Kadireshan Kovil (Anuradhapura)

Kadireshan Kovil, Anuradhapura
Photo credit: Google street view

Kadireshan Kovil (Sinhala: අනුරාධපුරය කදිරේශන් කෝවිල) is a Hindu shrine situated in Anuradhapura town, Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to God Siva along with other deities including Ganesa, Laksmi, Bahirava.

History
The temple was originally located at a site near Sri Maha Bodhi but it was shifted to the present location in 1961 (Wikramagamage, 2004). It was set on fire by mobs after Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE), a militant group designated as a terrorist organization, attacked the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi in 1985 and massacred 146 people who were around the temple premises (DeVotta, 2007; Wikramagamage, 2004).

References
1) DeVotta, N., 2007. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ideology: Implications for politics and conflict resolution in Sri Lanka. pp.38,77.
2) Wikramagamage, C., 2004. Heritage of Rajarata: Major natural, cultural, and historic sites. Colombo. Central Bank of Sri Lanka. p.154.

Location Map
This page was last updated on 2 January 2023
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