Hulugalla Tampita Viharaya (Kandyan Period)
Rock tends to be timber in the design of the Tampita Viharaya, meaning a temple on pillars. The Hulugalla Tampita Viharaya is a timber structure elevated on a 16-pillard monolithic foundation. An ornate wooden door acts as the main entrance to a raised inner chamber. Religious murals and Buddha statues take refuge in the scared constructed of timber roofing and floorboards. The ceiling is covered with lotus flower patterns.
A need to protect the wooden façade and interior artworks against white ants, woodworm and dampness informed the Tampita structural design. Kandyan aesthetics influenced its veranda, rafters and shutters, built to further protect the enclosed shrine. The Tampita Viharaya vernacular tradition resembles that of the Ambalama rest house where both rely on rock foundations.
Yapahuwa Rock Fortress (Yapahuwa Period)
A palace. A shrine and a fortress, the ephemeral Yapahuwa Rock Fortress was a triple threat to the enemy. In a time of political unrest, its engineers were limited ti a few years to fortify the monarchy within a thick stone rampart and security moat. Cunning defense design prescribed the building of the iconic three-tiered stairway. The flights of steps were troublesomely narrow in width and varying in height so as to stump emerging invaders, forcing them to slow down and make their ascent sideways. The second stairway consisting of 65 steps is the most challenging assent. A threateningly steep precipice lay below. Two fearsome lion sculptures stand guard ahead. If a perpetrator were successful in penetrating the stairway, they gained access to the symbolic heart of the Nation, the Shrine of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The one taking its possession became king.
Urusita Wewa Biso Kotuwa (Anuradhapura Period)
The standout technological innovation to emerge from ancient Sri Lanka is the Biso Kotuwa. The devise played the crucial role of regulating the water pressure from reservoirs prior to distribution. A narrow inlet sluice receives water from the Urusita Wewa Reservoir and forces the water to reduce in pressure by moving in upwards inside the Biso Kotuwa valve pit. The water thence adopts a disciplined condition as in travels under a bund and enters a series of outlet sluice gates. The adjoining canals measure the out the water under the guardianship of a seven headed cobra. Careful research and calculations, concerning topography and gravity, primed the perfectly intact Urusita Wewa valve pit and sluice gate combination. The formation of an ancient hydraulic civilization is unequivocally attributed to the invention of the Biso Kotuwa.
Ritigala Forest Monastery (Anuradhapura Period)
The Ritigala Forest Monastery is akin to a planned city albeit within a dense ancient forest. Its masterwork s a mile-long axial footpath deftly paved in an interlocking formation. The elongated stone pathway neatly contained within kerbstones assisted many hundreds of monks to navigate through the jungle. Circular courtyards built into the footpath may have acted as pit-stops. Archaeological remains of over 70 buildings including double-platform dwellings, a hospital, granite bridges, sauna baths, meditation halls and toilets are further proof of a dedicated monastic planner at work here. As one follows the footpath into the forest monastery, a sense of serenity takes over. The Ritigala Monastic scheme exemplifies the potential for humans and nature to coexist in harmony.
