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flickr photo shared by Priyantha Bandara under a Creative Commons ( BY-NC-ND ) license
Maraluwawa Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient temple complex lying on the top of Andagala Rock close to the Kurunegala town going as far as King Dutugemunu (161-131 BC). Like an eel, this rock stretches for over 15 kilometres in length giving it the shape of an eel to a person looking at it from the ground or from above, giving its name “Andagala” (Eel-Rock).
The history of this temple is well documented in the Andagala Copper Plates which is held by the temple. These copper plates were offered by the king Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747 – 1781) of the Kandyan kingdom to the temple. According to the copper plate, this temple has been renovated by the son of the sister of King Dutugenunu, Prince Pussadeva. According to this copper plate the king has duplicated the content of a previous copper plate handed over to the temple by King Dutugemunu (161-131 BC) since the original had been decayed over time.
Based on the copper plate, the prince had come to a Levana Gal Viharaya to listen to the preaching of the Arhath Mahadeva Thero and had built a statue at this temple. It is also said that there had been a stupa and the Buddha statue in lying position when the prince Pussadeva built this statue. Once the renovations were complete, the prince invited King Dutugemunu to show the renovated temple. Based on this statement, it is evident this site had been built before the time of King Dutugemunu.
The plates also state that the prince Pussadeva later became a monk under Mahadeva Thero and reached the level of an Arhath and that this temple was visited by Maliyadeva Thero who is considered the last Arhath of Sri Lanka.
On a rock surface near the stupa, a large inscription can be seen. Unfortunately, this massive 33×1 meter inscription is so decayed nothing has been read. But to carve out such a large inscription, this temple must have had a very important place in history.
An ancient Bodhigara, ruins of a pohoya geya and several dripledge caves can be seen on this site. In addition to its historic and archaeological importance, this site gives a spectacular view of the surrounding Etha Gala, Ibbagala, Dolukanda and the Kurunegala town itself.
Also See
Map of Maraluwawa Raja Maha Viharaya
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Travel Directions to Maraluwawa Raja Maha Viharaya
| Route from Kurunegala to Maraluwawa Raja Maha Viharaya |
| Distance : 5 km Travel time : 20 mins Driving directions : see on google map |
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