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Bolthumbe Saman Devalaya (Sinhala: බොල්තුඹේ සමන් දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated in Boltumbe in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to God Sumana Saman, a Buddhist deity who is the patron of Sri Pada mountain.
History
The history of this shrine runs back to the reign of King Rajasinghe I [(1593-1618 A.D.) Abeyawardana, 2002; Gnanawimala Thera, 1967]. It is said in the tradition that the king had dedicated four shrines located at Alutnuwara (Mahiyanganaya), Boltumbe, Ratnapura, and Deraniyagala to God Saman as sub-Devalas of the main Devalaya shrine at Sri Pada (Abeyawardana, 2002).
The valuable things at Ratnapura Saman Devalaya are said to have brought to the Bolthumbe shrine when it was destroyed by the Portuguese in the early part of the 17th century (Abeyawardana, 2002; Gnanawimala Thera, 1967).
A protected site
The Boltumbe Saman Devalaya situated in Imbulpe Divisional Secretary’s
Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government notification published on 22 November 2002.
References
1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2002. Heritage of Sabaragamuwa: Major natural,
cultural and historic sites. Sabaragamuwa Development Bank and The
Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-077-7. pp.25-26.
2) Gnanawimala Thera, K., 1967. Saparagamu Darshana (In Sinhala). S. Godage Saha Sahodarayo. pp.255-257.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 9 June 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map