Siriwardhanarama Viharaya (also known as Kottegoda Temple) is a Buddhist temple situated in the village of Kottegoda in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.
Folklore
According to the villagers, the history of Kottegoda is dated back to the period of the Kotte Kingdom. It is said that King Parakramabahu VI (1411-1466 A.D.) had sailed through a river from Kotte to a place today known as Orutota (the port of canoes) and had landed at Kottegoda.Locals also believed that Kottegoda was used as a lookout and messaging point for the Kotte Kingdom and a place involved in wars against the Portuguese.
Veediya Bandara, the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom of Kotte during the reign of Bhuvanaikabahu VII (1521–1551) is also mentioned in the history of Kottegoda. It is said that he had planted Bodhi trees at several places located between Kottegoda in Gampaha and Aluthgama in Kalutara. Kottegoda villagers believe that the first Bodhi tree by the Veediya Bandara was planted in the land where the Kottegoda temple stands today. After that, this place had become a religious site for the local Buddhist devotees.
Image house
The image house is the main aspect of this temple with an archaeological significance. It has been constructed or renovated, according to the date mentioned above the entrance of the image house, in 1903 (2447 B.E.).
The image house consists of an inner shrine and a small ambulatory around it. The inside, as well as the outer walls of the inner shrine, are adorned with paintings and sculptures belonging to a period between the 19-20th century. Inside the image house is a seated Buddha statue accompanied by two images of Sariputta and Moggallana, the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha. Two standing statues of Vishnu and Kataragama are found facing each other on both left and right walls. An image of God Ganesha can be seen on the inner side of the entrance wall.
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The image house consists of an inner shrine and a small ambulatory around it. The inside, as well as the outer walls of the inner shrine, are adorned with paintings and sculptures belonging to a period between the 19-20th century. Inside the image house is a seated Buddha statue accompanied by two images of Sariputta and Moggallana, the two chief disciples of Gautama Buddha. Two standing statues of Vishnu and Kataragama are found facing each other on both left and right walls. An image of God Ganesha can be seen on the inner side of the entrance wall.
A protected site
The image house situated in Kottegoda Siriwardhanarama Vihara premises in Pahala Yagoda Grama Niladhari Wasama of the Gampaha Divisional Secretary’s Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.
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References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 12 January 2023
