Where should I visit in Kandy, Sri Lanka?

Places to visit in Kandy is a major concern for a traveller who is willing to travel to Sri Lanka. That is due to the great historical and religious value that combines with the stunning natural attractions in this hill capital of Kandy. Since it was the last kingdom of Sri Lanka, Kandy has great historical value. Kandy has great religious value among the whole Buddhist world due to Sri Dalada Maligawa, which carries the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.

One site in Kandy you should not miss

Among several must-visit sites in Kandy, there is a one highly important place located in Amunugama village, 7 km north-east of Kandy. It is Degaldoruwa Temple, which has the best-preserved temple paintings of the Kandyan Era, that belongs to the Central Kandyan School of Art. The great Sri Lankan philosopher of art, Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy, stated that "it was the best painting he has yet seen in Ceylon" in his article published on the Ceylon Observer on 17.2.1905.

Degaldoruwa Temple

Degaldoruwa Temple was built on the base of a natural rock cave where two rocks were connected from the top and bottom by a rock shelter. The rock boulder is about 12.31 metres high. There are two wooden-roofed antechambers constructed in front of the rock boulder.

The first antechamber is a drumming hall (locally called Dig Gee) built with stone and wooden columns. The brightly coloured Makara Torana (Dragon Arch) carved from wood stands at the entrance to the second antechamber from this one. The wood from the Na tree (Mesua ferguosa) was used to carve out this Makara Torana. Actually, this Makara Torana was not part of the original construction of the temple. It was added later by the king's officer, Migastenna Adikaram.

The second antechamber is an image house. You can enter this antechamber through Makara Torana and a set of old doors. The well-preserved Kandyan era moonstone carved out of the stone slab originally situated at that place is inside the image house.

Frescoes

The 18th-century paintings are on the inside wall of the second antechamber. That depicted the scenes of three Jataka stories (previous lives of the Lord Buddha) of Vessantara Jataka, Sattubatta Jataka, and Mahaseelava Jataka. This wall was divided into horizontal panels, and the Jataka stories were painted in a sequential manner in four vivid panels.

The innermost chamber that was cut into the rock boulder itself is the main shrine room. A large recumbent Buddha statue, one seated Buddha statue, and two standing Buddha statues on either side can be seen in this chamber. The rock walls around this chamber and the ceiling were painted with scenes from the Sutasoma Jataka story and the various incidences of Buddha-hood, some main pilgrim sites in Sri Lanka, and some metical images of Buddhist philosophy.

Sri Lanka's Best Paintings

The scholars have considered the murals depicting the scenes of the donation of an elephant by King Wessantara in the Wessantara Jataka story and the Mara Parajaya, (the artistic impression of Buddha’s internal spiritual battle against Mara, the demon of death, rebirth, and desire) are the finest and most creative paintings in the Degaldoruwa frescoes.

According to Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy, "the elephant is drawn with the greatest skill, the slow movement of the lifted feet and the swinging bells give just the right idea of dignified slow progress: immediately afterwards, the elephant is seen again, but King Wessantara has climbed down and walked in front, with one hand pouring water into the hands of the Brahmans from Kalinga, betokening the gift of the elephant, and with his other arm around the elephant’s trunk: the elephant has stopped the while, and the swing bells are still."

"The gorgeous trapping of the elephant, the king’s and the attendant’s dresses, and the royal insignia are drawn with very great care, and just like the early illuminated manuscripts of Europe, they are invaluable records of past manners and customs," Dr. Coomaraswamy wrote.

The murals of Degaldoruwa developed artistically and symbolically based on natural figure forms, as in the style of the central Kandyan art school. The figures of humans, animals, and trees are drawn in uniform size and composed into narrow, horizontal drawing panels. Only the front view of the human figures is shown, and the trees are drawn with branches and leaves spreading around the top of the stem. All the figures and the elements are drawn in great detail.

Who created the Degaldoruwa temple and paintings?

According to the Degaldoruwa Sannasa, (a proclaimed notice), four main artists contributed to the completion of these murals. They were Devaragampola Silvattena (an unordained monk), Neelagama Patabanda, Devendra Mulachari, and Kosvatte Hiriyale Naide. The placing of the eyes on the statues of the Degaldoruwa temple was done in 1761, during the kingship of Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1747–1782 AD). The completion of the construction of the Degaldoruwa temple was done by King Rajadhi Rajasingha, the brother of King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha, in 1786.

Notice

You should not miss the frescoes of the Degaldoruwa temple during your visit to Kandy. You may need to get permission to take photographs, and make sure to take the photographs without using the flash directly on the murals.

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