Thumbewula Raja Maha Viharaya Thumbewula Kirti Vijayabahu Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: තුම්බැවුල කීර්ති විජයබාහු රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple in Mologgamuwa village in Matara District, Sri Lanka. History According to folklore, the history of this site runs back to the Polonnaruwa Period (Ranaweera, 2015). It is believed that the drip-ledged cave at this site was used by Prince Kitti before he defeated the South Indian Cholas in Polonnaruwa where he was crowned as the King of the whole island by the name King Vijayabahu I [(1055-1110 A.D.) Ranaweera, 2015]. After liberating the country from South Indian Chola invaders, King Vijayabahu I converted this site into a Buddhist temple (Ranaweera, 2015). Although there is no firm evidence to confirm, locals believe that the small pond on the present temple premises was used by Prince Kitti for bathing (Ranaweera, 2015). Further, they believe that the cave of this site originally belonged to a monk of the Dimbulagala fraternity, but at the request of Sitnaru-bim Budalna…
