| Gampola | |
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| A view of Gampola from Ambuluwava | |
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Gampola
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| Coordinates: | |
| Province | Central Province, Sri Lanka |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) |
| • Summer (DST) | Summer time (UTC+6) |
Gampola is a town located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Gampola was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid fourteenth century. The last king of Gampola was King Buwanekabahu V. He ruled the island for 29 years. A separate city was built in Kotte during this time by a noble known as Alagakkonara. The longest sleeping Buddha statue in South Asia is located in Gampola, the Saliyalapura Temple.
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Among the remnants of Gampola era, the most famous temples are Lankathilaka, Gadaladeniya and Embekka Devalaya. The ancient stone scripts (Shila Lekhana) of Lankathilaka temple helps to reveal a considerable amount of vital information regarding the Gampola era. The statue of Buddha of the temple indicates style of south Indian arts. The Ambekka Dewalaya possess a large collection of wood carvings, where no other temple in Sri Lanka owns such a collection.
The city is located amongst Sri Lanka's central highlands, hence the climate stays mild throughout the year. Located 3,567 ft. above mean sea level, Ambuluwawa mountain hosts a hill top tourist spot that houses a biodiversity complex celebrating environmentalism and cultural and religious diversity. A notable feature of this complex is a large winding tower resembling a Buddhist stupa, which is located on the mountain peak.
The majority of people in Gampola are Sinhalese Buddhists while a substantial population of Sri Lankan Moors and a small minority Indian Tamils also reside in the city.
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