SRI LANKA

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3
SRI LANKA
FORMERLY CEYLON

ISLAND COUNTRY LYING IN

THE INDIAN OCEAN AND
SEPARATED FRON
PENINSULAR INDIA BY THE
PALK STRAIT

1948 – SRI LANKA BECAME

AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY
 RELIGION
SRI LANKA • BUDDHISM
CIVILIZATION IS • HINDUISM
CHARACTERIZED BY TWO
FACTORS:

1. PRESERVATION OF
THERVADA BUDDHISM

2. DEVELOPMENT OF
SOPHISTICATED SYSTEM
OF IRRIGATION
 BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE IN SRI
ARCHITECTURE LANKA
• CAVE TEMPLES

• DAGOBAS OR STUPAS

• VATADAGE (CIRCULAR RELIC HOUSE OR SHRINE)

• MEDITATION HOUSES

• ROCK PALACES
SIGIRIYA
• LION ROCK

• GIGANTIC ANCIENT
MEGALITHIC SRI LANKAN
ROCK

• LOCATED NEAR THE CITY OF

DAMBULLA

• 200m HIGH NATURAL

FORMATION

• RUINS OF AN ANCIENT
FORTIFIED PALACE

• UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

SITE IN 1982
SIGIRIYA
• CARVED ENTIRELY IN
STONE

• BUILT IN 405AD BY KING

KASPAYA

• FOUNTAINS, GARDENS,
PONDS, BOULEVARDS

• ONLY ACCESS TO THE

COMPLEX IS A STEEP
STAIRCASE OF 1,200
STEMPS, GUARDED BY
TWO ENORMOUS LION’S
PAWS CARVED IN THE
ROCK
SIGIRIYA
• CARVED ENTIRELY IN
STONE

• BUILT IN 405AD BY KING

KASPAYA

• FOUNTAINS, GARDENS,
PONDS, BOULEVARDS

• ONLY ACCESS TO THE

COMPLEX IS A STEEP
STAIRCASE OF 1,200
STEMPS, GUARDED BY
TWO ENORMOUS LION’S
PAWS CARVED IN THE
ROCK
CAVE TEMPLES
• TEMPLE COMPLEX OF
MIHINTALE – WHERE THE
EARIEST EVIDENCE IF CAVE
TEMPLES WERE FOUND

• UNIQUE FEATURE – USE OF

A DRIP LEDGE CARVED
ALONG THE ROCK WHICH
STOPPED RAINWATER
FROM SUNNING INTO THE
CAVE

• IN TIME, DOORS, WINDOWS,

AND WALLS OF BRICK
WERE ADDED
DAMBULLA CAVE
TEMPLE
• SACRED PILGRIMAGE SITE

• BEST PRESERVED CAVE

TEMPLE COMPLEX IN SRI
LANKA

• BUDDHIST MURAL
PAINTINGS (2,100sqm)

• 157 STATUES

• UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

SITE
DAMBULLA CAVE TEMPLE
DAGOBA / STUPA
• BUILT TO ENSHRINE RELICS

• ENTRANCES WERE LAID OUT SO

THAT THEIR CENTER LIES
POINTED TO THE RELIC
CHAMBERS

• ORNAMENTED VAHALKADA
WAS ADDED TO THE STUPA
AROUND THE SECOND CENTURY

VAHALKADA – FACE THE CARDINAL

POINTS AND ORNAMENTED WITH
ANIMALS, FLOWERS, SWANS, AND
DWARFS

• PILLARD ON THE EITHER SIDE

CARRY FIGURES OF LIONS, VAHALKADA, KANTAKA CHETHIYA AT MIHINTALE
ELEPHANTS, HORSES OR BULLS,
DEPENING ON THE DIRECTION
OF THE STRUCTURE
JETAVANARAMAYA
• LARGEST STUPA IN SRI
LANKA

• TALLEST STUPA IN THE

WORLD (122m OR 400ft)

• THIRD TALLEST
STRUCTURE IN THE
WORLD WHEN KING
MAHASENA OF
ANURADHAPURA BUILT IT

• LOCATED IN THE RUINS OF

JETAVANA MONASTERY IN
THE UNESCO WORLD
HERITAGE CITY OF
ANURADHAPURA
JETAVANARAMAYA
• MADE FROM BRICK

• FINELY CRUSHED
DOLOMITE, LIMESTONE,
SIEVED SAND AND CLAY
PROVIDED BONDING
MATERIAL FOR THE BRICKS
RUWANWELISAYA
• ALSO MAHATHUPA (THE
GREAT THUPA)

