Aluthnuwara Dedimunda Devalaya

Aluthnuwara Dedimunda Devalaya
Aluthnuwara Dedimunda Devalaya (Sinhala: අළුත්නුවර දැඩිමුණ්ඩ දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated in Alutnuwara village in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to God Dedimunda Bandara (otherwise styled Wahala Bandara Deviyo), a minister of Vishnu and to Malwatte Bandara (Abeyawardana, 2002; Bell, 1904). Presently, this site has been declared a sacred area by the government (Abeyawardana, 2002). History The history of this shrine directly runs back to the reign of King Parakramabahu II (1236-1270 A.D.) of Dambadeniya Kingdom (Bell, 1904). According to local tradition, Prince Dapulusen installed an image of God Upulvan (present Vishnu) made of sandalwood at Devinuwara and later some of the sacred objects (the cloth and insignias) of this statue were brought to Dambadeniya by Minister Devapratiraja on the orders of Parakramabahu II (Bell, 1904). Later, the King Mahalu Buvanekabahu [probably Buvanekabahu I (1272-1284 A.D.)] built a two-storied Devalaya at Alutnuwara and pla…