5/5 Manmatharajah Y. 3 years ago on Google
The
history
of
Sri
Ponnambalavaneswaram
Temple
dates
back
to
over
a
century.
In
1857,
Ponnambalam
Mudaliar,
a
local
nobleman,
wanted
to
provide
a
place
of
worship
for
the
Hindus
living
in
Colombo.
The
country
was
under
British
rule
at
the
time;
Mudaliar
built
a
small
temple
to
Lord
Shiva,
which
became
a
safe
haven
for
the
Hindus
of
that
time.
Many
years
later,
in
1905,
the
temple
was
acquired
by
Sir
Ponnambalam
Ramanathan,
the
son
of
Ponnambalam
Mudaliar,
an
independent
revolutionary.
This
same
man
later
became
known
as
one
of
the
key
stones
of
Sri
Lanka's
independence.
All
Sri
Lankans
today
are
well
known
for
his
speeches
and
legal
work
during
the
crisis
that
arose
during
Sri
Lanka's
struggle
for
independence.
Ramanathan
served
as
an
Attorney
General
during
the
Sinhala-Muslim
riots
of
1915;
He
argued
passionately
against
the
British
government,
and
he
was
a
D.S.
He
arrested
several
prominent
Sinhala
leaders,
including
Senanayake,
who
would
later
become
Sri
Lanka's
first
prime
minister.
After
all,
Ramanathan
was
a
very
talented
and
additionally
a
pious
man.
Shortly
after
receiving
the
temple,
he
had
a
visionary
dream
where
he
told
Lord
Shiva
to
build
a
model
temple.
Ramanathan
got
up
and
decided
to
build
a
temple
that
would
last
for
many
years,
which
was
complete
according
to
ancient
Hindu
scriptures.
He
brought
the
most
famous
sculptors
of
the
time
from
South
India
and
had
a
temple
designed
in
the
ancient
Dravidian
style.
The
temple
is
built
in
the
traditional
style
with
raw
materials
from
Veyangoda
Quarry
Quarry
and
locally.
Temple
Sri
Ponnambalavaneswaram
is
only
one
of
the
few
solid
granite
temples
in
Sri
Lanka.
Many
were
destroyed
during
time,
war
or
various
foreign
invasions.
However,
solid
black
granite
construction
is
a
feature
of
the
temples,
which
were
made
according
to
ancient
Hindu
scriptures.
Other
features
include
qualified
temple
building
and
construction
by
sculptors
from
the
families
of
the
temple
builders,
designs
designed
to
model
human
anatomy,
sculptural
elements
included,
and
more.
Accordingly
the
builders
of
Sri
Ponnambalavaneswaram
came
from
long
workers
who
had
been
building
temples
for
many
generations.
They
were
trained
under
their
family
and
learned
the
superior
skills
passed
down
from
their
ancestors.
As
a
result,
the
work
done
on
the
temple
is
complex
and
precise,
so
life-like
sculptures
seem
to
be
ready
to
stand
up
and
walk.
Tall
tower
(a
kind
of
traditional
conical
temple
similar
to
that
of
the
Spire
Mayan
temples,
although
more
complex);
Rising
ceilings,
decorative
arches,
each
with
a
beautifully
carved
pillar;
Perfectly
cut
and
carved
walls;
Swans,
cows,
peacocks,
guard
dwarfs,
sculptures
of
gods
and
goddesses
and
many
more
adorning
the
roofs
of
each
shrine;
All
these
make
Sri
Ponnambalavaneswaram
a
work
of
art
that
adds
pride
to
Sri
Lanka.
Looking
at
them
it
is
hard
to
believe
that
something
so
delicate
and
elegant
can
be
made
of
solid
stone;
It
makes
one
appreciate
the
great
time
and
effort
that
must
have
gone
into
every
pillar,
every
wall,
every
sculpture.
According
to
the
Vedas
the
human
body
is
considered
to
be
the
microcosm
of
the
vast
universe.
All
Hindu
temples
are
properly
made
to
show
this
concept.
The
main
shrine
represents
the
headquarters
or
‘primary
place’
and
the
heart
and
is
similar
to
the
center
of
the
universe.
The
remaining
temples
are
placed
around
it.
The
way
devotees
worship
in
the
temple
is
like
the
flow
of
blood
through
vessels
or
the
universe
revolving
on
its
axis.
They
start
from
the
headquarters
(heart);
Go
to
each
shrine
representing
the
vital
elements
and
complete
their
worship
in
the
heart
again.
This
concept
can
be
found
in
Sri
Ponnambalavaneswaram.
