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Image courtesy of Dr. Ashan Geeganage
At the foot of the Kahalla Pallekele mountain range in Andiyagala lies the remains of an ancient monastery forgotten with time gulped by nature. Today known as the Upulwehera Rajamaha Viharaya, The site is scattered with remains of ancient artefacts and buildings.
According to folklore, this location was one of the resting points of Prince Dutugemunu on his march to liberate Anuradhapura from Elara. Once he brought the country under a single king, he built this temple complex along with many others throughout the country.
Among the ruins, this complex consists of two stupas. The first one lies at the foot of the mountain. This stupa has been conserved by the Archaeological Department recently. This is a small stupa about 38 meters in diameter. The stupa stands on a raised square platform of 20x20m.
At the top of the mountain is a much larger dilapidated stupa locally called Upul Vehera. Unfortunately, no restoration has been carried out on this stupa and from time to time villagers have made valiant efforts to clean up this stupa and restore it to an extent. This stupa has been dug at the top several times by treasure looters. Now the villagers have made it a habit to climb up this stupa at least once a week to worship this stupa which also keeps the looters away.
The villagers who are mostly farmers rely heavily on the seasonal rains and have an unusual connection with this Upul Vehera. During dry spells, the villagers pour milk over the stupa to receive rain.
In the jungles of this archaeological site, close to the small stupa, lies a collection of monoliths which once held buildings of the monastery.
Also See
Map of Upulwehera Archaeological Site in Andagala
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Travel Directions to Upulwehera Archaeological Site in Andagala
| Route from Galewela to Upulwehera Archaeological Site in Andagala |
| Through : Bulanwewa Distance : 27 km Travel time : 45 mins. Driving directions : see on Google map |
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