Preserving our heritage

Tuesday, 15 December 2020 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A 210-year-old masterpiece stands majestically in the middle of the Panadura town, providing a spiritual haven for thousands of devotees belonging to all walks of life; irrespective of their race, class or creed — even religion.

It is chronicled that this temple, ‘Rankoth Viharaya’, was built in 1810 on a stone quarry and was known as ‘Galkande Viharaya’, which later turned into an iconic landmark in Panadura, with period architecture. Well-known philanthropists of Panadura had donated selflessly towards the development and upkeep of this temple then. Prof. Kahapola Sugatharatana Mahanayake Thero — a learned monk who believes in preserving the heritage of the temple without resorting to ‘modernisation’ of its ambience, which is the unique feature of this temple — has headed the temple since 1981. Due to the ageing of its buildings and the stupa, constant maintenance and repairs are deemed necessary. This is mostly needed in the preservation of the ‘Budu Medura’, which is adorned with 19th-century post-Kandyan low-country art from the roof to floor.

A cost of Rs. 5 million has been estimated by the Central Cultural Fund for the restoration of this unique temple art — a project which is expected to span 4-5 years. It is with the objective of raising funds for this restoration project that a very informative website has been launched. While Prageeth Wimalarathne captured the many facets of the temple with his sensitive photographic skills, the team at ‘We Are Designers’ worked passionately to bring out the vision to life with this site and were committed partners in our mission. Please visit rankothviharaya-panadura.com and donate generously to make this project a reality for the sake of our culture and heritage. Each rupee donated will be accounted for by a responsible team that will manage the funds and the project.