Kandy is an important historical city in Sri Lanka that served as the capital of the last Kandyan kingdom. Among the ancient buildings in the city, the sacred Temple of Tooth Relic is one of the top cultural landmarks in Sri Lanka. But most visitors aren’t aware that some undiscovered historical treasures are nestled on the outskirts of this ancient kingdom. Called as Three Temple Loop of Kandy, these sacred places include Gadaladeniya Temple, Lankatilaka Temple, and Embekke Devalaya.
These 3 historical temples date back approximately 700 years to the Gampola reign. Moreover, they show extraordinary architectural designs with a magical incorporation of South Indian and Sri Lankan craftsmanship. You’ll see that the statues in these temples have different features from the traditional statues of lord Buddha in Sri Lanka. These statues clearly show the South Indian influence in their design. As well, these temples have the most elegant paintings belonging to the Kandyan era.
If you love to explore the historical places of Sri Lanka, visiting the Three Temple Loop is one of the best things to do in Kandy. Here we are going to show you all the details and the historical importance of these 3 ancient temples.
How to reach the temples
It is quite easy to reach the three temples from the Colombo – Kandy main road. You can turn right from Pilimathalawa Junction and proceed for a few minutes along the picturesque Dawulagala Road for a wonderful excursion of Gadaladeniya, Lankatilake, and Embekke Devalaya.
1. Gadaladeniya Temple
Gadaladeniya Buddhist Temple is one of the main points of interest in the Three Temple Loop in Kandy. It is located in Pilimathalawa, around 12 km from Kandy city centre. It is one of the largest rock temples in Sri Lanka. The temple stands on a rocky outcrop and there is a carved inscription regarding the temple’s construction.
The history of this ancient temple goes back to the 14th century. According to historical reports, King Bhuvanekabahu IV created this temple in 1344. The architecture of the temple was designed by Hindu artist Ganesvarachari from South India. Thus, the temple incorporates Sinhalese architecture from the Gampola era and Hindu architectural patterns.
Statue of Lord Buddha
Inside the temple, there is an elaborately ornate Makara Thorana (Dragon’s Arch). There is 2.43 m (8 ft) high statue of a seated Buddha in the ‘Dhyana Mudra’ pose with four standing Buddha statues flanking it. This gold-painted statue reflects the influence of South Indian Buddhist sculptures.
Ancient Paintings
The centuries-old door in the main shrine of the temple is completely worth seeing due to its beautiful paintings. This massive wooden door opens in two pieces decorated with a variety of paintings. It is astonishing to see these paintings are still in their original condition and the colors look as fresh as just painted.
One of the paintings is a mythical bird-like human called “Kinnara” guarding the shrine room. Another one is the “Narilatha” flower motif which the flower is in the shape of a woman. Ancient artists used natural colors extracted using minerals and plant materials to create these marvelous paintings.
Vijayothpaya
One of the unique features of this temple is the ancient pagoda called Vijayothpaya. You may not find this kind of building in any other temple in Sri Lanka. This shrine was named after the mythical palace of God Indra. It was constructed in the era of King Parakramabahu V.
This shrine consists of a central stupa, around 12.3 m (40 ft) high built on a square platform. The entire stupa is covered by a four-sided roof supported by four stone pillars. On the four sides of the main stupa, there are four smaller matching stupas. Each of these four smaller stupas is built on stone platforms with its own individual shrine rooms. You can enter each room via a small door, but the inside area is pretty small.
2. Lankatilaka Temple
Lankatilaka Temple is a main point of interest in the Three Temple Loop in Kandy. It is a Buddhist temple located in Dawulagala Road about 4 km away from Pilimatalawa junction and 3 km from the ancient Gadaladeniya Temple. The temple sits in a spectacular location, on a huge natural rock called Panhalgala Rock.
As same as Gadaladeniya Temple, the history of the temple goes back to the 14th century. In fact, Lankatilaka dates from the same year (1344) as Gadaladeniya. It is a creation of King Bhuvanekabahu IV. The temple was designed in Hindu style by a South Indian architect using Tamil sculptors brought from Tamil Nadu.
Statue of Lord Buddha
An important feature of Lankatilaka Temple is the Buddha image with Makara Thorana or Dragan Arch. This statue of Lord Buddha is painted in gold while the robe is painted in red color. Particularly, this statue reflects the influence of South Indian Buddhist sculptures where the eyes are wide open.
Image House
The unique feature of Lankatilaka Temple is the 3-story shrine. This image house possesses outstanding architectural features, embellished with traditional Sinhalese sculptures. This pure white building gives a serene atmosphere to the temple.
