Matale Nalanda Gedige Vishnu Temple, Sri Lanka

Address

Matale Nalanda Gedige Vishnu Temple, Gedige Rd, Matale District, Sri Lanka

Diety

Vishnu

Introduction

Nalanda Gedige is an ancient stone temple situated in Gedige Road in Matale. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Nalanda Gedige is believed to have been built between the 8th and the 10th centuries. Although it is built in pallava style with dravidian architecture, it is believed to have been used by the Buddhists. The temple consists of a mandapa, an entrance hall a short passage and an ambulatory round the holy center. It is considered to be one of the remarkable archaeological sites in Sri Lanka

Puranic Significance

According to historians and archaeologists have discovered about Nalanda Gedige; the structure was created between the 8th and 10th century AD. This was a turbulent period for olden day Ceylon, with South Indian kings establishing themselves in the wake of the declining Sinhalese monarchy. Some historians conjecture that Nalanda Gedige was a bold attempt at a fusion of Tamil and Sinhalese cultures; while others say the structure started out as a Temple constructed in the Pallava style, which was later used by Buddhists. Either way, at an unknown point in time, Nalanda Gedige was abandoned and forgotten. The forest took over the region, swallowing the sanctum into its deep, dark embrace. The buildings are 65 cm high and are mounted on a platform made of various ancillary elements. The statue hall is made up of three parts namely the face hall, the inner hall and the sanctum sanctorum. Nalanda Gedige was designed in the standard framework of a temple; with a mandapams or halls used for events, an entrance passage which was originally roofed, a main central shrine, and an ambulatory round this holy centre. The image is quite contradictory though as there has been no sign of Gods found within the temple, and there were unusual elements not found in a standard South Indian style temple. There are also eroded Tantric Buddhist carvings, much like the famous ones at Khajuraho in India.