According to Mandarampura Puwata, the KandyanKingdom was established after king Vimaladarmasuriya ascendent to the throne defeating Yamasinha Bandara in 1592 AD.
The king immediately embraced Buddhism and brought the sacred Tooth Relic to Kandy then known as Senkadagalapura and later came to be known Sri Wardhanapura (meaning the city that increases her beauty) from Delgamuva and built the present Dalada Maligava.
The temple was originally built in two storeys by king Vimaladarmasuriya and subsequently erected a three storeyed building to house the tooth relic. The Pattirippuva or the octagon with the moat in front was added later by the last king of Kandy. Along the moat runs a brick wall, the Diyaweli Bemma or the "Waveswell wall". In the main building the first chamber is called the pallemale and upper chamber is called Uda Male or Vedahitina Maligava where the tooth relic resides.
Sigiriya
Soaring above the surrounding plains to towering heights, the cloud-hugging rock of Sigiriya is regarded by many as one of the wonders of the world.
The summit of this almost inaccessible rock was the the unlikely setting for a courtly paradise of elegant pavilions, amid gardens and pools, all perched 180 metres (600ft) above the surrounding jungle. The rock was transformed into an immense recumbent lion by the addition of a brick-built head and foreparts of which only the artfully sculptured paws remain. The impact of the Lion Rock, as it is called, must have been awesome, since even its remnants beggar belief. Executed daringly, on a stupendous scale, it prompts one to marvel at the creative vision that was behind its construction. The creator of Sigiriya was perhaps the most interesting monarch Sri lanka has produced - the brave, murderous and brilliant Kassapa who reigned between AD 477 - 495. The son of king Dhatusena, Kassapa was born to a non-royal consort. Knowing that his half-brother Moggallana, younger but of royal blood, would succed him, he seized the throne, imprisoned Dhatusena, and later killed him for not disclosing the whereabouts of his treasures. (patricide is considered to be one of the five great sins according to Buddhism) Moggallana fled to India intending to return with an army. Seven years after his ascent to the throne, Kassapa moved into his amazing palace at Sigiriya, built for defence in preparation for the revenge attack. The rock's natural defenses were augmented by some ingenious strategies. Broad moats and found elsewhere in Sri Lanka. In the event of an enemy approach, the outer moat was built ago as to flood the entire area between the two moats. A boulder -catapult still stands on the summit waiting to be unleashed upon an awake, the sentry points on the rock summit were strategically placed so that a momentary lapse of attention would send the drowsy guard plunging to his death.
Anuradapura has some of the most famous pagodas(Dagaba) of the country. Ruwanveliseya is one of the best known pagodas in Anuradhapura. It was built in the 2nd Century BC. This was the last work of King Dutugemunu who did not live to see it completed. It is said that thousands of people participated willingly to construct this Dagaba. However the King did not get their services free. He provided them with food, clothing and other necessary items in return. While the Dagaba was being constructed King Dutugemunu fell seriously ill. The King lay at the point of death and the Dagaba was still under construction. Then, to satisfy the King’s desire to see the monument in complete form his brother Tissa had it temporarily finished. He caused a spire to be made out of bamboo and got it covered with white cloth. Kinf Dutugemunu was carried in a palanquin in procession around the Thupa. In this manner he was taken round the Thupa. In this manner he was taken round the Thupa three times. Thus the King was content imagining how the Dagaba would look like when it is completed. He asked Tissa to proceed with the work on the Thupa and later passed away peacefully. Tissa became his successor and completed the Thupa which was named Ruwanveliseya. It is also known as Mahathupa or the Great stupa.
Dalada Maligawa
According to Mandarampura Puwata, the KandyanKingdom was established after king Vimaladarmasuriya ascendent to the throne defeating Yamasinha Bandara in 1592 AD.
The king immediately embraced Buddhism and brought the sacred Tooth Relic to Kandy then known as Senkadagalapura and later came to be known Sri Wardhanapura (meaning the city that increases her beauty) from Delgamuva and built the present Dalada Maligava.
The temple was originally built in two storeys by king Vimaladarmasuriya and subsequently erected a three storeyed building to house the tooth relic. The Pattirippuva or the octagon with the moat in front was added later by the last king of Kandy. Along the moat runs a brick wall, the Diyaweli Bemma or the "Waveswell wall". In the main building the first chamber is called the pallemale and upper chamber is called Uda Male or Vedahitina Maligava where the tooth relic resides.
