Temple of the Dambulla cave (Sinhala: Dam? b? l? Len Vih? raya , Tamil Tampu? ai Po? k? vil ) also known as Dambulla Gold Temple is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, located in the central part of the country. The site is located 148 kilometers (92 miles) east of Colombo and 72 kilometers (45 mi) north of Kandy.
Dambulla is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex in Sri Lanka. The stone towers 160 m above the surrounding plains. There are over 80 documented caves in the surrounding area. The main attractions are spread out in five caves, which contain statues and paintings. These paintings and sculptures relate to Gautama Buddha and his life. There are a total of 153 Buddha statues, three statues of Sri Lankan king and four statues of gods and goddesses. The latter include Vishnu and Ganesha. The mural covers an area of ​​2,100 square meters (23,000 sqÃ, ft). The depictions on the walls of the cave include the temptations by the Mara demon, and the Buddha's first discourse.
The prehistoric Sri Lankans will stay in this cave complex before the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka because there is a burial site with a human skeleton of about 2700 years in this area, in Ibbankatuwa near the Dambulla cave complex.
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History
The temple complex dates back to the first century BC. It has five caves beneath a huge protruding rock, carved with a drip line to keep the interior dry. In 1938 the architecture was decorated with arching pillars and entrance lined. Inside the cave, the ceiling is painted with intricate religious drawing patterns following the stone contours. There are images of the Buddha and Bodhisattva, as well as various gods and goddesses.
The Dambulla cave monastery is still functioning and remains the most preserved ancient building in Sri Lanka. This complex date from the third and second centuries BC, when it was established as one of the largest and most important monasteries. Valagamba from Anuradhapura has traditionally been considered to have turned the cave into a temple in the first century BC. Exiled from Anuradhapura, he sought refuge here from South Indian robbers for 15 years. After recapturing his capital, the King built a temple in thanksgiving worship. Many other kings were added there later and in the 11th century, the caves had become the center of the main religion and still are. Nissanka Malla of Polonnaruwa gilded and added about 70 Buddha statues in 1190. During the 18th century, the caves were restored and painted by the Kingdom of Kandy.
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The five caves
This temple consists of five caves with varying sizes and beauties. The caves, built at the base of a 150-meter-tall rock during Anuradhapura (1st century BC to 993 AD) and Polonnaruwa's time (1073 to 1250), are by far the most impressive of many cave temples found in Sri Lanka. Access is along the gentle slopes of Dambulla Rock, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding flat plains, which includes the Sigiriya stone fortress, 19 km away. Twilight brings hundreds of swallowing swallows to the entrance of the cave. The largest cave measuring about 52m from east to west, and 23m from the rear entrance, this spectacular cave is 7m high at its highest point. Hindu gods are also represented here, as are the kings of Valagamba and Nissankamalla, and Ananda - the most devoted Buddhist disciple.
The Cave of the Divine King
The first cave is called Devaraja lena (flax in the cave meaning sinhala), or "The Cave of the Divine King." A report on the founding of a monastery is recorded in a 1st century Brahmi inscription above the entrance to the first cave. This cave is dominated by a 14-meter-tall Buddha statue, carved from stone. It has been repeatedly painted in the course of its history, and probably received the last paint layer in the 20th century. At his feet is Buddha's favorite disciple, Ananda; in his head, Vishnu, is said to have used his divine power to create caves.
Cave of the Great Kings
In the second and largest cave, next to 16 standing and 40 statues of Buddha sitting, are the gods Saman and Vishnu, the pilgrims often adorned with bouquets, and finally the statue of King Vattnu Abhaya, who honored the monastery in the 1st century BC, and King Nissanka Malla, was in charge of the 12th century for the plastering of 50 statues, as demonstrated by a stone inscription near the entrance of the monastery. This matching cave is called Maharaja flax , "Cave of the Great Kings." The Buddha statue carved from stone on the left side of the room is escorted by wooden figures from the Bodhisattvas Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara or Natha . There are also dagoba and springs dripping with water, said to have healing powers, coming out of a crack in the ceiling. Typical tempera paintings on the cave ceilings of the 18th century depict scenes from the life of Buddha, from the dream of Mahamaya to the temptations of the devil Mara . The images further link the important events of the country's history. Great Great Monastery
The third cave, Maha Alut Vihara , "Great New Monastery" acquires Kandy-style ceilings and frescoes during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1782), a famous Buddhist.. In addition to 50 Buddhist statues, there are also statues of the king.
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Statue
Inside the temple is a representative of many Sinhala statues and Sinhalese art. Buddha statues in various sizes and attitudes - the largest is 15 meters in length. One cave has more than 1,500 Buddhist paintings covering the ceiling.
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Preservation
Conservation at the Dambulla Temple Complex is mainly concentrated on the conservation of the scheme of the murals. Senake Bandaranayake reports that the schemes were cleared during an initial conservation project during the 1960s involving mural cleansing and the application of a protective coating.
Further conservation strategies at the Dambulla Temple Complex (especially since 1982) have focused on maintaining the integrity of existing complexes that have remained unchanged since the reconstruction of the temple verandas in the 1930s. This strategy was approved during a joint project between UNESCO, the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Project and the Dambulla Temple Authority which lasted from 1982-1996.
Since the Dambulla Temple is still an active ritual center, the project's 1982-1996 conservation plan is directed at improving site infrastructure and accessibility in line with UNESCO's world heritage status. This involves remodeling hand-cut paving inside the complex and installing modern lighting. Further investment in Temple infrastructure has seen the construction of museums and other tourist facilities located away from historical complexes.
A recent inspection by UNESCO in 2003 has proposed expanding into existing protected zones around the complex to minimize damage to surrounding archaeological features.
Conservation projects undertaken between 1982 and 1996 focused primarily on the preservation of an eighteenth century mural scheme that represents about 80% of the total painting that still exists in Dambulla. In the late 1990s, most of these schemes remained in excellent condition, with the larger shrine schemes (Vihara 3 and Vihara 2) still retaining most of their 18th century features.
Cleaning was not carried out during the 1982-1996 project which focused on implementing a series of corrective actions to stabilize the mural as well as developing a long-term conservation strategy to minimize further human or environmental damage.
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Gallery
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References
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External links
- Photos from inside Dambulla Cave Temple
- This page combines the contents of Dr. Rohan Hettiarachchi's [1] is used with permission from the website owner.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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