Kandy Kataragama Devalaya | AmazingLanka.com

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Kataragama Devalaya of Kandyan Kingdom - මහනුවර කතරගම දේවාලය — Kataragama Devalaya of Kandyan Kingdom – මහනුවර කතරගම දේවාලය

A little away from the other Devalayas (Shrines) Kataragama Devalaya (shrine) lies in the commercial area of Kandy in “Kotugodella Vidiya”. This was known as “kavikara Vidiya” in the ancient times. This is one of the Hatara Devale in the Kandy, the other three being the Natha, Vishnu and Patini. These four Devalayas have a long association with the Royal Palace ( Maha Vasala) and the Temple of Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) and have been venerated by Buddhists and Hindus alike from their inception. Another devalaya dedicated to Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity now known as Pillaiyar Kovil is located in Katukele.

Deity Kataragama is one of the most popular deities of Sri Lanka. His main devale (shrine) lies deep down in the Southern part of the country in the town of Kataragama and generally is called by the name of this town, Kataragama.

The origin of this deity is a mystery. Some legends consider the Kataragama Deviyo (deity) as the powerful regional warrior king Mahasena who ruled the Kataragama area when the Buddha made his 3rd visit to Sri Lanka in the 8th year of his enlightenment ( 580 BC). This warrior king became a follower of Buddhism after meeting the Buddha and was elevated to a deity by the community after his death.

Some believe he is a spymaster called Kadira of Tamil invader Elara. After the defeat of Elara, he became a principal benefactor in the area and earned respect from the local Singhalese community who deified him after his death. Kadira is said to have operated 6 spy rings again subdivided into 12 groups and based himself in the Kataragama area. It was these groups which later were transformed into six heads and 12 arms of the Kataragama Deviyo. Kadira was known as the “Kadira Deviyo” who later became Kataragama Deviyo. But the Tamils in Kataragama never accepted him as a deity and ignored him. Those Tamils who worshipped at the shrine introduced their god Skanda Kumar as the reigning deity of this shrine.

According to Hindu beliefs deity Skanda is also known as Murugan, Arumugam, Kandasami (Skanda Swami), Subrahmanya, etc. According to Hindu legends deity Skanda came to Sri Lanka after a row with his wife Thevani and landed in the southern part of the island. He made “Wadihiti Kanda” near Kataragama his adobe and later married a 16-year-old girl from the area called “Walli”.

Deity of Kataragama o the offical vehicle - the peacock — Deity of Kataragama o the official vehicle – the peacock

The deity Kataragama seems to have come in the popularity in 14th century and increased further since the 16th century.

The Kataragama Devalaya at Kandy is run by Hindu priests, unlike the other 3 devales in Kandy. The entrance to the main shrine faces the main street through a colourfully ornamented vahalkada. The devale building is more or less the same as the others and has the upper stories square like a lantern or tower over the sanctum, with a balcony. It consists of four compartments, the innermost or western one forming the sanctum with an image. In the next compartment also is an image where the officiating priests perform their rites. The third has the palanquin used in the Perahara, and the fourth is the drummers’ quarters. To the north is an extra building attached to the main shrine and dedicated to the planetary gods.

References

Seneviratna, A., 1983. Kandy: an Illustrated Survey of Ancient Monuments With Historical, Archaeological and Literary Descriptions Including Maps of the City and Its Suburbs. Colombo: Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Abeyawardhana, H. A. P. (2004) Heritage of Kandurata: Major Natural, Cultural, and Historic Sites. Kandy: Kandurata Development Bank, in association with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Also See

Some Historical Places Associated with Dalada Maligawa
Kandy – The Last Kingdom of Sinhale

Map of the Kataragama Devalaya of Kandy

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Driving Directions to Kataragama Devalaya of Kandy

Route 1 from Colombo to Kandy	Route 2 from Colombo to Kandy
Though : kadawata – Warakapola – Ambepussa – Mawanella Distance :120 km Travel time : 3.45 hours Driving directions : see on google map	Though : Katunayake Expressway – Distance :150 km Travel time : 3.20 hours Driving directions : see on google map
Route From Nuwara Eliya to Kandy
Though : Walapane – Raja Mawatha Distance :100 km Travel time : 3.0 hours Driving directions : see on google map