Weherahena Viharaya, also known as Veherahena Poorwarama Viharaya (Sinhala: මාතර වෙහෙරහේන විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Matara District, Sri Lanka.
The history of the Weherahena temple runs back to the early part of the 20th century, probably to 1930 (Abeyawardana, 2004). The spot where the present temple stands was a forest land owned by six individuals (BJM, 1956). However, at the request of Buddhist devotees, Bedigama Sri Ratnapala Thera, the chief high priest of South Sri Lanka who lived at the time at Maha Mantinda Pirivena converted this land into a religious place of retreat [(Was Bhumiya) BJM, 1956]. He appointed his own second pupil Parawahera Revata Thera as the incumbent of the place (BJM, 1956).
The temple became more popular among devotees after the construction of its gigantic Buddha statue (80 ft. tall) in the meditation posture (Abeyawardana, 2004).
Attribution
References
1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Ruhuna: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-073-4. p.76.
2) BJM, 1956. Buddha Jayanthi Memorials. Information Department. Government Press Ceylon. p.62.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 14 May 2023
