Pelmadulla Viharaya was built under King Rajasinha I. It features a 400-year-old Tempita shrine and a historic Pirivena from the British period.
Pelmadulla Purana Viharaya Pelmadulla Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: පැල්මඩුල්ල පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Pelmadulla town in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. History The temple at Pelmadulla is said to have received royal patronage since its establishment during the reign of King Rajasinha I of Sitawaka [(1581-1593 A.D.) Silva & Chandrasekara, 2021]. Locals believe that King Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe (1739-1747 A.D.) donated the Pelmadulla village for the sustenance of this temple (Abeyawardana, 2002). According to the opinion of many, the Tempita Viharaya of the temple is 400 years old (Abeyawardana, 2002). However, the main temple is said to have been established during the British Period (in 1819) by Iddamalgoda Nilame, an aristocratic Chieftain in the Sabaragamuwa Province and the Basnayaka Nilame of the Ratnapura Maha Saman Devalaya (Abeyawardana, 2002; Cooray, 2012). A Pirivena for the education of Buddhist monks was started at this temple in 1828 and it is considered the oldest such kind of in…