According to the facts in the Lankatilaka copper plaque, this image house was constructed as a four-story mansion with a height of 80 feet. The temple’s original superstructure collapsed in the 19th century and its present upper storeys are a modern restoration.
Ancient Paintings
The paintings in Lankatilaka Temple are one the most popular historical paintings in Sri Lanka. The walls and the ceiling of the image house have been adorned with these Kandyan-era paintings and sculptures. Still, they are well preserved in their original condition.
At each corner of the main temple, you can identify the image of a protruding elephant that is holding a crest, suspended from its trunk. Another unique visual at Lankatilaka is the image of the ‘Hansa Puttuwa’ a combination of four swans, instead of the traditional two swans.
3. Embekke Devalaya
Embekke Devalaya is another main point of interest in the Three Temple Loop in Kandy. It is the wonderful Sri Lankan marvel of wood carvings. It is located just closer to Gadaladeniya and Lankatilaka temples. Ambakke Devale constructed during King Wickramabahu III of the Gampola Era.
Originally, Embekke Devalaya is believed to be a three-storied building. It has been through many renovations and it remains a single-story building. This shrine is dedicated to God Kataragama.
Drummers’ Hall
The Hevisi Mandapaya or the Drummers’ Hall is the most prominent building in Embekke Devalaya. This hall is the place where you can witness ancient Sri Lankan wooden architecture at its best. This hall catches the attention of all visitors, due to the splendid wood carvings on its ornate pillars and its high-pitched roof.
A range of native timbers such as Ironwood, Pihimbiya, and Gammalu have been used for the carvings of the temple. Certainly, the wooden wonders of Embekke remind skilled Sri Lankan craftsmanship and artistry.
Main Shrine
Embekke Devalaya is a combined Hindu and Buddhist shrine. Embekke’s main shrine isn’t dedicated to Lord Buddha but to God Kataragama. This is in contrast to the other two temples of Lankatilaka and Gadaladeniya. There is an attached shrine dedicated to Lord Buddha.
The Roof
The roof has significant features and there is a unique piece of woodcarving that is worth your attention. The 26 wooden beams of the roof are fixed together and kept in position by a “Madol Kurupawa”, a kind of giant catch pin that you may not find elsewhere in Sri Lanka.
Wood Carvings
These carvings include 128 designs on the four sides of 32 wooden pillars, 256 floral design (Liyapath) carvings at the bottom section of 32 pillars and 64 lotus design carvings on Pekada (brackets). Furthermore, there are 30 carvings on beams and 36 on cross bars. Totally there are 514 wood carvings at this Hevisi Mandapaya.
Mythological Motifs
Every carving in Embekke are mythological motif of Kandyan art. Mythical creatures like Berunda Pakshiya, Sarapendiya, Ath Kanda Lihiniya, Vrushabha Kuncharaya, and Narilatha are the ancient artistic characters belonging to the Kandyan era. If you are traveling with a local guide, he will explain the interesting symbolism behind these historical mythical motifs.
Binara Flower
Among all carvings, one of the most iconic woodcraft motifs is the “Binara Mala” or Binara flower. This beautiful and intricate motif has the form of a flower with stacked petals within a cubic design.
Infinite Rope
Called as “Infinite Rope” the entwined rope design is one of the most intricate wood designs at Embekke Devalaya. It shows the skills and the patience of those artisans to carve out this kind of masterpiece from a piece of wood.
Kinnari & Hansa Puttuwa
Another beautiful carving is the “Kinnari” or bird woman, a traditional musician of the gods. She holds a vina in her left hand, and strides among the clouds at her waist. Her right-hand holds another instrument, perhaps a cymbal.
The carving called “Hansa Puttuwa” is also a wonderful creation. It shows two swans with their long necks charmingly intertwined, and their beaks in the middle of a nearly-symmetrical composition.
Wrestlers & Double-head Egale
Definitely, the wrestlers or Angampora is a genius wooden creation. This intricate carving shows two traditional wrestlers engaging in a fight.
Berunda Pakshiya or double-headed eagle is another prominent carving in Embekke. This mythical two-headed eagle adorned the flags of the ancient Kandyan dynasty.
To sum up, visiting the historical three temple loop is one of the best things you can do in Kandy. These ancient temples give the opportunity to travel back in time and view the magical incorporation of South Indian and Sri Lankan workmanship and craftsmanship. Certainly, this is an enlightening experience to observe the unique and remarkable features of this famous trio of Temples. Welcome Guys, Visit these three ancient marvels of Sri Lanka!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Facebook and Twitter. All the copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
