Ransegoda Purana Viharaya

Ransegoda Purana Viharaya

. Ransegoda Purana Raja Maha Viharaya  (Sinhala: රන්සෑගොඩ පුරාණ රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple in Ransegoda village situated between Kamburupitiya and Makandura in Matara District, Sri Lanka. According to folklore, Ransegoda received its name due to a golden  Stupa  ( Ran-seya in Sinhala) which had been constructed in the 7th century A.D. by Dappula (or Dapulusen), a ruler of Rohana (Vanarathana, 1994; Wikramaratne, 2015). The names of the nearby areas such as Wahalwatta, Malwatta and Uhangoda (Uyangoda) indicate that a ruler was living in this region in the past (Vanarathana, 1994). A large pit probably the remains of an ancient pond has been recorded in the Uhangoda area and a brass or golden pinnacle about 3 ft. in height is said to have been unearthed from a paddyland located in Wahalawatta (Vanarathana, 1994). Also, an old wooden plaque (6 x 4 inches) containing a sketch of a three-storey building has been discovered in a pit located near the Ransegoda temple (Vanarathana, 1994; Wi…