Hello my fellow Architecture+Design lovers,
How are you Hivers? I hope you are doing very well. Last week I visited Waturawila Aranya Senasana, where meditating monks live. Since the temple contained a variety of architectural elements, two parts were covered in the previous content. Check this post. I hope to cover the remaining two parts of the temple in this content. According to the Buddhist tradition, there are three main objects in a temple, but other elements can also be seen. Mural paintings, stone carvings and wood carvings are prominent among them. But no mural paintings could be seen in Waturawila Aranya Senasana. So let's go ahead and see.
Waturawila Aranya Senasana, where meditating monks live, is most famous for its stone Buddha image carved on a rock. It is truly an amazing creation. An example of an advanced technique is to dig up a large stone and create a sculpture on it. Before seeing the Buddha statue, an explanation should be given about the symbols on the stairs before going up. For the protection of the temple, Polavaka represents the lord of the earth with seven cobras on his head and holding two sharp weapons in his hands.
To reach the stone Buddha statue, one has to climb up some steps. First of all, you can see two lion figures constructed in a slightly comical way. In those lion sculptures, the eyes are protruding, and the teeth are not sharp. Behind it, a sculpture of an African elephant in a forest has been created. It is remarkable that the elephant sculpture is actually made as a living elephant.
The moonstone lamp is a feature of a semi-circular temple made of stone using various animal figures and decorative carvings. The symbol of a lotus flower can also be seen here. Moonlight is a common feature seen in any temple. The carvings are almost invisible in temples which are usually built using cement. But the staircase in Wathurawila Aranya senasanaya includes some different symbols. It is impossible to tell which tradition they belong to.
At the beginning of the next staircase, two more elephant sculptures of different styles had been created. The elephant's body is not built big. I could not know why. The back of the elephant is created from the front, and the elephant is set to look back. The sculptures have shown a fierce face in a way that tells them not to disturb the meditation. After careful observation, I found that it was an imaginary animal made by combining the head part of an elephant and the body part of a lion.
Since then, various signs have been created on the walls. A lotus flower was beautifully created, and a dragon with the wall in its mouth was created. The teeth are sharply set and displayed with a ferocious expression.
It has been created in such a way that the beautiful angels of the divine world live in their bliss. Of course, if the sculptor does not have good skills, such a successful work cannot be done. In addition, the swan, which has been around since Buddhist history, has also been created.
As you reach the top of the steps, you can see two lion sculptures in majestic form. Truly portraying its true lion glory. Various carvings and sculptures could be seen between these three steps.
After reaching the upper zone in Wathurawila Aranya senasanaya, the Madunagala memorial cave was first seen. It must have taken a lot of effort to create this. A strikingly ancient pot-like object made of stone may be seen nearby. Some unique sculptures that cannot be seen in other Buddhist temples could be seen in this temple. That is the sculptures of bears. I think that bears are shown as wild animals because of a forest sanctuary located close to the forest.
The soles of Lord Buddha's feet were created on a stone. There are many characters and symbols on that wheel. A golden fence is also installed around it. But I could see a mistake made by the devotees. That is to put coins on the bottom of the bicycle covered with a glass chamber. Because the letters and symbols engraved in it can be damaged.
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The next thing I explored was the tallest stone Buddha statue in South Asia. If you look carefully, it seems that a large black stone has been dug and created in an excellent way. The Buddha's face, hands and feet and the folds of his robe are beautifully highlighted. It can be imagined that a lot of sacrifice has been made for that.
Buddha, our religious master, is standing in serene form on a lotus flower. In the literal sense of the word, it can be said that this is an excellent stone sculpture. The stone seat below it is the place where Buddha can be worshiped with flowers.
On closer inspection, there are two large feet raised from the stone itself. It can be mentioned that the two feet of Bhairava, who is believed to live on the ground. Bhairavaya is done in the form of holding the statue of Buddha in his hands.
When you look at the surrounding and lower area from the top of the mountain, the whole environment looks beautiful. Architectural carvings done in stone are the most common in Wathurawila Aranya senasanaya. You can confirm that in these photos. It can be imagined that there is frequent rain as there is a forest nearby.
This water lake Aranya Senasana can be introduced as a paradise of stone carvings. A recently planted bo plant can be seen in the upper floor. Walking lanes are arranged for meditative monks to walk between the booths where they meditate.
Finally, I reached the area with the Bodhi tree, which is worshiped by Buddhists. A few caves could also be seen nearby. The Bodhi tree was covered with a gilded fence. In this way, I conclude the contents of the two-part Wathurawila Aranya senasanaya located in Kahadua. see you again.
