Thuwakkugalawatta Purana Viharaya

Thuwakkugalawatta Purana Viharaya is a Buddhist temple situated in Weliwatta village in Galle District, Sri Lanka. History Although there is no certain evidence about its establishment, it is suggested that this temple was built before the Portuguese Period [(1505-1658 A.D.) Ranchagoda, 2015]. The temple is believed to have been under the influence of the Portuguese as it was later used as a their guardroom (Ranchagoda, 2015). However, the temple saw a revival again in about 1816 (Ranchagoda, 2015). There is a gun (Sinhala: Thuwakkuwa ) shape mark on the rock of this temple and therefore, this site is presently called Thuwakkugala Viharaya [(the gun-rock temple) Ranchagoda, 2015]. A cannon which is believed to have been used during the Portuguese period was in the possession of the temple and presently it is housed in the National Museum of Galle (Ranchagoda, 2015). A protected site The ancient image house in the Thuwakkugala Watta Purana Vihara premises belonging to the Weliwatta Village i…