Sooriyapokuna Raja Maha Viharaya: ancient temple with ruins and stone pillars, linked to local legends, protected as an archaeological site.
Suriyapokuna Viharaya S uriyapokuna Raja Maha Viharaya , also known as Suriyapokuna Rankoth Vehera Rajamaha Viharaya (Sinhala: සූරියපොකුණ රන්කොත් වෙහෙර රජමහා විහාරය), is a Buddhist temple situated in Suriyapokuna village in Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. History Suriyapokuna is a rural village about half a kilometre from the Middeniya–Hungama main road and the turnoff to the village is in close proximity to the Debokkawa town. The village is believed to have been named after a provincial king, Suriya, who once bathed in the village pond. While locals also believe Sooriyapokuna was a site where Prince Dutugemunu (reigned: 161-137 B.C.) gathered and trained his troops before battling King Elara (205-161 B.C.) of Anuradhapura , and that he later built the temple in gratitude for his victory, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. A Protected Site The building ruins with the ancient stone pillars in the precincts of the Sooriya Pokuna Raja Maha Vihara, situated within the
Grama Niladhari Division of So…
