Sapugoda Sri Maha Viharaya (Beruwala)

Sapugoda Sri Maha Viharaya (Beruwala)
Sapugoda Sri Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: සපුගොඩ ශ්‍රී මහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Mussalgoda village near Beruwala in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka. History This temple is believed to have been established in 1775 (Dissanayaka, 2023). It is said that the Buddhist monk named Sapugoda Ananda Thera who moved to Mussalgoda in Beruwala during the reign of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1798-1815 A.D.) of Kandy , the last ruler of Sri Lanka contributed in development of this temple. As a make of respect for the Thera, this temple is named Sapugoda Viharaya.  Image house The image house is the main monument of this temple with an archaeological value. It was constructed in 1883, latter part of the 19th century ( Dissanayaka, 2023). Buddha statues and paintings showing the features of the low-country art tradition of the Kandyan Period are found in this image house. An old Vahalkada (entrance gate) and the remains of a dilapidated Kabok (laterite) wall are also found within the temple premi…