Tryst with tradition

A visit to the Walalgoda Tampita Vihara, the Kandyan art gallery of Sabaragamuwa:

by Mahil Wijesinghe

The Avurudu euphoria is still in the air as I leisurely walk through rural Embilipitiya, in the edge of the Sabaragamuwa Province. My destination is the historic Walalgoda Tampita Vihara that nestles in a sleepy village in Walalgoda, with the awe-inspiring mountain frontier of Kolonna valley as its backdrop.

Hundred acres of rich paddy lands of Panamura, cultivated from the diverted waters of Hulanda Oya provide a lush counterpoint to the temple, which was once the centre of the rich heritage of the Magama Kingdom. Hulanda Oya, which starts off as a stream in the Bulutota Valley in Kolonna, is the main source of irrigation that sustains the livelihood of the Walalgoda farming community.

Sadly it isn’t history or heritage that attracts people to the village of Panamura these days but the elephant kraal. Walalgoda was once an administrative village of the Kolonna District.

The Walalgoda temple is structured in the style of the Tampita Vihara, which occupied a unique place among the temples of Sri Lanka during the Kandyan period.

A salient feature of this style is the stone pillars which function as the modern day columns for storeyed buildings. In this instance, it provides the high foundation for the wooden platform that holds rectangular clay structure.

The Walalgoda Tampita temple consists of two platforms (one above the other) with wood frame structures filled in with boiled clay, a method used to protect the material from rain.

The significance of this historic site is in the fact that the walls of both the upper and lower platforms contain unique and rare Kandyan period murals.

The upper floor, which contains the shrine room, is reached via a short flight of wooden steps, bracketed by the stone pillars. Entrance to the shrine room, which contains a statue of a crossed-legged Buddha and many deities, is via an elaborately decorated Makara Thorana. The ceiling is also adorned with lotus flowers in full bloom. The Buddha statue was at one time desecrated by treasure hunters, but was later renovated by the Department of Archaeology.

It is believed that this temple was associated with the Maduwanwela Walawwa, a huge mansion dating back to the Kandyan period, that lies about 15 kilometers away in Kolonna. The owner of the Walawwa, Maduwanwela Dissawa, had donated property to develop and maintain the temples, which came under the purview of his province. Such donations are called Nindagams or gifts of feudal land to temples. Even today, the temple possesses large acres of paddy lands that extend to the Kolonna valley.

Generations of Kandyan artists have contributed to make the artwork in the temples around Kandy and surrounding area, somewhat unique. The most significant of these contributions are the Jathaka stories painted on temple walls and caves.

Archeologists, who are currently involved in the documentation and analysis of the Kandyan paintings, estimate that though there are a number of temples spread across the Sabaragamuwa Province, the Walalgoda temple is unique in that it contains 19th Century wall paintings dating back to the time of King Wimaladhramasuriya’s reign in the Kandyan Kingdom. Interestingly, most of the wall paintings are still clearly visible in the upper platform, with images of hell clearly illustrated on the bottom panel of the lower platform.

The Kandyan murals are mostly folk in style, with the human figures not having the classical proportions. Many appear pot bellied and near realistic. They are also excessively decked with ornaments.

In a few of the paintings, the figures have their eyes extended in a peculiar way. Trees and foliage are kept to a minimal in the painting, which literally narrates the Jathaka stories in a series of panels, separated from each other and laid in sequence. Most of the paintings carry text at the bottom. The sequencing and layout of the panels appear like filmstrips ready to roll.

The canvas is the double layered lime surfaces covering brick or stone walls. Vegetable and mineral dies are the main source of colours, with vegetable gum used for binding. The brushes are presumed to be bristles made from Banyan roots.

Most of the paintings in the Walalgoda temple, especially those on the outer walls, have been substantially damaged, due to exposure to the elements.

Several paintings of the Walalgoda temple have been photographed and used in various publications by prominent photographers such as The Rock and Wall Paintings of Sri Lanka by Prof. Senaka Bandaranayaka and Gamini Jayasinghe.

The temple, once dilapidated has been restored by the Department of Archeology, with the help of the Chief Priest of the temple, with special attentions being made to restore the faded paintings and damaged walls.

Restoring these murals amount to restoring art for the public realm. In a world where art is something one buys, public art such as these wall paintings are precious not only for their historical and cultural value, but also for what they can do to enthrall, entertain and inform the public at large.

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How to get there

Turning right at the Udagama Junction on the Embilipitiya-Ratnapura highway, take the hilly Urubokka road via Panamura, famous for the elephant kraal. Ten kilometers down the road, you will reach Walalgoda junction, which comprises a couple of tea boutiques. A narrow road that branches off to the right from the junction indicates the road to the temple. Entrance to the temple proper is through an iconic notice board of the Department of Archeology.

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