The Vihara at Bellanwila houses a remarkable series of painted murals that have been admired and venerated by the devotees over the years. The creator, Somabandu Vidyapathy is a devout Buddhist and a renowned craftsman who has excelled in the traditional art of Sinhalese painting. The murals have been described as "a landmark achievement in terms of pictorial beauty reflecting a sublime religious ecstasy." The themes cover the life of the Buddha, the story of King Asoka of India who sent his son, Arahat Mahinda to introduce Buddhism to Sri Lanka, and the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The paintings are a blend of Sri Lankan, Indian and Southeast Asian traditional styles, which have evolved through Somabandu's work to become his own.
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The Birth of |
The dramatic handling of the human figure, the meticulous rendering of color effects, the expressive treatment of the hands are the dominant characteristics of the style. The paintings are executed in oil colors on the wall surface. The use of perspective is complex. Shading and highlighting are used not to indicate any source of light but to impart a sense of three-dimensionality to the figurative forms. This is a stylistic feature that descends from the paintings of the classical traditions at Ajanta and Sigiriya. |
The Planting of the Bodhi-sapling |
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The Coming of the Bodhi_Tree The Great Theri Sanghamittā |
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