Athkanda Raja Maha Viharaya (Matara) Not to be confused with Athkanda Raja Maha Viharaya (Kurunegala) . Athkanda Raja Maha Viharaya Ethkanda Viharaya (Sinhala: ඇත්කඳ විහාරය, ගලබොඩ), is a Buddhist cave temple situated in Galaboda village near Kamburugamuwa in Matara District, Sri Lanka. History Built on a hillock with many caves around it, locals link the history of this temple to the reign of King Valagamba (103, 88-77 B.C.) of Anuradhapura (Abeyawardana, 2004; Ranaweera, 2015; Wikramaratne, 2015). It is said that the caves of this site were used by the king during the period when South Indian invaders ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom (Abeyawardana, 2004; Ranaweera, 2015). Also, another folklore says that this is the ancient Athkanda Raja Maha Viharaya where Maliyadeva, the last Arhat of Sri Lanka lived (Abeyawardana, 2004; Ranaweera, 2015). The Bodhi tree at the temple is believed to be a sapling brought from the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree at Anuradhapura (Wikramaratne, 2015). The cave temple consists of paintings and sculptures …
