Kothduwa Purana Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: කොත්දූව විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated on Kothduwa island on the Madu Ganga river in Galle District, Sri Lanka.
Folklore
Locals believe that the Bodhi tree of the present Kothduwa temple is one of the 32 saplings of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura (Herath & Broker, 2003). Also, according to some, the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha had been kept here for it to be protected from the Portuguese during the Kotte Period (Herath & Broker, 2003).
History
The present temple on the Kothduwa island was constructed in 2425 B.E. (1881 A.D.) by the Gate Mudaliyar Kaluhath Samson de Abrew Vijaya Gunaratna Rajapakse Wasala of Welitara Maha Kappina Walawwa at a cost of 10,000 rupees.
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References
1) Herath, H.M.B.C.; Broker, K., 2003. Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands; Maduganga. Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS). pp.12-13.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 2 July 2022