Kottimbulwala Rock Temple, a cave with aesthetic beauty

By Amal Hewavissenti

Snugly ensconced in the bosom of Kottimbulwala, an agricultural village, this time honoured temple with a vast rock cavern houses an array of valuable frescoes and captivating legends for an inquisitive visitor. The historic village of Kottimbulwala appears to be encircled by rocky mountains with patches of jungle and minor cultivations.

Murals in Kottimbulwala Rock Temple

At a glimpse, the village reflects centuries of development in human habitation and the simple lifestyle of the people living there. The rock temple has proved to be a treasure of Kandyan murals and its locations is invariably inspirational both for the researcher and the villager alike.

The Kottimbulwala Rock Temple is on the main road from Balangoda to Hatangala. Once the visitor enters the beautiful village, he is sure to be interested by lush paddy swaying in the recently prepared fields, simple houses, rocky mountains and streams and above all, the friendly people.

We know that King Wattagamini Abhaya (Walagamba) had to be confronted with South Indian invaders and he tactfully withdrew to the wilderness of the Southern part of Sri Lanka.

King Wattagamaini Abhaya, in relentless engagement with South Indian invaders, fell back upon Southern regions with natural wilderness, rock fortresses and inaccessible caves that proved to be safe haven for him in disguise. Thus, he had to withdraw to the Southern regions several times in the face of Chola invasions and to remain with his royal supremo and army in disguise.

It was here that King Walagamba clandestinely reorganised his troops in jungles and achieved final victory at Anuradhapura after ousting Chola leader possessing power in Anuradhapura kingdom. Accordingly, he succeeded in recapturing the kingdom from the enemy forces and became the sole ruler for the island. Thus, the history of Kottimbulawala Rock Temple dates back to Anuradhapura period. The vast cave of Kottimbulawala is believed to have been a safe haven for the King who had previously lived in disguise with the people.

This rock temple and its protective location provides a glimpse of the king's strong concern and fair for assuring himself with security. The cave commands a fabulous view of a vast terrain around and any possible sign of the enemy's approach would have been readily responded by king's troop living with him. The rock temple is in two terraces; the lower terrace being in level with the main road. In the higher level lies the colossal cave commanding a picturesque view of the landscape tapering off to the far horizon.

From below, one can espy a canopy of forest on the top of the cavern that readily offers an artistic charm to the place and giant vines twisting spirally over trees on the roof of the cave give the visitor a mysterious feeling and an inspiration for nature. However, this open rock cavern bears the marks of being exposed to the elements of nature through centuries and of being inhabited from first century AD to the fifteenth century. This fabulous cave has been the storehouse of priceless murals depicting Buddhist themes and huge statues of Buddha which evoke reverence in the visitor's mind.

Even though King Walagamba left the cave around 2,300 years back, the place has been in constant habitation by monks up to the Kandyan period. The murals in the cave portray varied Buddhist themes and prominently represent the genre of paintings Kandyan era - in a much later stage.

On the other hand, these paintings appear to be devoid of the vivacity and dynamism have wontpresent in the colours, lines, figures and style of Sigiri frescoes and other contemporary temple paintings. Some paintings include eccentric themes of imaginary animal's such as Kinnara, Gajasinha, dragons or Athkanda Lihini etc.

Most paintings typical to sixteenth and seventeenth century paintings represent basic events of Jathaka tales, Buddhist themes and Soowisi Vivarana etc. Some paintings that have won the viewer's attraction are the illustrations of "hell" where the agents of hell are depicted to be sawing apart the bodies of people believed to have been sinners during their previous births.

Punishment for those who have breached moral law is shown in the paintings and some images even evoke humour in the queer way they are painted.

On the rock ceiling of the Shrine room are painted choice designs of lotus flowers and other floral scrolls that capture viewer's eye.

The vibrancy of colours of most murals is badly affected by the constant exposure to the invisible water sprays by rain and strong sunlight peeping through the entrance.

The scenes painted on the ceiling which portray heavens with gods, heavenly territories, the yakshas in their extra terrestrial domains and the concept of good and evil are equally fascinating.

The wood work of the temple buildings well preserves its pristine appeal and the wooden pillars are engraved with traditional floral designs and other decorations. These specific decorative wooden pillars bear witness to the architectural genre of the 18th century and display a developed phase in the evolution of floral decorations unique to traditional Sri Lankan artist.

Archaeological Department is doing a commendable job in carrying out renovation work on the half dilapidated roofs and walls. The flight of stairs to the cave is entirely cut out of the rock and leads to the cave with a rather sharp ascent. The King had carved the footprint of the Buddha on the rock at his queen's (Somadevi) request to invoke powers to withstand any possible enemy attack.

Scattered debris, stone inscriptions, and pillars leave the traces of once flourished mini-kingdom. The giant door frame to the cave, cut purely out of granite adds much to the pride of our skilled sculptors. Two indecipherable inscriptions on time-worn stone tablets bear testimony to the work done by successive rulers particularly during Kandyan regime.

It is really a rock temple with a long history, an art gallery of both paintings and woodcarvings and above all, a surprising creation of nature.