06 August 2010

Eight Meter Door Frame


This colossal granite door frame was seen in the ancient capital of Anuradhapura.

Anuradhapura is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it has thousands of ruins scattered in an area as large as 40 square kilometers, belong to the period from 4th century BC to 11th century AD.

This particular building must have built over one thousand years ago as it belongs to the latter Anuradhapura period.

28 comments:

Naquillity said...

what beautiful ruins. it seems well preserved to be out in the elements for as long as it has been. i'm sure there's some history behind this too. hope all is well.

silent moments said...

Makes me wonder...the average height of our ancestors... :)

rainfield61 said...

That was once upon a time....

You and me maybe over there...

in our previous life.

Me-shak said...

Lovely pictures K.
I checked out almost everything that I missed.

Sorry for not commenting on any of your posts for a while. Was crazy busy during the past few weeks.

Cheers!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Naquillity,
The walls were made of bricks and partly destroyed, the roofs were made of wood so you can't even see a trace of it now. But the granite part is preserved. This particular building was used as an image house - to keep statues of lord buddha.

Silent Moments,
Yes, and wonder what they ate those days :)

Rainfield,
Yes perhaps I was one of the brick layers :)

Thanks all for your comments.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Me-shak,
Good to see you after sometime. No worries, glad to see you back and hope to see more photos through your new camera.

Anonymous said...

You truly live in the land of the giants.

Frieda said...

What a fascinatin place. I like to watch ruins and to think about all the things that they have seen...

cat said...

Wow what a fantastic old ruin! Great shot of it.

Loshini said...

Fascinating. There are similar structures in Bali, I think they call it temple gates. And i'm glad anuradhapura's ruins are protected by UNESCO. Thanks for sharing :)

NicoleB said...

And here I thought people had been smaller then ;)

*just kidding*

That must have must have been an impressive structure, it still is amazing!

Amila Kanchana said...

Nice one,hope you would post more like that!

Tes said...

fascinating design. amazing place to visit.

Sharodindu said...

Nice one...

Hoot-a-Toot said...

I've been there once. This picture makes me want to go again...

Amaris in Wonderland said...

Very cool!

I am glad that we live in a time where people value the preservation of things like this: a glimpse into the past... :))

George said...

That is some door frame. There must have been giants in Sri Lanka centuries ago (LOL). Seriously, this is a beautiful ruin and I'm glad it has been preserved.

betchai said...

thanks for sharing this wonderful place, am glad it has been preserved, and your shot is beautiful.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Natural Moments,
Many Thanks; yes my forefathers have done gigantic tasks :)

Frieda,
Yes visiting ruins is the easiest method of time traveling

Cat,
Glad you like them :)

Loshini,
This particular building must have had a large scale statue inside. So as you said this huge doorframe could have been the entrance so those who enter the building could see the entire statue clearly.

Nicole,
People could have been smaller but their deeds are not that small isn’t it? :)

Amila,
Yes, I’ll upload more archaeologically important places in the future.

Tes,
Yes, it is a great place to visit.

Sharodindu,
Thanks mate!

Hoot-a-Toot,
Yes, you cannot cover the entire site in one visit. It’ll take months to visit all the places in old Mahamewna Garden and beyond.

Amaris,
Yes, there are lot of preservation is going on here, but may be we could have done more. Anyway it is a great place to visit.

George,
Yes, even though they may have not been giants as if in fairy tales, but they definitely must had the strengths of giants to build those monumental buildings of great size. :)

Betchai,
Glad you like it and I’ll upload more soon :)

magerata said...

When ever I visit Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa, I am always awestruck. I drift in to dreaming about those builders and engineers. I have visited Anuradhapura many a times but I do not recall seeing this structure. Would you mind telling us where is this located. I will make sure to visit next time.
Another question, how do you always mange to visit when it is green and nice? It is etched in my mind that Northern area is brown and parched! :)

Kirigalpoththa said...

Magerata,
This is located close to Jethavana dagabo. Usually Mahamewna Uyana ( belongs to Ruwanweliseya/Thuparama) and the surrounding area is always green although it is situated in the dry zone. For me it is one of the most beautiful man made gardens.
Even Abhayagiri area looks the same eventhough it is out of the limits of Mahamewna Uyana.
Thanks very much for your comments.

BlossomFlowerGirl said...

You get a feel for the height when comparing the two figures on the right. It must have been an amazing site in its heyday.
Cheers,
Melbourne Daily Photo

Kirigalpoththa said...

BlossomFlowerGirl,
Yes, it must have been an amazing structure those days. At least I'm glad this much is preserved at present. Thanks very much!

Nicole said...

True enough :)

Harshi said...

What an imposing height! If this was once a giant mansion, then it prolly belonged to one of the 10 Great Giants of King Dutugemunu's army. =D

Kirigalpoththa said...

Nicole,
Thanks again :)

Harumi,
This is an image house (Something like 'Gedige') used to keep a buddha statue. The statue is no longer there but it must have been 7-8 metres tall. The large door frame is used to show it clearly for the devotees who enter the shrine room.
Those who built this must have been the direct descendents of Nandimithra, Suranimala etc.. :)

Μαριανα said...

What an impressive architecture. The high gate with the two jambs.
Regards from Greece, Kirigalpoththa!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Μαριανα,
Thanks very much for your comments!
Greetings from Sri Lanka, Mariana :)