Paurukanda Raja Maha Viharaya, also known as Paurukanda Punchi Sri Padaya (Sinhala: පවුරුකන්ද රජමහා විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Halwala village in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka.
History
The history of this site runs back to the Polonnaruwa Period. Ruler Manabharana who got defeated in the fight with Vikramabahu (reigned: 1111-1132 A.D.) fled to Pasyodun-rata with his two brothers Keerthi Sri Megha, and Sri Wallabha and received protection there. The Pancayojana-Rattha or Pasyodun-vaga (present Pasdun Korale) was a part of Rohana principality before the Parakramabahu’s (1153-1186 A.D.) rule ship of Dakkhinadesa in the 12th century.
It is said that the fortress of Manabharana was located at this place (Abeyawardana, 2002). This was a natural fortress on a mountain and its summit is said to have been surrounded by a wall made of stone. The present name of the temple Paurukanda means the "mountain of the wall".
Presently, this site is also known by the name Punchi Sri Padaya (little Sri Pada) due to the Footprint of the Buddha carved on a rock at the summit of the mountain. Beside this carving is a Sinhalese inscription dated on 26 December 1838.
The site
There is a large cave that can accommodate about 400 people at a time (Abeyawardana, 2002). Several small caves are also found adjacent to it (Abeyawardana, 2002). A stone canoe, pond, stone pillars and embankments are some of the ruins scattered on the temple premises (Abeyawardana, 2002).
A protected site
The ancient image house belonging to Pawrekanda Purana Vihara situated at the top of Halwala Kanda in the Grama Niladhari Division of Halwala in the Divisional Secretariat Division of Agalawatta is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 6 July 2007.
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Attribution
#) LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to K. Gunasekara & Lalith Kekulthotuwage for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.
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.109.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1505. 6 July 2007. p.548.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1505. 6 July 2007. p.548.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 8 November 2023