Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya

Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya (Sinhala: ලංකාපටුන සමුද්‍රගිරි විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in the Trincomalee District, Eastern province of Sri Lanka. This temple which is situated near the ocean near the historic Port of Lankapatuna where Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala set foot in Sri Lanka bringing the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. The ruins of the ancient Temple has been heavily damaged by the civil war and tsunami but ruins of an ancient Dageba, Korawak Gal (a type of ancient balustrades), a pond and other ruins of the ancient temple scattered around an area of 50 acres are still visible but a new Temple complex has been built near the ancient Temple's ruins.[1][2][3][4]

Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya
ලංකාපටුන සමුද්‍රගිරි විහාරය
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
DistrictTrincomalee
ProvinceEastern province
Location
LocationTrincomalee, Sri Lanka
Architecture
TypeBuddhist Temple

History

Lankapatuna was an ancient port in Sri Lanka notable for being the location where the Tooth Relic of Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. In order to the protect the relic from a losing war the Kalinga ruler, King Guhasiva sent the relic at the hands of Prince Dantha and Princess Hemamala who left India from Tamralipta and sailed to the port of Lankapatuna which was situated at a straight line from Tamralipta.[5]

Modern History

In the 1970s a Kovil was built near the site resulting in some damage to ruins and angering the rising Sinhala Buddhist Nationalists.[6] Further in the late 90s and early 2000s the separatist militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) used the area as a communication center and demolished a stony rock with six epigraphs to fix a LTTE radio transmission tower, the LTTE also built a kovil at the site in 2003 and a Sea Tiger base. However, after the end of the war the military defeated the LTTE and demolished both LTTE structures and began building a new temple complex.[7][1]

In 2017 a new 150m long bridge across the lagoon to the temple complex was opened by President Maithripala Sirisena alongside the leader of the Tamil National Alliance R.Sampanthan.[8]

Notes and references
  1. "Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya – Trincomalee – ලංකාපටුන සමුද්‍රගිරි විහාරය". Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. "Tranquil Lanka Patuna". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  3. Amunugama, E. M. C., 1925- (1994). The history of ancient Aryan tribes in Sri Lanka : yaksas, nagas, devas, sakyas. Colombo, Sri Lanka: J.R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre. p. 154. ISBN 9559266003. OCLC 33162312.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  4. "Exceptional East". CeylonToday. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  5. Medhānanda (Sthavira.), Ellāvala (2005). The Sinhala Buddhist Heritage in the East and the North of Shri [i.e. Sri] Lanka. Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. ISBN 955-551-461-5.
  6. Kemper, Steven, 1944- (1991). The presence of the past : chronicles, politics, and culture in Sinhala life. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 155. ISBN 0-8014-2395-3. OCLC 23939751.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Sri Lanka: Troops unearth mines, visit ancient buddhist ruins in Verugal - Sri Lanka". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  8. "Lanka Patuna bridge declared open". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2020-06-26.


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