Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya

Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya

Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: කෝට්ටේ රජ මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Pitakotte in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. History Kotte Viharaya was the main religious centre of the Kotte Kingdom during the 15 century and it is described in detail in several  Sandesha Kavya (poetic literature) of the era. The temple was majorly developed under the patronage of King Parakramabahu VI [(1412-1467 A.D.) Manathunga, 2016; Rajapakshe et al., 2018]. This temple is mentioned in the 15th-century Sinhalese text Nampotha  as " Jayawardhana Kottayehi Oth Pilima Geya " & " Shanmukha Devalaya ". The  Oth Pilima Geya  (the house of the reclining statue) is believed to be the image house (with the reclining Buddha statue) of the old Kotte temple built by King Parakramabahu VI while the shrine in front of it, is believed to be the  Shanmukha Devalaya . At the time, the temple is said to be completed in all aspects including a three-storeyed Temple of the Tooth (for the Tooth R…