Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c16.8

c16.8

In the Kegalla District there are more or less important remains of stonework at Beligala, Gaṇegoḍa, Ambuḷugala, Meḍagoḍa and a few other temples, described by Mr. Bell. At Beligala there is a well-preserved ‘moonstone,’ its design a makara toraṇa adaptation of the more usual types. There are also stone pillars, and a pair of balustrades. These remains may be as old as the thirteenth century. At Gaṇegoḍa there are more extensive remains, with elaborate friezes of dancers, beautiful columns and balustrades. At Ambuḷugala there are carved pillars and a magnificent stone door-frame, probably of the fifteenth century. At Meḍagoḍa there was a stone pillar, now in the Colombo Museum, originally, perhaps, taken from the Berenḍi Kovil. It has a lion pedestal, elaborately ornamented octagonal shaft, and capital with four ‘kibihi’ (lion) faces above the mutu-dela.