Pasgama Viharaya and Natha Devalaya
Pasgama Viharaya and Natha Devalaya (Photo credit: Google Street View) Pasgama Raja Maha Viharaya & Natha Devalaya (Sinhala: පස්ගම රජ මහා විහාරය සහ නාථ දේවාලය) is a Buddhist temple and a Devalaya Shrine situated in Pasgama village in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. The Devalaya has been dedicated to God Natha, one of the deities of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon who is believed by people as an aspirant Buddha. History Although the Devalaya shrine at this site has gained the attention of the devotees today, in the past the Viharaya was more prominent (Abeyawardana, 2004). It is believed that the Bodhi tree of this Viharaya is a sapling of the Bodhi tree at Anuradhapura (Abeyawardana, 2004). King Gajabahu I (114-136 A.D.) of Anuradhapura is said to be the one who established Pasgama Viharaya and offered land to it (Abeyawardana, 2004). The name of this temple is mentioned in Nampota , an ancient Sinhalese text which is considered to have been compiled after the 14th century A.D. The Devalaya …
