Okanda Devalaya

Okanda Devalaya

Okanda Devalaya (Tamil: Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil ) (Sinhala: ඕකන්ද කතරගම දේවාලය; Tamil: உகந்தமலை முருகன் ஆலயம்) is a Devalaya Shrine  (or Kovil) situated on a hillock in Okanda village in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to Murugan or Kataragama, a deity who is worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhists.  History Ancient Okanda Viharaya The present Devalaya shrine has been built on the premises of an ancient Buddhist temple called Okanda Viharaya (Medhananda, 2003). The ruins of an ancient dilapidated brick Stupa and other monastic buildings are found on the top of the hillock and most of them have been destroyed today (Medhananda, 2003; Withanachchi, 2013) . Beginning of the Kataragama Devalaya The Devalaya has been built in the southern part of the hillock . It is said to have been started after the formation of Panamapattu in about 1800 by a Rate Mahattaya (traditional office and title from the Kandian Kingdom) named Siyathu ( Medhananda, 2003). In the beginning, it was mainta…