Mal Asne Raja Maha Viharaya (Sinhala: උග්ගල්බොඩ මල්අස්නේ රජමහා විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Uggalboda village in Kalutara District, Sri Lanka. According to some, the temple is reputed to have the first Devol Maduwa in the country (Sewwandi, 2020).
History
This temple is believed to have been established during the reign of King Parakramabahu II (1236-1270 A.D.) of Dambadeniya. The Vatuthanthri Copper Plate Grant (1443 A.D.) which is presently preserved in the temple reveals some information related to both the Viharaya and Devalaya shrines (Weerasooriya, 2020). Granted by King Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467 A.D.) of Kotte, it mentions some land donations and about the boundaries declared for Mal Asne Viharaya and Devalaya by the king (Sewwandi, 2020; Weerasooriya, 2020).
Although the folklore reveals about a cane cultivation vicinity of this temple during the Portuguese period (Portuguese Ceylon: 1597-1658 A.D.), there is no evidence to prove it (Sewwandi, 2020). It is recorded that the traditional Devol Maduwa function was held at this temple for seven days in 1928 (Sewwandi, 2020).
A Protected Site
The Mal Asana Devalaya building situated in the premises of Uggalboda Rajamaha Viharaya belonging to Uggalboda village in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Kalutara is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.
References
1) Sewwandi, K.D.C., 2020. උග්ගල්බඩ මල් අස්නේ රජමහා විහාරය සහ දෙවොල් මඩුව (In Sinhala). URSARU; Department of Archaeology & Heritage Management. University of Rajarata. p.34.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; Extraordinary, no: 1264. 22 November 2002.
3) Weerasooriya, W.L.A.B.J, 2020. කළුතර මල් අස්නේ විහාරයට සහ දේවාලයට අයත් අප්රකාෂිත වටුතන්ත්රි තඹ සන්නස (In Sinhala). URSARU; Department of Archaeology & Heritage Management. University of Rajarata. p.117.
Attribution
#) LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Lalith Kekulthotuwage for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.