Udayagiri Raja Maha Viharaya

Udayagiri Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: උදයගිරි රජ මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. It is situated in the village of Udagirigama about 3.5 km far from Uhana town.

History

The original Stupa which was located here has been completely reconstructed (Withanachchi, 2013). According to local beliefs, it was a work that belonged to the reign of King Udaya I [(903-914 A.D.) Withanachchi, 2013].

Inscription
A pillar inscription established in the tenth regnal year of King Udaya I is found at the entrance gate of the temple (Medhananda, 2003). It records that the lands of this temple had been exempted from the Veletta Badda (probably a kind of tax imposed on grains) by two generals named Udaya and Abhaya (Medhananda, 2003).

The temple which was in a state of ruins was again become an abode of Buddhist monks in about 1926 (Medhananda, 2003). The modern image house of the temple was constructed in 1975.

A protected site

The site with the evidence of buildings with stone pillars, all archeological relics such as Stupa Chatra, balustrades, moonstone, and flower altar at the premises of Udayagiri Rajamaha Vihara belonging to Udagirigama village situated in Grama Niladhari Division No. W/88B, Udagirigama East in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Uhana are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 26 December 2014.

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References

1) Medhananda, Ven. E., 2003. Pacheena passa - Uttara passa: Negenahira palata ha uturu palate Sinhala bauddha urumaya (In Sinhala). Dayawansa Jayakody & Company. Colombo. ISBN: 978-955-686-112-9. pp.221-224.

2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, no: 1895. 26 December 2014. p. 1150.
3) Withanachchi, C. R., 2013. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Ampara Distrikkaya. Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). p.27.

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This page was last updated on 6 January 2023