GAL VIHARA, Polonnaruwa

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A south-west facing, partly artificial cave (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1983: 110), partly natural cavern BAKER (1855, IV), man-made excavation (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 489), small rock cavity (LONELY PLANET 2003: 235), rock temple or Felsentempel (BERGER 1992/93: 315) represents one of the few rock temples (man-made rock chambers) on the island of Sri Lanka (note 1). ETYMOLOGY: The Sinhala -gal- is a contraction of -gala- (rock) and -vihara- is Buddhist complex, including a shrine containing a statue of the Buddha, a congregational hall and a monk's house (LONELY PLANET, Sri Lanka 2003: 295). BERGER (1992/93: 315) equates the Sinhala -gal vihara- with the German Felsentempel (rock temple). SITUATION: At Polonnaruwa (N07°56': E081°00') … just across the road north of the Kiri Vihara (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1983: 110). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2003 (LONELY PLANET 2003: 235): This group of beautiful Buddha images probably marks the high point of Sinhalese rock carving … The Gal Vihara consists of fourseparate images, all cut from one long slab of granite … The one in the small rock cavity is smaller and of inferior quality. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1859 (TENNENT 1859, 1860 vol. 1: 489): The utmost effort at excavation [of man-made rock chambers in Ceylon] never appears to have advanced beyond the second stage attained in Bengal; a small cell with a few columns to support a verandah in front; and even of this but very few examples now exist in Ceylon, the most favourable being the Gal-wihara at Pollanarrua [Polonnaruwa], which, according to the Rajavali, was executed by Prakrama I., in the 12th century [Mahawanso, ch. lxxvii]. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1855 (BAKER 1855, IV): Toparé, anciently called Pollanarua (Polonnaruwa) where … the small rock temple, which, being hewn out of the solid stone, is still in complete preservation. This is a small chamber in the face of an abrupt rock, which, doubtless, being partly a natural cavern, has been enlarged to the present size by the chisel; and the entrane, which may have been originally a small hole, has been shaped into an arched doorway. The interior is not more than perhaps twenty-five feet by eighteen, and is simply fitted up with an altar and the three figures of Buddha, in the positions in which he is usually represented -the sitting, the reclining [recumbent] and the standing postures. The exterior of the temple is far more interesting. The narrow archway is flanked on either side by two inclined planes, hewn from the face of the rock, about eighteen feet high by twelve in width. These are completely covered with an inscription in the old Pali language …e, which may have been originally a small hole, has been shaped into an arched doorway. The interior is not more than perhaps twenty-five feet by eighteen, and is simply fitted up with an altar and the three figures of Buddha, in the positions in which he is usually represented -the sitting, the reclining [recumbent] and the standing postures. The exterior of the temple is far more interesting. The narrow archway is flanked on either side by two inclined planes, hewn from the face of the rock, about eighteen feet high by twelve in width. These are completely covered with an inscription in the old Pali language …