culture can be seen very beautifully here.
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The architectural carving features of the dragon, the moon, the sun, and the carvings of God seen at the entrance of historical temples in Sri Lanka can be seen here in the same way. It is a good example of keeping traditional signs going.
Traditional Buddhist architectural features can be seen in the concrete pillars placed to support the roof of this temple. All the architectural features were explored during my visits during the last four months. This can be confirmed through the historical experiences I learned during my school days and the explorations made through the current travel experiences. You can find out about it in my content. The ceiling of the roof has also been polished using wood to give it a new look.
