Nittawela Raja Maha Viharaya is a Buddhist temple situated in Niththawela village in Kandy District, Sri Lanka.
History
It is said that King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782 A.D.) had decided to build four temples for the convenience of the Buddhist monks visiting the headquarters of the Asgiriya and Malwatta Chapters (Abeyawardana, 2004). Therefore, a person named Rajakaruna Wijewardana Wasala Mudiyanse was entrusted with this responsibility by the king (Abeyawardana, 2004). As a result of this, the Nittawela temple was established by Rajakaruna in 1771 and it was bestowed to a monk from Dambawa (Abeyawardana, 2004). The other temples built by Rajakaruna include the Viharas at Suduhumpola and Dalukgolla.
The temple is said to have been destroyed by the British soldiers during the rebellion of 1818 (Abeyawardana, 2004).
The Sanghawasaya
Among the old constructions of the temple, the Sanghawasaya (monks' dwelling) building is important (Rajapakse, 2016). It has an inner courtyard and the entrance at the southern section has ancient features (Rajapakse, 2016). The wooden pillars used in the building have carvings of the Kandyan Period (Rajapakse, 2016). References
1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2004. Heritage of Kandurata: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Colombo: The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. pp.32-33.
2) Rajapakse, S., 2016. Pauranika Sthana Ha Smaraka: Mahanuwara Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. ISBN:955-9159-34-8. p.43.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 21 October 2021
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
