5/5 Paochieh C. 3 years ago on Google
It
was
on
August
19,
1922,
on
the
occasion
of
the
College
Jubilee
that
Rev
Foss
Westcott,
Metropolitan
of
India
and
Ceylon,
laid
the
foundation
stone
of
the
College
Chapel.
The
initiative
was
taken
by
Rev
A
G
Fraser,
who
was
the
Principal
of
the
College
at
that
time.
The
students
had
been
worshipping
at
Oakley’s
Church,
which
was
on
the
school
premises.
However,
Rev
Fraser
was
dissatisfied
as
it
did
not
fulfill
the
spiritual
requirements
of
the
school.
Therefore,
it
was
decided
that
a
new
chapel
would
be
built
on
the
former
cricket
grounds.
Interestingly,
the
architect
of
the
Trinity
Chapel
was
Vice-Principal
Rev
L
J
Gaster.
As
both
the
Principal
and
Vice-Principal
appreciated
and
respected
Sri
Lankan
culture
and
heritage,
inspiration
was
drawn
from
the
ancient
kingdoms
of
the
island.
They
wanted
to
create
a
place
of
worship
that
belonged
to
the
country
and
did
not
seem
foreign
in
architecture
or
design.
It
was
during
this
time
that
archaeologists
had
uncovered
historical
sites
from
beneath
the
jungles.
And
Rev
Gaster
on
his
visits
to
Polonnaruwa
was
able
to
witness
the
beautiful,
detailed,
and
skillful
craftsmanship
of
magnificent
structures
that
had
been
created
using
stone
without
machines.
The
stone
pillars
at
Nissankalatha
Mandapaya
were
taken
as
an
example
of
the
design
of
the
Chapel.
At
first
glance,
the
Trinity
College
Chapel
is
awe-inspiring
and
reflects
the
architectural
and
design
traditions
of
the
Anuradhapura,
Polonnaruwa,
and
Kandyan
eras.
It
is
for
this
reason
that
the
Chapel
was
referred
to
as
‘A
Sinhalese
Church
for
Trinity
College,
Kandy.’
Fifty
four
pillars
rise
20
feet
above
ground
level
holding
the
massive
clay
tile
roof
of
75
feet.
The
main
stem
octagonal
has
carved
panels
on
the
square
faces
with
wooden
pekadas
representing
the
lotus.
At
the
time
of
construction,
each
pillar
had
cost
700
rupees
and
the
pekadas
cost
300
rupees.
No
walls
are
surrounding
the
structure;
as
such,
the
environment
blends
seamlessly
with
the
interior
—
the
cooling
breeze
of
the
Kandy
hills
blowing
through.
To
re-create
the
ancient
splendor,
large
granite
blocks,
also
known
as
cinnamon
rock
due
to
its
lighter
shade,
were
sourced
from
Aruppala
situated
near
Katugasthota.
It
had
taken
more
than
50
days
to
transport
the
large
blocks.
Two
elephants
were
required,
one
to
pull
and
the
other
to
push
a
single
piece
of
granite
along
the
slopes
to
the
construction
site.
Sri
Lankan,
as
well
as
Indian
artisans
had
chiseled
the
pillars,
the
detailed
wooden
pekadas,
and
other
intricate
carvings
to
create
a
masterpiece.
The
pekadas
support
the
beams
and
also
resemble
four
bells.
Each
pillar
has
four
different
carvings
on
the
sides,
thus
resulting
in
more
than
400
designs.
The
British
Colleges
and
University
Colleges
of
the
academic
staff
at
that
time
had
contributed
to
the
building
of
the
Chapel.
Thus
the
crests
of
their
schools
in
England
have
also
been
engraved
on
the
pillars,
totaling
nine.
The
initial
detailed
drawing
by
Rev
Gaster
indicates
that
the
Chapel
had
been
originally
designed
as
two
floors
with
the
choir
and
organ
on
the
upper
level.
However,
this
was
later
changed
so
that
the
choir
and
congregation
were
on
the
ground
floor.
Furthermore,
the
flat-paneled
original
timber
ceiling
was
stopped
at
the
two
corners,
as
the
massive
high
roof
was
deemed
better.
The
murals
above
the
pulpit
and
lectern
were
painted
by
the
famous
Sri
Lankan
artist
David
Paynter,
who
was
an
Old
Boy
of
Trinity
College.
The
main
mural
was
painted
in
1933
and
depicted
the
crucifixion,
this,
is
believed
to
be
one
of
the
only
paintings
in
which
Jesus
Christ
is
depicted
without
a
beard.
The
frescoes
on
either
side,
represent
the
‘Parable
of
the
Good
Samaritan’
(1957)
and
the
‘Washing
of
the
Feet’
(1965).
Interestingly,
in
the
‘Washing
of
the
Feet’,
it
is
believed
that
the
people
are
previous
teachers
and
masters
of
the
school.
Within
the
Side
or
Inner
Chapel,
the
mesmerizing
mural
of
‘Are
Ye
Able,’
from
the
Bible
encompasses
the
entire
wall.
