Not to be confused with Somawathi Stupa, Polonnaruwa
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The ancient Buddhist monastery complex which is popularly known as Dambulla Somawathi Stupa (Sinhala: දඹුල්ල සෝමාවතී ස්තූපය) is located in Matale District, Sri Lanka. The site is situated west of the world-famous rock cave temple, Dambulla Raja Maha Viharaya.
History
There is an inscription of the first century A.D. engraved on the rock wall of a cave located on the hillside to the west of the Dambulla rock (Seneviratna, 1983). It records the construction of a Stupa named Catavanaceta (Catavana chetiya) and a donation made to it by a Thera named Sedadeva (Seneviratna, 1983). Some have assumed that the Catavana chatiya of this inscription may be the Stupa presently known as Somawathi Stupa (Seneviratna, 1983).
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Reference
1) Seneviratna, A., 1983. Golden Rock Temple of Dambulla; Caves of infinite Buddhas. UNESCO-Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle Project. Central Cultural Fund. Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka. pp.21-23,65-66.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 26 April 2022