This image house is located in the Dalada Maluwa premises in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Although it is known as Thuparama Image House, the ancient name or the builder is not known. The image house is categorized as Gedige type as its walls and the roof is completely built with bricks. This is the only monument among those in Polonnaruwa where the roof is well preserved. A large seat thought to be the base of a giant seated Buddha statue can be seen inside the image house. The ornamentation of the exterior walls shows the influence of the Read more...

Abhayagiri Stupa is the second-highest stupa in the country and it is located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is one also of the Eight Sacred places known as “Atamasthana”. The stupa was built by King Valagamba was also known as Vattagamani Abhaya and Valagambahu in 1st century BC. According to legends, the king has built this stupa to commemorate some incident that happened while he escaping from one fight with Tamil invaders.  According to this legend, a Jain monk called Giri has shouted at the king saying “the great black Sinhalese is fleeing”  while he was passing Read more...

Koneswaram Temple is a Hindu temple in Trincomalee District of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The temple is located in the top of the Swami Rock promontory that overlooks the Indian Ocean, Trincomalee Harbour, and the Trincomalee District. The exact date of construction of the temple remains vague. However, according to the historical evidence, the temple was likely to found before 400 B.C. External Links Koneswaram temple – Wikipedia.org Swami Rock and Koneswaram temple   Read more...

The Rajagala Monastery is a sacred site in which history dates back to the Advent of Arhath Mahinda Thera. This place is in the Uhana area of the Ampara District in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The archaeological excavation is still underway and it is one of the largest archaeological sites in Sri Lanka with 1025 acres. The rock inscription found here regarding the Arhat Mahinda Thera is the most valued inscription of archaeological interest. According to the archaeological discoveries, the area had been inhabited from the prehistoric times. You can read more about this site from the external links given below. Read more...

Atadage was constructed by King Vijayabahu I to place the Sacred Tooth Relic in the 11th century. It is located in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name “Atadage” has the meaning of “house of eight relics”.  What remains here today are the foundation and 54 stone pillars. The Tooth Relic has been kept on the upper floor made out of wood on top of these stone pillars.   External Links Journey of the Sacred Tooth Relic In Sri Lanka   Read more...

The Ambuluwawa Biodiversity Complex is located in the Gampola area of Kandy District, Central Province. It is a steep mountain and climbs to its peak a bit of a challenge. You can also hire a vehicle to get to the peak. But, climb on foot is an opportunity to view the area. Read more...

Hatadage is an ancient shrine in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was built by the King Nissanka Malla (1187-1196 A.D.). This had been used to place the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. According to historical sources, the shrine has built in sixty hours. The English translation of the Sinhalese word “Hata” is sixty, represent the duration of the construction period and the word “Dage” has the meaning of “relic shrine”. The remaining features of the building for today, evidence that the shrine was originally a two-story building. The shrine is 120 ft in length Read more...

Kiri Vehera is an ancient stupa located in the Kataragama area which belongs to Monaraga district of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is believed that the stupa was built by King Mahasena, a regional ruler of this area in 6th century BC. This is one of the 16 sacred sites in Sri Lanka called Solosmasthana. The height of this stupa is 95ft. The famous Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya also located very closer to this stupa. Read more...

Ridi Viharaya (which has the English meaning of “Silver Temple”) is a Buddhist temple located in Ridigama, in Kurunegala District of North Western Province. The history of this temple is dates back to the reign of King Dutugemunu (161 BC to 137 BC).  A silver (in Sinhala; “Ridi”) ore deposit found in this place has provided the funds for the construction of the Ruwanwelisaya Stupa. In return, King Dutugemunu has built this Ridi Viharaya on the same location where the silver ore deposit was located. The gold-plated Buddha statue, which has been brought from India also a donation of the Read more...

Menik Vehera is an ancient monastery located in Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka.  The history of this place is not known. However, according to the architectural features, it is assumed to belong to the 8-9 centuries A.D.  This monastery consists of a Stupa, image houses, a Bodhi – tree shrine, refectory, monk’s dispensary and cells.  The stupa here is of a rare type, which is built on a high terrace surrounded by a high wall. There is a carved stone door-frame at the entrance to the Stupa. This monastery is unnoticed by many of the visitors who Read more...

Tivanka Image House is identified as the image house of Jetavanaramaya Monastery built by the King Parakramabahu the Great (1153 – 1186). It is located in the main archaeological site of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name Tivanka (means three bends) is given due to its giant Buddha image is bent at three places, namely shoulder, hip, and knee. The image house is famous due to the paintings on its interior walls. The paintings belong to the 12th century and they depict certain incidents from Jataka Stories and the life of Buddha. Like Thuparamaya and Lankathilaka, this image Read more...

Buduruwagala is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Monaragala District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The Sinhalese name “Buduruwagala” has the meaning of “the rock of Buddhist Sculpture”. As the name suggests, the main attraction of this site is the rock with seven statues including the tallest standing Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. The standing Buddha image sculptured at the center is 51 feet tall, making it the tallest in Sri Lanka.  On the right of the Standing Buddha image are the sculptures of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisatva, Goddess Tara, Prince Sudhana and on the left are the sculptures of Maitree Bodhisatva, Read more...

Nalanda Gedige is a building completely built with stone located in Matale District of Central Province Sri Lanka. The building was estimated to have been constructed between the 8th & 10th centuries and has the influence of the Pallava architecture. The building has designed like a Hindu temple. However, the building said to have been used as a temple by Buddhists. The building has richly decorated with stone carvings. Front View Rear View Pavilion Entrance Rock Carvings at Nalanda Gedige   This slideshow requires JavaScript. Read more...

