Tag: monastery

Special Feature — THE FORGOTTEN TEMPLE: Dakkinagiriya & the Other Kaludiya Pokuna

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A thousand-year-old ‘mountain monastery’, lost in the Kaludiya Pokuna Forest, east of Dambulla; forgotten by the tour guides, and seemingly by time itself. For the visitor seeking something literally off the beaten track, the Dakkinagiri Viharaya is an intriguing but serene detour away from the well-trodden sites of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle.”

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The stupa of the 9th century Dakkinagiri Viharaya, with Erawalgala behind it.
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Ucchedavada 

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The abandoned Maduwegala Aranya Senasanaya, a Buddhist forest monastery, close to Konwewa, in Maho. February 2022.

In Search of the Jungle Buddha

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Madakada Aranya Senasanaya, Sri Lanka #4 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
A banyan tree forms a natural arch over a walkway leading through the rain forests of Ingiriya, in southwestern Sri Lanka, to the Madakada Aranya Senasanaya, a Buddhist monastery where monks meditate in caves in the hillside. Shot on assignment for Serendib, the inflight magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines. My photo story, Jungle Streams and Trails in Ingiriya, ran in the December 2017 issue.
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Solomon’s Garden #2

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Solomon's Garden #2 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
The riverside entrance to a landscaped garden, named after a beloved former staff member of the Roman Catholic Daham Sevana Intermediate Seminary, at Mt Eden, in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. February 2017. Shot on assignment for Serendib, the inflight magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines.
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The Jungle Buddha

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Madakada Aranya Senasanaya by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
A mural of the Buddha at the Madakada Aranya Senasanaya, a monastery in the rain forests of Ingiriya, Sri Lanka. Shot for my photo story, “Jungle Streams and Trails in Ingiriya”, which ran in the December 2017 issue of Serendib magazine.

Poya Day in Medirigiriya #5

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Poya Day in Medirigiriya, Sri Lanka #5 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
Shot for my photo story, “Circles within Circles“, on the Medirigiriya complex, which is the cover feature of Serendib‘s May 2018 issue.
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The Burning of a King

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The Pidurangala Viharaya, Sri Lanka by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
The stupa of the 5th century Pidurangala Viharaya, sitting in the shadow of Pidurangala Mountain, is believed to be the site of Kashyapa I’s funeral pyre. One of the most famous kings in Sri Lankan history, Kashyapa seized his father Dhatusena’s throne in a coup d’etat, moved the capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya, and then fell on his own sword when his army was defeated by that of his half brother Moggalana. The fortress he built atop the Sigiriya rock is arguably Sri Lanka’s best known tourist attraction. Shot for my photo story, “Sigiriya and Pidurangala“, which runs in the April 2018 issue of Serendib magazine.

The Forgotten Temple #50

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The Forgotten Temple, Sri Lanka #50 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
The crumbling brick stupa of the 9th century Dakkinagiri Viharaya, a rural Buddhist monastery of the ‘pabbata viharaya’ type. The stairs are flanked by guard stones, on the largest of which is a carved Nagaraja (the king of snakes; a Hindu deity), while the smaller holds medieval Sinhalese script, identifying Dakkinagiriya to the time of King Sena II of Anuradhapura. Shot for my photo story, “A Mountain Monastery Forgotten by Time“; the cover feature of Serendib magazine’s March 2018 issue.

The Forgotten Temple #4

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The Forgotten Temple, Sri Lanka #4 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
The stupa of the 9th century Dakkinagiri Viharaya, built by King Sena II of Anuradhapura. Dakkinagiriya is a prime example of a ‘pabbata viharaya’, a suburban or rural Buddhist monastery, distinguished from the urban monasteries of Anuradhapura, such as the Abhayagiriya, by a unique architectural design that appeared around the 7th century. In the background is the Erawalgala Ridge which, along with the viharaya, is surrounded by the Kaludiya Pokuna Forest, a protected area east of Dambulla and the Kandalama Tank. Shot for my photo story, “A Mountain Monastery Forgotten by Time“; the cover feature of the March 2018 issue of Serendib magazine.

The Forgotten Temple

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The Forgotten Temple #36 by Son of the Morning Light on 500px.com
The distinctive architecture of a ‘pabbata viharaya’, a form of rural monastery first appearing around the 7th century, is seen in the ruins of the Dakkinagiri Viharaya’s wall and moat. Shot for my photo story, ‘A Mountain Monastery Forgotten by Time‘; the cover feature of the March 2018 issue of Serendib magazine.
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