Pethiyagoda Paramartha Dharmakara Piriven Viharaya: 18th-century Buddhist temple in Kelaniya with an old Kandyan style image house.
Pethiyagoda Viharaya (Kelaniya) P ethiyagoda Paramartha Dharmakara Piriven Viharaya (Sinhala: පෙතියාගොඩ පරමාර්ථ ධර්මාකර පිරිවෙන් විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Kelaniya, Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. History The history of Pethiyagoda Viharaya runs back to the 18th century. The image house of the temple which contains the sculptures and paintings of the Kandyan tradition is said to be built in 1747 A.D. (Chandrasoma, 2018). It is also considered the second oldest Buddhist temple in the area after Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya (Chandrasoma, 2018). Image House The image house is the main attraction of this temple with an archaeological significance. It has been constructed, according to the date mentioned above the entrance of the image house, in 1747 (2391 Buddhist era). According to the local people, this image house originally was a Tempita Viharaya but has been altered to the present state after it was flooded by the waters of the Kelani Ganga river in 1940 (Chandrasoma, 2018). The image house consists of two pa…
