Thivanka Pilimage had been built by King Parakramabahu (1153-1186) as part of the Jethavanarama Complex. Since the large image of Buddha has been curved in 3 places, this has been given the name “Thivanka” which literally means three curves. As most other structures of this era, this is too built with bricks including the statue.
The Buddha statue at the Thivanka Pilimage is about 8 meters in height but today the part of the statue above the head has been destroyed. The statue as at today is 6.6 metres tall. 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.
The inside walls of the buildings has been decorated with frescoes showing the Jataka Stories (prior births of Buddha before enlightenment) although most of the masonry has been destroyed, the colorful drawings can be still seen on the areas where masonry is intact. The entrance to the building consists of two guard stones and two “Korawak Gala”
The outer restoration of the this image house has been carried out at a snail pace for the last 15 years and has been covered with shuttering though out the this period.
Alternative names : Thivanka Pilima Ge, Thivanka Pilimage, Tivanka Pilima Ge, Tivanka Pilimage, Thiwanka Pilima Ge, Thiwanka Pilimage
No comments:
Post a Comment