• ONE OF THE WORLD’S

TALLEST ANCIENT
MONUMENTS

• 103m HIGH, 209m

CIRCUMFERENCE

• TWO QUARTS OR ONE

DRONA OF THE BUDDHA’S
RELICS ARE ENSHRINED IN
THE STUPA
VATADAGE
• CIRCULAR RELIC HOUSE
OR SHRINE

• BUILT AROUND SMALL

STUPAS FOR THEIR
PROTECTION

• COMMONLY BUILT OF
STONE AND BRICK

• ADORNED WITH
ELABORATE STONE
CARVINGS

• MAY ALSO HAVE WOODEN

ROOF SUPPORTED BY A
NUMBER OF STONE
COLUMNS ENTRANCE OF POLONNARUWA VATADAGE
VATADAGE
• OFTEN HAD FOUR
ENTRANCES, ORIENTED TO
THE FOUR CARDINAL
DIRECTIONS

MODEL OF THUPARAMA VATADAGE IN THE MUSEUM OF ANURADHAPURA

THUPARAMAYA STUPA IN ANURADHAPURA, SRI LANKA
ROYAL PALACE
OF KANDY
• ROYAL RESIDENCE OF THE
SRI LANKAN MONARCHY

• BUILT BY KING
VICKRAMABAHU III (1357-
1374) AND BY
SENASAMATHA
VICKRAMABAHU (1469-
1511) OF THE KINGDOM OF
GAMPILA

• HAS THREE WAHALKADAS

(GATEWAYS)

• 8 feet (2.4m) HIGH WALL

USED AS MAIN ANTRANCE
DALADA
MALIGAVA
“TEMPLE OF THE TOOTH”

WHERE A TOOTH OF THE

BUDDHA IS BELIEVED TO BE
PRESERVED

LOCATED AIN THE ROYAL

PALACE COMPLEX OF THE
FORMER KINGDOM OF KANDY
Thank you!
TIBET
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3
MOUNT
KAILASH
SITS ON THE HIGHEST
PLATEAU IN THE WORLD

SITUATED IN THE HIMALAYAS

BOUNDARIES:

INDIA – SOUTH AND WEST

NEPAL AND BHUTAN – SOUTH

CHINA – NORTH AND EAST

MOUNT
KAILASH
BELIEVED TO BE THE AXIS
MUDI

AKA THE COSMIC AXIS,

WORLD AXIS, WORLD PILLAR,
CENTRE OF THE WORLD

MAJOR PILGRIMAGE SITE FOR

SOME BUDDHIST TRADITIONS

52KM LONG – PATH AROUND

MOUNT KAILASH
 TIBETAN BUDDHISM – DOMINANT RELIGION
RELIGION BON – NATIVE RELIGION IN TIBET, WORSHIP OF
NATURE
ARCHITECTURE
REFLECTS CHINESE AND

INDIAN INFLUENCES

PRIVATE HOMES HAVE

BUDDHIST PRAYER FLAGS
FLYING FROM THE ROOFTOP

MOST DESIRABLE BUILDING

SITES ARE ON ELEVATED
LAND AND FACING SOUTH
CHORTEN
TIBETAN STUPA

DOME IS SMALLER AND THE

SPIRE IS MORE PROMINENT
THE GREAT STUPA, INDIA DAGOBA, SRI LANKA CHORTEN, TIBET
 • ORGANIC DESIGN TO COMPLIMENT THE
ARCHITECTURE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS

• USE OF NATURAL MATERIALS: STONE, CLAY,

AND WOOD

• RANGING FROM ONE TO THREE STORIES IN

HEIGHT

ROOFING
• FLAT ROOFS WITH PARAPETS – IN CENTRAL AND
WESTERN TIBETAN PLATEAU WITH SELDOM RAIN
• SLOPING ROOF COVERED EITHER IN SLATE,
SHINGLES, OR CERAMIC TILE

PLAN

SYMMETRICAL IN LAYOUT AND FAÇADE DESIGN

 WALLS
ARCHITECTURE USE OF STONE OR RAMMED EARTH MAY BE UP TO
A METER THICK AT THE BASE

TEMPLES AND MANOR HOUSES

SLIGHTLY TRAPEZOIDAL FORM, HEAVY AT THE
BOTTOM (STONE FOUNDATIONS) AND LIGHT AT
THE TOP, GENERALLY WITH BATTERED WALLS

WINDOWS
USUALLY SMALL BECAUSE THE WALLS ARE SO
HEAVY THAT LARGE OPENINGS WOULD MAKE THE
STRUCTURE WEAK AND UNSTABLE
ARCHITECTURE
DETAILED CODE FOR THE
DOORS, WINDOWS AND
PARAPETS

