Sigiriya and Its Significance: A Mahayana-Theravada Buddhist MonasteryThe monumental complex of Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in the central province of Sri Lanka and traditionally has been deemed to be the capital and site of the palace of Kassapa I, 5th-6th century AD. Drawing on archaeological, literary, religious and cultural evidence from Sigiriya, and from Sri Lanka and India in general, Raja de Silva presents a brand new theory on the identity and function of the site. Casting doubt on earlier interpretations of the site as a palace or fortress, he suggests that Sigiriya was never the abode of a God King', but was a long-standing monastery built several centuries before the time of Kassapa. The paintings for which Sigiriya has long been famous are reinterpreted, not as ladies from Kassapa's court, but as representations of Tara, the most important goddess in Mahayana Buddhism to whom the building was dedicated. |
From inside the book
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Page 33
... lion clan thereby receiving its name , there is no special reason to associate Kassapa I ( or any other Sri Lankan king ) with a lion . The colossal lion figure is unlikely to have been a whimsical decorative feature set up to ...
... lion clan thereby receiving its name , there is no special reason to associate Kassapa I ( or any other Sri Lankan king ) with a lion . The colossal lion figure is unlikely to have been a whimsical decorative feature set up to ...
Page 34
... lion capital . Courtesy ASI . In the Mahayana discourse , The Lotus of the Good Law ( Saddharmapundarika - sutra ) ( Watson 1993 ch.7 p.137 ) , the Buddha is addressed by his disciples as the Lion : " Saintly Lion , let the Dharma rain ...
... lion capital . Courtesy ASI . In the Mahayana discourse , The Lotus of the Good Law ( Saddharmapundarika - sutra ) ( Watson 1993 ch.7 p.137 ) , the Buddha is addressed by his disciples as the Lion : " Saintly Lion , let the Dharma rain ...
Page 36
... lion which is prominently displayed on the top of the columns of the four cardinal gateways of the stupa . 29 . The lion figures on the Asokan columns and stupas were designed to direct the minds of devotees to the life and teachings of ...
... lion which is prominently displayed on the top of the columns of the four cardinal gateways of the stupa . 29 . The lion figures on the Asokan columns and stupas were designed to direct the minds of devotees to the life and teachings of ...
Contents
The literary record | 5 |
Archaeological evidence | 13 |
Literary light on ancient viharas | 63 |
Copyright | |
Common terms and phrases
abhaya-mudra Abhayagiri Ajanta Cave ancient Anuradhapura Approach Stairway apsaras Archaeological asana Avalokitesvara Bandaranayake Bell ASCAR Bell HCP Bhikkhu Bodhisattva brick Buddha Buddhist monasteries building built Bulathsinhala Ceylon chronicle clouds Colombo Conze Coomaraswamy Courtesy ASD Courtesy Studio dagoba dated deity dentils depicted Deraniyagala devotee Dhammaruci Dhatusena escarpment evidence excavated female figures flower fresco pockets gallery Geiger gesture Ghosh goddess Govt graffiti hand Hirakawa India inscription interpretation ISBN jataka JRAS(CB Kassapa king Ksitigarbha limestone lion lion-staircase house London lotus Mahavamsa Mahavihara Mahayana Mahayana-Theravada Mahayanist Malalasekera moats Moggallana monastic monks mudra Nagarjunakonda Northern Approach NOTE palace Pali Paranavitana Paranavitana 1956 period pleasure gardens Raja de Silva rampart record religious RH de Silva secular Sigiri Sigiriya paintings Sigiriya rock sima Sinhala sixth century AC southern Sri Lanka summit Tara terrace Thera Theravada Univ urna-loma vihara western escarpment western gardens western side Wijesekera Willson wingstone worship