Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya | Temple of Unfinished Buddha

Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya | Temple of Unfinished Buddha

Dowa Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: දෝව රජ මහා විහාරය) Dova Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple located in the village of Dowa in Badulla District, Sri Lanka. The site can be reached by travelling along the Bandarawela - Badulla road about 6 km distance from Bandarawela town. Presently, the travellers on vehicles stop and make some offerings to the small wayside Siamese-type Stupa and the Bodhi tree of this temple as a custom. History As is evidenced by the huge and partially carved Buddha statue at the temple, the history of Dowa Viharaya goes back to at least the latter half of the Anuradhapura Period  probably to the 9th or 10th century (Chutiwongs et al., 1990). However, without concrete evidence, locals have inclined to believe that this statue is a work belonging to the reign of King Valagamba [(103 B.C. and c. 89–77 B.C.) De Jayawardena, 2015]. The Len Viharaya (the cave temple) which underwent structural expansions during the  Kandyan Period  may have been a resort for forest-dwelli…