Tholangamuwa Sri Sunandarama Raja Maha Viharaya is a Buddhist temple situated near the Ambalama in Tolangamuwa village in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka.
History
The credit of building this temple belongs to a female priest named Silwat Unnanse, during the reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinghe [(1747-1782 A.D.) Bell, 1904]. The preaching hall is said to have been built during the time of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe [(1798-1815 A.D.) Abeyawardana, 2002].
The temple
The temple consists of a Bana-ge (preaching hall), a Vihara-ge (image house) and a Stupa. The Vihara-ge and the Stupa have been built on a raised platform of earth measuring 32 ft. by 13 ft. 6 in. (Bell, 1904). The Stupa has a circumference of 17 ft. 6 in. (Bell, 1904). A red-robed seated Buddha image with two standing Buddhas on either side is found inside the Vihara-ge.
A protected site
The ancient preaching hall in the premises of Tholangamuwa Purana Vihara in the Warakapola Divisional Secretary’s
Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 8 July 2005. 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. p.48.
2) Bell, H.C.P., 1904. Report on the Kegalle District of the Province of
Sabaragamuwa. Archaeological Survey of Ceylon: XIX-1892. Government
Press, Sri Lanka. p.32.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1401. 8 July 2005.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 27 February 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
