Sellawali Raja Maha Viharaya
Sellawali Viharaya (Photo credit: U Edg3, Google Street View) Sellawali Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: සෙල්ලාවලී රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Halloluwa village in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. History The temple, according to a copper plate grant, was constructed by a queen named Sandapati whose identity is not known (Seneviratna, 1983). The copper plate is a land grant made in 1597 by King Vimaladharmasuriya I [(1591-1604 A.D.) Seneviratna, 1983]. However, the temple belongs to an earlier period than that date and it is said to have been constructed by Chandrawathi, the mother of King Vikramabahu III (1356-1374 A.D.) or the queen of King Sanasammata Vikramabahu [(1469-1511 A.D.) Abeyawardana, 2004; Seneviratna, 1983]. Some believe that the temple was built by Sellawali Devi, the niece of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1798-1815 A.D.)'s brother-in-law, Kuttinayaka Deviyo (Lewis, 1922). Sellawali is the old name for the present-day Holloluwa where the temple stands today (Sen…
