Maimbulkanda Purana Gallen Viharaya, also known as Maimbula Gallen Viharaya (Sinhala: මාඉඹුල්කන්ද විහාරය/ මාඉඹුල ගල්ලෙන් විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated on the verge of Maimbulkanda Sanctuary in Ranpokunugama in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka.
The temple
The temple is situated on high ground and consists of a Len-viharaya (the cave temple: an image house built within a cave), a newly built Stupa and a Bodhi tree. The lower ground is connected to the upper ground through a flight of steps consisting of a large number of granite slabs. Some of these slabs contain the names of unknown people, probably the donors who contributed to constructing that flight of steps.
Len Viharaya
The Len-viharaya is the main attraction of the temple with archaeological value. It houses several Buddha images in meditating and standing postures. Some of these images are apparently old but they have been coloured with modern-day paintings. The ceiling of the cave is adorned with paintings probably belonging to a modern period.
A protected site
The Archaeological Site
The cave temple with ancient frescoes and sculptures within the premises of Maimbula Gallen Vihara in Maimbula Ranpokunagama Village belonging to the Grama Niladhari Division No. 350, Maimbula in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Aththanagalla is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 7 July 2016.
Maimbulkanda Nittambuwa Sanctuary
The forest surrounding the Maimbulkanda cave temple was declared one of the Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka by the government on 31 October 1972.
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References
1) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; Extraordinary. No: 1974/16. 7 July 2016. p.5A.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 14 November 2022