Uththara Jayamaha Vihara

Uththara Jayamaha Vihara (Sinhala: උත්තර ජයමහා විහාරය) is an ancient Buddhist temple in Hingurana, Sri Lanka. The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka. The designation was declared on 26 December 2014 under the government Gazette number 1895.[1]

Uththara Jayamaha Vihara
උත්තර ජයමහා විහාරය
The rock inscription inside the Image house of the Vihara
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
DistrictAmpara
ProvinceEastern Province
Location
LocationHingurana
CountrySri Lanka
Geographic coordinates07°13′17.8″N 81°40′45.7″E
Architecture
TypeBuddhist Temple

The temple

The temple at Hingurana which lies behind the Gal Oya Plantations Sugar factory is located about 1 km (0.62 mi) distance from the Hingurana Roundabout. It is believed that the history of Uttara Jayamaha Vihara is dated back to the reign of King Saddha Tissa (137 BC – 119 BC).[2] The modern temple complex stand today is said to be built upon the ancient temple belonging to the old Digamadulla Kingdom.[3] Due to the recent modernisation works, the antiquity of the temple has been almost diminished. Among the ancient structures, stone Korawak Gala, rock inscriptions, drip ledged caves, parts of pillars and other artifacts can be identified.

Inscriptions

An early Brahmi inscription has been identified on the rock ceiling of the temple image house. The inscription was copied in 1971 by the Department of Archaeology.[4]

Period: 2nd century BC, Script: Early Brahmi, Language: Old Sinhalese
Text: "Mahamata-Utara-jhita-Racitaya lene"
Translation: "The cave of Racita, the daughter of the great minister Uttara"

References
  1. "PART I : SECTION (I) — GENERAL Government Notifications" (PDF). The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. 1895: 1148. 26 December 2014.
  2. "අම්පාරේ හිඟුරාන උත්තර ජයමහා විහාරස්ථානය (In Sinhala)". BuduSarana. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. "Hingurana Uththara Jayamaha Viharaya Archaeological Site – හිඟුරාන උත්තර ජයමහා විහාරය පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය". amazinglanka. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. Dias, Malini (1991). Epigraphical notes (Nos 1 -18). Colombo 7: Department of Archaeology. p. 4.CS1 maint: location (link)


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