Paththirippuwa

The Paththirippuwa, also known as the Octagonal Pavilion, is a magnificent architectural structure located at the entrance of the Kandy Maligawa(Palace) in Sri Lanka.[1]

Paththirippuwa
General information
TypePavilion
AddressSri Dalada Maligawa
Town or cityKandy
CountrySri Lanka
Construction started1802

The name is derived from the Tamil language, whereby "Parthu" means 'to see' and "Irippu" means 'seated', the combination of which is 'to sit and see all around'.[2]

The front section of the temple, together with the Pattirippuwa was built in 1802, during the reign of King Sri Vickrama Rajasingha, by the royal architect, Devendra Moolacharya.[3] Moolacharya is also credited with the designing and construction of the Magul Maduwa (the Audience Hall), the Kandy Lake (Kiri Muhuda), Walakula Bamma (Cloud Wall) and Diyarella Bemma.[4] The Pattirippuwa was constructed on the site of the old temple kitchen.[5]

The Pattirippuwa was intended as a place where Rajasingha could exhibit the sacred tooth relic to the surrounding populace,[6] view the temple festivals, peraheras and on important occasions address his subjects. The symbolism of its octagonal form, reinforced the view that when the king stood in the tower, with the eight points in the compass radiating out around him he stood at the centre of the world.[7]

During the British period, it had been used to house an oriental library where the upstairs was used to accommodate the library and downstairs to provide space for the librarian monk.[8] It currently houses the temple's library of ancient palm leaf buddhist manuscripts and books.[6][9]

On 11 February 1948, following the country's political independence from British rule, the national flag (Lion Flag) was raised for the first time over the Paththirippuwa.[10][11]

On 25 January 1998 the temple, including the Pattirippuwa, was severely damaged following the detonation of a truck bomb by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[12][13] The restoration work on the Pattirippuwa was undertaken by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, under the managing director, H. A. Wijegunawardhana, with the guidance of the Department of Archaeology.[14] The restoration process took over a year and was completed by August 1999.[15]

References
  1. "Kandy Dalada maligawa". Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. "A Painting on the Opening of the Paththirippuwa (The Octagon) : Sri Dalada Maligawa in 1802". Asian Tribune. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  3. Seneviratna, Anuradha (1983). Kandy: An Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments with Historical, Archaeological and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Sri Lanka: Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs. p. 86.
  4. Attygalle, Randima (5 March 2017). "A tale of the Kandyan royal architect and court intrigue". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  5. Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources. Plâté Limited. 1924. p. 158.
  6. The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register, Volume 4. 1919. p. 81.
  7. Duncan, James S.; Ley, David (2013). Place/Culture/Representation. Routledge. p. 239. ISBN 9781135860288.
  8. Abeyawardana, H. A. P. (2004). Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p. 12. ISBN 955-575-093-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  9. Seneviratne, Shane (1 April 2007). "Leafing through the pages in a historic store house". Sunday Times. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  10. "58th Independence Day Celebrations - National Day of Sri Lanka". Daily News. 4 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  11. "58th Independence Day celebrations - Looking back..." Sunday Observer. 29 January 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  12. Attygala, Udena (31 January 1999). "One year after the LTTE attack, Maligawa is slowly returning to its former glory". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  13. Handunnetti, Dilrukshi (12 April 1999). "Maligawa: A slow restoration". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  14. "Paththirippuwa (The Octagon)". Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic). Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  15. Wijesuriya, Gamini (October 2005). "Cultural Heritage in Postwar Recovery" (PDF). In Stanley-Price, Nicolas (ed.). Armed conflict and conservation: Promoting cultural heritage in postwar recovery. 2nd ICCROM Forum. Rome: International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. pp. 87–97. ISBN 92-9077-201-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2012.

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