Medagoda Pattini Devalaya

Medagoda Pattini Devalaya (Sinhala: මැදගොඩ පත්තිනි දේවාලය) is a Devalaya Shrine situated near the right bank of Kelani Ganga River in Medagoda village in Kegalle District, Sri Lanka. It has been dedicated to Goddess Pattini, the patron goddess of fertility and health.

History

The tradition says that King Rajasinha I (b.1532-d.1593) of Sitawaka endowed this temple to fulfil a vow (Bell, 1904). According to folklore, the king who was on his way to Ruwanwella one day through his royal Angula which was riding upstream of Keleni Ganga River couldn't pass the rapids near the temple (Bell, 1904). The king thereupon landed and invoked the aid of the goddess at her shrine and after that, the king could pass the rapids without any difficulty (Bell, 1904). A copper plate charter granted to the temple by King Rajasinha I in Saka year 1499 (1577 A.D.) reveals that the king donated 4 Pelas' extent of land for the uninterrupted continuation of the necessary offerings and ceremonies of the shrine (Bell, 1904). Also, some gifts received from the king are still preserved in the temple (Bell, 1904).

According to another folklore, this temple was built by King Rajasinha I in memory of his queen Malvati, the daughter of Dodampe Mathematician. Malvati is said to be the fiancé of Rajasinha I's son Prince Rajasuriya but the old king also wanted her caress. Because of this, the king took Malvati to the palace and kept her as his queen. However, Malvati died suddenly of an illness, and Rajasingha I, who was saddened by this, built the Pattini Vihara in Medagoda village in her memory. Later King Rajasinha I sustained a bamboo thorn prick while resting in the Garden at Pethangoda on his return from Kandy after a losing battle with Konappu Bandara who later became the ruler of the Kandyan Kingdom by the name Vimaladharmasuriya I (1590-1604 A.D.). It is said that Dodampe Mathematician who was offended by the Malvati incident, helped put the king to death by applying poisonous substances to the wound.

The shrine building

The shrine consists of a Dig-ge (23 ft. by 12 ft.), the Devala sanctuary (7 ft. 9 in. by 10 ft. 4 in.) and upper storeyed Maligawa (Bell, 1904). A small balcony surrounds the shrine which rests on six stunted pillars (Bell, 1904). The roof of the Dig-ge was supported by three stone pillars 7 ft. in height and one of them is believed to have been brought from Berendi Kovil after the fall of Sitawaka (Bell, 1904). This pillar is now on display at the Colombo National Museum.