The Tampitaviharas Of Sri Lanka Av Kapila D. Silva, Dhammika P. Chandrasekara

<p><em>The ?ämpi?aviharas of Sri Lanka</em> focuses on one distinctive Buddhist architectural practice from pre-modern Sri Lanka – the construction of Buddha image-houses on elevated wooden platforms supported by stone pillars. As a centre of Buddhism, Sri Lanka has a rich tradition of erecting Buddha image-houses, the origin of which dates to the fifth century. Yet, the <em>?ämpi?avihara</em> tradition only existed from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The <em>?ämpi?avihara</em> is an exceptional type of image-house, not only for its specific timeframe and unique construction technology, but also for its complex architectural conception of the Buddhist worldview and soteriology. This book examines the significant aspects of <em>?ämpi?avihara</em> architecture and documents some of the distinctive examples of <em>?ämpi?avihara</em> with an analysis of their architectural design and symbolic content.</p>