The Jetavanaramaya is one of the Eight Sacred places known as “Atamasthana”. It is located in the Sacred City of Anuradhapura in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The Jetavanarama Stupa was built by King Mahasen (276-303).   During the reign of King Mahasen, this has become a center of Sagalika sect (also it is said that the Sagalika sect has started in Jetavanaramaya). This stupa was rehabilitated for the last time by King Parakramabahu in the 12th century. It is believed that this stupa has enshrined a part of a sash or belt tied by the Lord Buddha. Read more...

The Girihandu Seya stupa is located in Thiriyaya in Trincomalee District of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. According to the legend, this is the stupa mentioned in the story of Thapassu and Bhalluka two traders. As such, it is considered to be the first Stupa built by enshrining the relic of Lord Buddha and probably it was built around 528 B.C. The stupa was originally a small in size and had been renovated in the 8th century A.D. The Vatadage encircling stupa was built during the renovation. External Links Thiriyaya Girihandu Seya Thiriyaya – Department of Archaeology Read more...

Demalamaha Seya is an ancient stupa built by the King Parakramabahu (1153-1186). It is located in the main archaeological site in the Polonnaruwa District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. As it was described in the ancient chronicle Mahawansa, the stupa named “Demalamaha Seya” was with a height of approximately 1300 cubit (594.36 m). Presently this brick built stupa has a perimeter of 600 m and height of 25.65 m. The excavation and the conservation project of the Demalamaha Seya was commenced by the Central Cultural Fund in 2014. n.b. These photos were taken in October 2017 External Links Bringing back Read more...

The Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya is a Buddhist temple located in Kelaniya, Gampaha District,  few kilometers away from Colombo. You can access the temple within one hour from Colombo. According to Buddhist history the temple is dates back to the third and final visit of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka. Which says that the history of this temple is go back to 500 BCE. According to the Mahavamsa the original stupa of Kelaniya enshrined a gem-studded throne on which the Buddha sat and preached. External Links The Mahavamsa The Visit of The Thatagatha (Lord Buddha)   Read more...

Kirinda Temple is a Buddhist temple in Hambantota District of Southern Province. It is located closer to the Southern coast of Sri Lanka. The temple is built on a summit of a large rock located closer to the coast giving a magnificent view of the beautiful Indian Ocean. The history of this temple is dates back to the reign of King Kawanthissa ( 205–161 BC). As per the story of  Queen Viharamahadevi, Kirinda is the place where she was brought by sea and landed. The king Kawanthissa has built this stupa commemorating the incident. Read more...

Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple worshiped by Buddhist all around the country. The temple is located closer to the Kala Wewa in Anuradhapura district of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. You can access this temple through Kekirawa – Galewela road and only about 10km away from the Kekirawa temple. According to the historical sources (like Mahavamsa, Deepavamsa, Tupavamsa, and Saddharmalankaraya), the history of the Vijithapura area goes back to the reign of King Vijaya (543–505 BCE). The beginning of the Vijithapura Rajamaha Viharaya is not clearly identified. However, according to the legends, the history of the temple Read more...

The Embekka Dewalaya was built by the King Vikramabahu III during the Gampola Era.  It is located in Udunuwara in Kandy District. The Embekka devalawa is dedicated to the worship of Katharagama Deviyo. The Embekka Dewalaya is mostly famous for its wood carvings. UNESCO has identified the wood carvings on the pillars as the finest to be found in any part of the world. Read more...

Samadhi Buddha Statue is a sitting Buddha’s statue and it is considered as one of the best sculpture created during the Anuradhapura era. It is located in Anuradhapura district of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The statue with the height of 7 feet and 3 inches has made with dolomite marble. In this statue, the Buddha is depicted in the position of the Dhyana Mudra, the posture of meditation associated with his first Enlightenment. Some scholars say Samadhi statue belongs to 3rd century BC and others say it belongs to 2nd or 3rd century AD.   External Links Iconographic Feature of the Buddha’s Read more...

Rambadagalla Samadhi Buddha Statue is considered to be the world’s tallest rock carved seated Buddha statue. This is a 67.5 feet high Buddha Statue at Rambadagalla Vidyasagara temple in Kurunegala District of North Western Province. It is located about 4km away from the Ridi Viharaya.   Rambadagalla Buddha Statue Construction Stages Rambadagalla Samadhi Buddha Statue – Construction Stupa at the Temple Ancient Shrine Room at the Temple External Links Rambadagalla Samadhi Buddha Statue Read more...

Isurumuniya is a Buddhist temple located in Anuradhapura District of North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The history of this temple dates back to reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (307 BC to 267 BC). Later this has been renovated by the King Kasyapa I (473-491 AD). Isurumuniya is most famous for stone carvings, especially the “Isurumuni Lovers” carving. In addition to that there are many other stone carvings can be seen in this temple. Isurumuni Lovers Stone carvings and sculptures   This slideshow requires JavaScript. Read more...

Yudaganawa Temple is located in Buttala Divisional Secretariat division of the Monaragala District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka. This has been identified as the largest ancient stupa in the Uva Province. The origin of this stupa is not yet clear. However, historians believe this is the site which the King Dutugemunu had the major battle against his brother Saddhatissa in 2nd century BC. Also, there is a belief that this is the stupa made by King Parakramabahu the Great in memory of his mother Queen Ratnavali who was cremated here. Enter your location in the search box below the Map to get Read more...