Just above the Malwatu Maha Viharaya in Kandy and near the present Wales Park on the hills is found a small but beautiful old viharaya called Naga Vimanaya. This is a supposed to be a place where Velivita Sri Saranankara Thero lived for some time.
The superstructure of the Minimarupitiya Tampita Viharaya is composed of wattle and daub and is square in shape. The height of the doorway is about four feet and its dimensions are 10 feet by 15 feet, standing on six stone dwarf pillars.
Sri Lanka should have celebrated the 309th birth anniversary of Sangharaja Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thera as much as the introduction of Upasampada to Sri Lanka in 1753. If not for Sangharaja Weliwita, Sri Lanka would not have been a Buddhist country.
A wealth of historical detail awaits those who venture through long, winding corridors of the Malwatta temple in Kandy to the museum that lies within. The ‘Weliwita Saranankara Sangaraja Museum’ houses artefacts of the last ‘Sangaraja’ or the king of the monks, a title bestowed by King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe.
Across the lake from the temple of the Tooth Relic, is situated one of the great centres of the Sangha, belonging to the Siam Nikaya, known as “Malwatu Maha Viharaya”. This great monastery consists of two sections.
The Magul Maduwa, or Audience Hall, in Kandy is a historic wooden pavilion where the last kings of Sri Lanka conducted administrative and judicial duties. Started in 1783, this architectural masterpiece witnessed the 1815 handover of sovereignty to the British and the tragic sentencing of national patriots like Keppatipola Disave.
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 colorfully ornamented vahalkada.
Kandy Lake or the Nuwara Wewa was built by the last king of Kandy (and of Sri Lanka), Sri Wikrama Rajasinhe to beatify the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa) by excavating paddy fields in 1807. He called this artificial lake the :Kiri Muhuda” or the Milky Ocean.
Kadugannawa Ambalama is said to have build during the reign of King Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe and must have been a popular stopover for the merchants traveling on the arduous route between ancient hill capital and the lowlands
Local traditions say that this Hendeniya Rajamaha Viharaya was built at the the request of Henekanda Biso Bandara (consort of King Wickremabahu III) of the Gampola period (1357-1374)
Lewis called this Garrison Cemetery, the ‘European graveyard of Kandy’, in his book on the ‘List of Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in Ceylon’ published in 1913.
Renowned for its murals of the Kandyan Sittara art, “Gangarama Raja Maha Viharaya” is attributed to King Kirti Sri Rajasinhe (1747 – 1781). The paintings in this temple depict scenes of Buddha of his birth and Jataka Stories. Even today they are valued as excellent examples of Kandyan Sittara Art.
A short turn off from the Kundasala Road just outside of Kandy and you will come upon a strange sight: the unfinished Galmaduwa Viharaya.
Passing Suriyagoda Viharaya in Yati Nuwara you come across two more historical locations, Dodanwela Devalaya and Danthre Viharaya. These can also be reached by the main road from Alakolange.
The Kandyan king, Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1780) was a great patron of the arts. It was during his time that some of the best paintings in upcountry temples were created. Among them, the Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Vihara paintings stand out.
The Danthure Viharaya is Tampita Viharaya ( A temple built on pillars). The ground floor of the viharaya is used as the “Bana Maduwa” or a preaching hall. On four pillars at the centre of the hall are sculptured musicians and dancers.
The ruins of the present Hospital Complex is attributed to King Sena II (853-887 AD). But it is believed that there was a hospital at Mihintale long before this building. The inner Chamber of the hospital is centered around a Buddha Shrine.
Climbing up the 1,840 steps of Mihintale, this is the first relic which comes to view once you reach the upper terrace of Mihintale Complex. Ambastala Dagaba (also called Sela Chethiya) believed to be built by by King Mahadatika Mahanaga (09-21 AC) on the exact place where the great Mahinda Thero met the King Devanampiyatissa.
Rising prominently above the surrounding plains are the unusually bald boulders of the Rajagiri Kanda or the mountain of the kings. This is accessible from the road almost directly in front of the entrance to the Kaludiya pokuna complex.
When one climbs down about three hundred yards on to the eastern side passing the site of the Sila Cetiya at Mihintale, one reaches a stone slab sheltered by another rock called Mihindu Guhawa.
