Hello my fellow Architecture+Design lovers,
What's up Hivers? I hope you are doing very well in this time period. For a long time I could not enter this platform through an architectural content because I did not have the opportunity to do an architectural exploration. However, this beautiful community was not forgotten. I got a lot of educational knowledge as well as the opportunity to see different architectural designs. Since May 1st was a holiday, I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful and ancient temple in Sri Lanka yesterday. Indeed, this was not only an architectural expedition but also a mountain climb. A small Sri Pada has been set up in Pahala Keembiya village of Galle district to commemorate Sri Padaya located in Sabaragamuwa province where Buddha's feet touched. Today's content will inform about it.
You can enter this shrine after traveling along the Keembiya road for about 4.5 kilometers from the Keembiya junction on the Galle - Mapalagama main road. This temple is now known as Sri Shailalayarama old Temple. On one side you can see a beautiful green paddy field and on the other side a lake full of lotus flowers. A small hut with a Buddha statue has also been created in the middle of the lake. Light towers have been created on both sides of the entrance road.
It can be concluded that two imaginary lion images are made on both sides of the entrance of this temple to protect the temple. Behind it are some traditional Buddhist carvings. Buddhist carvings can be seen in the moonstone lamp that touches the feet of the devotees entering. Various animal and floral motifs are commonly seen in this moonstone lamp.
To remind Sri Lankan agriculture that was self-sufficient in the past, two building arrangements where rice was collected were seen in an empty space inside the temple. It is commendable to present such creations in this way for the current generation to see. In the past, clay, wood and dry stalks were used for such arrangements. The use of natural ingredients also added coolness to the farmers of that time.
This is because of a temple set up on a mountain, a Buddha chamber had been created to receive the Buddha's blessings before starting to climb the mountain. On one side, stories of Buddha's past are painted. All of them have important examples that we can assimilate into our lives.
The stairs made to enter the building where the monks live are cut in the shape of black stone squares. The walls on both sides are made of cement and bricks. Sri Lankan workers in the past have shown more experience in stone carving. The building where the monks live is built like a typical Sri Lankan house. It is painted in yellow color which adds to its appeal.
In Sri Shailalayarama old Temple, the area around the building where the monks live is attractively arranged. It is notable that various types of ornamental plants have been planted and an eco-friendly concept has been created. A golden statue of Buddha has been created with a covering roof. And a small pond of water is placed a little above the ground level and lily plants are growing in the water.
During my architectural exploration I also came across some beautiful murals. In fact, the educational and historical knowledge that can be gleaned from such trips is high. While climbing to the area where the Bodhi tree is located, where the Buddhists worship with great devotion, the roofs of the buildings where the monks live can be seen in three dimensions. It is important that a separate building is constructed for the devotees to prepare the water, flowers, etc. needed to offer the bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree is an old one, and there was a cave temple nearby. The cave temple was locked so it was impossible to enter.
The stupa of this old temple, which is worshiped with great devotion by Buddhists, is not so big, and it appears that it has been changed in a new way recently. An old temple must have had a stupa since time immemorial. Unlike other temples, a roof has been created to cover the stupa here. Many Sri Lankan temples have stupas built in the open air. Atop this covered roof are striking architectural forms. A few concrete pillars were added with carvings to bear the weight of the roof. From below I could imagine that the shape of the top of the roof takes a three-dimensional triangular shape.
Another cave temple could be seen near the stupa. It is a remarkable feature that they were constructed using old big stones without harming the environment with the technology of that time. Four flower-offering booths have also been created around the stupa.
According to the Buddhist tradition, pouring oil on the lamps and lighting them is also one of the ritual of performing puja. Therefore, a light fence made of steel could also be seen near the stupa site. Now we had to start the mountain climbing. We started walking towards the mountain from the entrance between two walls carved with Buddhist stupas. It is an advantage for safety that an iron fence has also been built to climb up by hand to avoid the risk of slipping due to rain.
While walking up the mountain, as I mentioned earlier, the remarkable shape of the roof covering the stupa could be seen very well.
While climbing up with difficulty in a slippery environment, several Buddha statues coated with white color were caught in the observation. The stone can be seen up to the top of the mountain. The elephant carvings on the small wall in front of these Buddha statues are designed to protect the Buddha.
Sri Pada site is protected by Lord Sri Sumana Saman, so a chamber was also prepared for him.However, climbing these leeches-infested mountains is minimal in terms of risk.
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We were lucky to find some ancient pillars in this exploration. It was not difficult to reach the small Sri Pada, which was located on a rock, because the stone steps were completed. At last we reached the top of the mountain which was our destination. The soles of the Lord Buddha's soles are created.
