Not to be confused with Kande Purana Viharaya, Opanayaka and Kande Viharaya, Alutgama
Gorakana Purana Kande Viharaya (Photo credit: Google Street View)
Kande Purana Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: ගොරකාන කන්දේ පුරාණ රජ මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Gorakana village in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka.
History
According to folklore, this place was an aristocratic house before it became a temple. Some believe that this temple was established by a prince named Sirideva who lived during the Kotte Period (Kodithuwakku, 2022).
As mentioned in the inscriptions in situ, the temple has a history running back to the 18th century. The inscription engraved on the stone door frame of the image house of this temple mentions the year 1796 A.D. [(the Buddhist year 2339) Kodithuwakku, 2022].
Text: සුගතාබ්දම් ධීගගෝත්රම් ගොරකාන කන්දෙ විහාරය
Translation: Buddhist Year 2339 Gorakana Kande Viharaya.
Note: This inscription has been written following the ancient Katapaya system.
Also, a boundary stone around the Pohoya-ge (the chapter house) has the year 1845 A.D. (the Buddhist year 2388).
Text: සුගතාබ්දම් දූ දීගෝත්රම් මකර රවි නුජගා ගබුද දින
Translation: Buddhist year 2388...>>
The Gorakana Slab Inscription located near Kande Purana Viharaya premises records a pious woman's donation of a plot of land to the cause of Buddhism in the year 1848. According to the Gorakana Gal Kanuwa Junction Inscription, Wadduwe Sri Dhammananda Thera of the Malwatta Chapter was the chief incumbent of this temple in 1860 (Kodithuwakku, 2022).
A protected site
The Vahalkada, Pohoya house, preaching hall, dwelling house, image house, lavatory house, and the Stupa belonging to the Gorakana Kande Purana Raja Maha Vihara situated in the Grama Niladhari Division of Gorakana South in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Panadura are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government Gazette notification published on 8 July 2005.
References
1) Kodithuwakku, N., 2022. අභිලේඛන සංග්රහය-1 (Abhilekhana Sangrahaya-1). Department of Archaeology. ISBN: 978-624-5840-17-4. pp.175-180.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1401. 8 July 2005. p.1024.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 26 December 2022
