Nalanda
Then…
 The
only Buddhist temple to be built in stone and in the
purest style of the Hindu temples of southern India,
the gedige (Buddhist image house) at Nalanda is shrouded in mystery.
No buildings, apart from the ruins of a small stupa,
provide any information about the monastery which once
stood here. Only an inscription dates the building to
between the 7th and 10th Centuries.
…and
now
The reconstructed temple stands on a raised bund of a reservoir,
where it was positioned after being dismantled, stone
by stone, from its original site in the surrounding
paddy fields.
 The structure of the temple is pure
Dravidian, with a horseshoe-shaped roof, the south tympanum
of which features a statue of a basking Kubera, the
Hindu god of prosperity. Some
tantric carvings have been found in the structure which
combines Hindu and Buddhist (both Mahayana and Theravada)
features. Unusual on the island, such explicit depictions
of eroticism are nevertheless common in Indian shrines.
The cella, which is open to the west, was preceded by
a hypostyle porch, the pillars of which, decorated with
ornamental bas-reliefs, can still be seen. Inside, on
each side of the restored Buddha, there is an extraordinary,
fragmented pantheon which adds to the air of mystery.
This unusual temple, nestled in a
marvellous setting, has a unique charm and few visitors.
When cooled by the breeze from the lake, this very atmospheric
site is idyllic and should not be missed.
Most of the principal sites of interest
can be visited in a 45-minute tour en route from either
Dambulla or Kandy.
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