Thivanka Pilimageya:

A fascinating image house

If you've ever been on a trip to Polonnaruwa, you must have visited the Thivanka Pilimageya (image house) built by King Parakramabahu (1153-1186). If you have been to this place, then perhaps, you must be aware of what I am going to tell you now.

Let me start by telling you how this image house got its name. The word 'Thivanka' literally means three curves. Since the large image of the Buddha here is curved in three places, it has been named 'Thivanka'.

The only Buddha statue in this image house is about eight metres in height, but today, part of the statue (above the head) has been destroyed. The building is 133 feet long and 67.6 feet wide. The walls are 7-12 feet thick, making the internal size of the building much smaller.

Another fascinating feature of this image house is the corridor between its internal wall and external wall where visitors can walk. It should be noted that when you enter the corridor, you must bend your head to avoid knocking against the wall.

It is also said that you cannot walk along this corridor with your back to the statue. Both these tactics are believed to have been used to pay homage to the Buddha.

We can consider the Thivanka Pilimageya as an example of ancient classical art and a delightful sculpture of the Polonnaruwa era. The outside walls of the building are beautified with a large amount of decorative sculpture. Halfway up the wall, a procession of jolly figures of gana or dwarfs, bursting with total joy of life, are seen.

Famous archaeologist, H.C.P. Bell wrote that so crowded together are these merry little persons in their pradakshina (paying homage) of a building from left to right that as many as two hundred and fifty or more once joined the crowd that goes laughing along the foot of the temple. For it would be hard to find a more jovial band, male and female, pushing one another with humour with all the enthusiastic good-natured hospitality, which makes crowds pleasure-bent.

Competing with the dwarfs and vimanas for your attention at the base of the building is a fresco of spirited lions - lovable, frolicking, with their well-grown manes and well-trimmed tails.

The Chulavamsa describes this image house as being created out of brick and wall plaster and a wonderful sight for the eyes. "The Thivanka image is shimmering with rows of figures of lions, geese and the like, with many diversely perforated (with holes) balustrades and railings." However, the best point is the unique murals of the pilimage depicting stylistic trends of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Some believe that although the Thivanka Pilimage was built by King Parakramabahu I, King Parakramabahu II, in his attempts at renovations, painted fresh murals over the existing ones.

This theory is supported by archaeologists who have discovered evidence of two layers of plaster containing paintings belonging to two different periods.

It has been recognised that there is a distinct difference in quality, style and even the subjects of the murals found in the outer chambers and the inner chambers of the Thivanka image house. However, the murals at the entrance lack in detail and illustrational quality. In contrast, the inner paintings show that they are carefully painted.

Again, the paintings in the outer chambers show the Bodhisattva in his previous births, living in the world of men, while the themes pictured in the inner chambers in large panels portray the Buddha in a background of gods.

Art scholars say that elegance, elaboration and magnificence are the dominant qualities of the murals of the inner chambers. The graceful expressions on the faces of the gods, the dramatic poses in which their bodies have been cast and the delicate fingers held in equally dramatic mudras are a pleasure to behold.

Thivanka Pilimage is the sole surviving example of an ancient building that retains considerable traces of wall paintings in their original form. The art of Polonnaruwa is art of the best quality, classic in its sense and distinguished in its form.

The figures of dwarf sculptures will never fail to catch the eye of the lover of ancient buildings. Moreover, there is no better place to enjoy them than at the Thivanka Pilimage in Polonnaruwa.

Compiled by Janani Amarasekara