Alawathugoda Saman Devalaya

Alawathugoda Saman Devalaya

Alawathugoda Saman Devalaya (Sinhala: අලවතුගොඩ සමන් දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated in Alawatugoda village in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to God Sumana Saman, a Buddhist deity who is the patron of Sri Pada Mountain  (Lawrie, 1896).  History According to the belief of locals, Valagamba (103, 89-77 B.C.) of  Anuradhapura  had used this place as a hiding spot during the period of the Tamil invasion (Rajapakse, 2016; Senanayaka, 2018). A Buddhist Vihara is believed to have existed here with the possession of a Sannasa granted by King Valagamba and this Sannasa is said to have been lost in the rebellion of 1818 (Lawrie, 1896). The present Devalaya shrine for God Saman was erected later by a Kandyan King as a distance view of the sacred Sri Pada mountain can be obtained from this spot (Abeyawardana, 2004). During the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782 A.D.), the annual Perahera ceremony of the Devalaya was started (Abeyawardana, 2004). The Viharaya stood a…