Dondra
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 Sri Lanka
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| Province : | Southern province | ||
| District : | Matara | ||
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Dondra (or Devinuwara ) is a settlement on the extreme southern tip of Sri Lanka , in the Indian Ocean near Matara . The Dondra Head Lighthouse , ruins of several Hindu shrines of the Tondeswaram temple and a Vihara (Buddhist temple) are nearby.
etymology
Dondra is a modified form of Theivanthurai ( God's port ) of Tamil origin. The place is mentioned in the Culavamsa .
history
Historically known as Devinuwara Temple Port City or Devinuwara Temple City, Dondra was a historic temple port city complex until the late 16th century . A multi-religious site, its main deity was the Buddhist god Upulvan and at its height it was one of the most famous religious sites on the island, with a thousand statues of the various sects of Hinduism and Buddhism. Coming from the time of Dappula I of Anuradhapura , it was maintained during its time as a popular pilgrimage destination and famous merchants' guild in the port city, especially by Sinhalese kings and trade guilds, who had extensive contacts to Asia, Africa, Europe and the Malabar coast . The temple was built on arched arches on the promontory overlooking the Indian Ocean. Under the patronage of various Sinhala and Tamil royal dynasties and pilgrims, the Tondeswaram Temple became one of the most important places of worship. Built in the Chera style of classical Dravidian architecture , it covered a vast area that housed shrines for many Hindu deities such as Shiva and Vishnu . The rediscovered statues and ruins from the 5th to 7th centuries AD reflect the highlights of Pallava art.
The central gopuram tower of the Vimana and the other gopura towers that dominated the city were covered on their roofs with plates of gilded brass, gold, and copper, and the city's many shrines were bordered with elaborate arches and gates, suggesting that gave the entire temple complex the appearance of a city for sailors visiting the commercial port and relying on its light-reflecting gopura roofs for navigation purposes. Chroniclers, travelers, and temple benefactors describe the entire city as the property of the temple and living exclusively on merchants during the Middle Ages. The temple complex was visited by Ibn Battūta in the 14th century and by Zheng He in the 15th century .
The temple was destroyed in February 1587 by the Portuguese De Sousa d'Arronches , who devastated the entire south coast. Its ruins of granite pillars that formed the mandapa of the shrines are found in the city, which is spread over a considerable area. Much of the temple's masonry was thrown from the cliff into the sea. The temple's old lingam statue and Nandi sculpture , excavated in 1998, provide early examples of Pallava's Hindu contributions to the island.
The rebuilt temple at Vishnu and the Vihara still attracts pilgrims today, and in the month of Esala (July-August) the Dondra Market and Perahara take place for eight days.
Dondra was once the capital of Sri Lanka.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Buddhist Vishnu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture , By John C. Holt, pp. 5, 67-87, 97-100, 113, 257, 343, 413 (Columbia University Press)
- ↑ 112th death anniversary of CH de Soysa, patriot and philanthropist unequalled