Atupothdeniya Pothgul Tampita Rajamaha Viharaya – අටුපොත්දෙණිය පොත්ගුල් ටැම්පිට රජමහා විහාරය

RATE THIS LOCATION :1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (3 votes, average: 1.67 out of 5)
Loading...

Atupothdeniya Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient temple hidden away just 62 km from Colombo close to Giriulla belonging to the Gampaha District. According to the folklore this temple has been in existence since the period of king Walagamba (89-77 BC).  The Ola leaves which has been used in documenting the Tripitaka in Pali at Matale Alu Viharaya during the reign of king Walagamba is said to have been supplied by this temple. Abundance of  Talipot Palm Trees in the area provide strength to this folklore.

It is also said that this temple once severed as a library of Buddhist Manuscripts during the Baminitiya Famine during the reign of king Walagamba (89-77 BC). Thus the name Pothgul in its name.

Another belief is that this temple was built by a regional ruler known as Rate Rala during the reign of king Parakramabahu II (1244 -1279) of Dambadeniya Kingdom.

One of the unique features a visitor could observe today at this temple  is the ancient Tampita Vihara Ge. Tampita Vihara were a popular architectural feature of temples during the Kandyan era.

This Tampita Vihara Ge is built on a wooden platform built on 21 granite pillars of about 2 feet in height. A corridor with a plain balustrade  is built around this image house as in most other Tampita Vihara. The walls and the balustrade  is build with wattle and daub. The image house is about 35×13 feet in size. The corridor is about 2.5 feet in width. This structure has been dated to the 18th century.

The temple can be reached through Minuwangoda – Divulapitiya from either the Airport Highway or through Negombo Road.

Also See

Map of Atupothdeniya Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
.

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Traveling Directions to Atupothdeniya Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya

Route from Colombo to Atupothdeniya Pothgul Rajamaha Viharaya
Distance :72 km
Travel time : 2 hours
Driving directions : see on google map