Kandy Kataragama Devalaya

Kandy Kataragama Devalaya
Kandy Kataragama Devalaya (Sinhala: මහනුවර කතරගම දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated on Kotugodella Vidiya in Kandy town in Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to God Kataragama, a Sinhalese deity who is considered one of the patron deities of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka. This shrine is also one of the four Devalas ( Hatara Devala ) associated with the Maha Wasala (the Royal Palace) and the Dalada Maligawa (the Temple of the Tooth Relic) during the Kandyan Period . History After marrying a South Indian princess, King Sri Vira Parakrama Narendra Singha (1707-1739 A.D.) constructed this shrine to place the statue of God Kanda Kumaru (Kataragama) that was being worshipped by the princess (Rajapakse, 2016). The Devalaya The entrance to this shrine faces the street through an arch-shaped Vahalkada decorated with Makara Thorana . Above the Vahalkada is a small square-shaped storey made out of wooden pillars. The other components of this shrine including the Devala-gruhaya , Dig-geya etc. are loc…