INCLUDING BLACK FRAMES

AROUND DOORS AND
WINDOWS

COMPLEX WOODEN
OVERHANG DECORATIONS
POTALA
PALACE
• LOCATED IN MOBURI (RED)
MOUNTAIN IN THE CENTER
OF THE LHASA VALLEY AT
AN ALTITUDE OF 3,700m

• WINTER PALAC OF THE

DALAI LAMA SINCE THE 7TH
C. SYMBOLIZES TIBETANAN
BUDDHISM AND ITS
CENTRAL ROLE IN THE
TRADITIONAL
ADMINISTRATION OF TIBET

• UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

SITE
POTALA
PALACE
• THE COMPLEX COVERS AN
AREA OF 130,000 sqm

• STANDS MORE THAN 110m

HIGH

• 13 STOREY PALACE AND

OTHER ANCILLIAR BUILDING:
• OUTER WHITE PALACE – HOUSES THE
ADMINISTRATIVE QUARTERS, WHERE
ALL MAIN CEREMONIES TAKES PLACE
• INNER RED QUARTERS – HOUSES THE
ASSEMBLY HALL OF THE LAMAS,
CHAPELS, 10,000 SHRINES, STUPAS,
AND A VAST LIBRARY OF BUDDHISM
SCULPTURES
• MADE OF STONE AND WOOD

• WALLS ARE 1-5 METERS

THICK
WALLS OF THE RED ROOFTOP OF THE FORMER QUARTERS OF THE DALAI LAMA
PALACE POTALA
JOKHANG
TEMPLE
MONASTERY
• MOST REVERED AND
INTENSELY SPIRITUAL
SACRED MONASTERY IN
TIBET

• CALLED THE “TSULAG

KHANG” OR HOUSE OF
WISDOM, BUT IS NOW
KNOWN AS THE JOKHANG
WHICH MEANS “HOUSE OF
BUDDHA”

• GOLDEN ROOF – BLEND OF

LOCAL TIBETAN
ELEMENTS WITH
NEPALESE, CHINESE, AND
INDIAN INFLUENCES
ORIGINALLY CONSISTS OF 8 SHRINES.
RENOVATED AND EXPANDED DURING THE YUAN DYNASTY, THE MING DYNASTY, AND THE QING DYNASTY
CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD AND STONE
ARCHITECTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
EXTERIOR – EARLY RESPRESENTATIONS OF BUDDHSM SUCH AS DEER AND WHEEL MOTIFS
INTERIOR – MAZE OF CHAPELS DEVOTED TO DIFFERENT GODS AND BODHISATTVAS AND A SIGNIFICANT COLLECTION OF CULTURAL
ARTIFACTS SURROUNDED BY CANDLES AND INCENSE.
HOLIEST OBJECT IN TIBET – LIFE-SIZE STATUE OF JOWO SHAKYAMUNI ADORNED WITH JEWELS, HEART OF THE JOKHANG TEMPLE
 11
1 – MAIN ENTRANCE

2 – MAIN OPEN COURTYARD

7
3 – NANGKOR – INNER KORA 3
10
4 – MAIN ASSEMBLY HALL

5 – JOWO CHAPEL 11
1 2 4 3
6 – LARGE OPEN COURTYARD W/
WELL

7 – MONKS QUARTERS
8
8 – MAIN KITCHEN 3

9 – OUTDOOR ASSEMBLY ASQUARE

11 6

10 – ENCLOSURES
11
11 – SECONDARY ENTRANCES

9
NORBULINGKA
MONASTERY
• NORBULINGKA (TREASURE
MONASTERY)

• LOCATED AT THE BANK OF THE

LHASA RIVER ABOUT 2KM WEST
OF POTALA PALACE

• 36 HECTARES, CONSISTS OF
LARGE GARDEN WITH SEVERAL
PALACES, HALLS, AND
PAVILLIONS

• STARTED IN 1751, WITH THE UYA

PALACE, DALAI LAMAS
CONTINUED BUILDING
PAVILIONS, PALACES AND
HALLS, MAKING IT THEIR
SUMMER RESIDENCE

• BECAME ANOTHER RELIGIOUS,

POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL
CENTER OF TIBET AFTER THE
Thank you!