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Kolugala Rajamaha Viharaya

Central Province

Kandy District

7°18'39.6"N 80°31'15.0"E

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THE PLACE

Kolugala Rajamaha Viharaya sits in the village of Kolugala, in the Hataraliyadda area of Kandy District, at roughly 381 metres above sea level, surrounded by terraced paddy fields and Kandyan-style home gardens. The temple premises are recorded among Kandy District's protected archaeological places. It is built around a natural rock cave, and it holds folk-art murals, wooden architectural work, and Buddha statues in the Kandyan tradition. It serves as the main pilgrimage site for the surrounding village.


Local tradition credits its founding to King Walagambahu (Vattagamani Abhaya), who reigned in the 1st century BC, and connects the site to King Nissankamalla of Polonnaruwa in the 12th century, though what he is said to have done here is not specified. Neither claim is documented history — they are what local people believe. Reliable public sources on the temple's actual date, builders, and antiquities remain limited, so nothing beyond this should be stated without confirmation at the site.

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7°18'39.6"N 80°31'15.0"E

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTES

Ask the resident clergy about access to old structures. Dress modestly, remove footwear where required and do not touch paintings, images, inscriptions or timberwork.

- Viran de Silva

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Photographs © Viran de Silva
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