Galkanda Purana Viharaya is a Buddhist temple located in Bambarenda village. An inscription in the image house mentions its construction date as 1802.
Galkanda Viharaya (Bambarenda) Not to be confused with Galkanda Viharaya (Horampella) G alkanda Purana Viharaya (Sinhala: බඹරැන්ද ගල්කන්ද පුරාණ විහාරය) is a Buddhist temple situated in Bambarenda village near Dikwella in Matara District, Sri Lanka. History The exact establishment date of this temple is unknown. However, the Katapaya-type inscription ( Shakabdam Geerasatyam ) which is engraved on the stone door frame of the image house mentions its construction date as Saka year 1723 [(1802 A.D.) Dissanayaka, 2023; Wikramaratne, 2015]. Therefore, it is assumed that Galkanda Viharaya at Bambarenda was established sometime before the year 1802, probably during the time of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1781 A.D.) or King Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha (1781-1798 A.D.) of Kandy (Abeyawardana, 2004). The inscription on the stone doorframe further reveals that the image house was constructed by the villagers under the guidance of Dhammarama Maha Swami. The name Bambarenda is mentioned as Brahmacola (or Bambaredda) in the Gramadarika Vat…
