Sri Sudharmalaya Viharaya (Sinhala: ගාලු කොටුව සුධර්මාලය විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated within the ancient Galle Fort, Sri Lanka. It is the only old Buddhist religious place found inside the fort.
History
During the Dutch Period (1658-1796 A.D.), there is said to be a hall used as a storage room for commercial goods or as a common religious centre for the people who lived in the fort (Abeyawardana, 2004). This hall was converted into a Buddhist place of worship (preaching hall) around 1884 (Abeyawardana, 2004). Some of the buildings and structures of this temple portray elements of Dutch and European architecture.
A protected site
The Dharmashala (preaching hall) belonging to the premises of Sudharmalaya Vihara at the No. 07 of Sudharmalaya Street in Galle Fortress situated in Grama Niladhari Division No. 96 D, Galle Fortress in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Kadawath Sathara, Galle is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government notification published on 30 September 2022.
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.30.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka: Extraordinary. No: 2299/61. 30 September 2022. p.3A.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 10 April 2023
