Heritage

Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya

56 years ago11 months ago03 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(3 votes, average: 1.67 out of 5)

වත්තේගම රජමහා විහාරය - කොටියාගල, සියඹලාණ්ඩුව - Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya

Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya is located along the Kotiyagala road, approximately 14.5 kilometers from the Kodayana junction on the Moneragala–Siyambalanduwa main road. The temple is situated within the Wattegama Grama Niladhari Division, which falls under the Siyambalanduwa Divisional Secretariat in the Monaragala District.

Natural Setting and Historical Background

Wattegama is distinguished by a large, rocky mountain, accompanied by a smaller hill nearby. Nestled between these two natural elevations stands the ancient Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya. The temple’s origins trace back to the early period of the Ruhuna kingdom, giving it immense historical significance.

A prominent feature of the site is the remains of a large dagoba (stupa), now in ruins. Scattered across the temple grounds are sacred footprint stones of Buddha, or Sri Pathula Gal, which are believed to have been objects of worship before the time Buddha images were created. The site also houses an ancient Bodhi tree.

The Image House

One of the most noteworthy structures within the temple complex is the image house, built during the Kandyan period. This structure serves as a vivid example of Kandyan art and design, functioning almost like a studio of Kandyan art.

Adjacent to the stupa lies the main image house, which measures roughly 8 meters by 10 meters. The interior walls are covered in murals, which, according to the temple’s residing monk, date back approximately 300 years. Among these is a particularly noteworthy depiction of Dutch soldiers holding rifles—a rare visual reference to colonial encounters captured in traditional Sri Lankan temple art. However, time has taken its toll, and many of the once vibrant murals are now faded or in the process of deteriorating.

Archaeological Findings

In 1985, a Japanese archaeological team conducted a detailed exploration of the ruins. Their findings were formally published in 1999. The main stupa, largely hidden under a cover of trees and resembling a natural mound, measures approximately 27 meters in diameter and 8 meters in height. Around it were discovered five chatra stones, four sacred footprint stones, and several stone flower altars. The most conspicuous chatra stone measures 115 cm across, with a central hole 17 cm in diameter. Two vertical stone pillars, believed to be Yupa Gala—used to support the chatra structure—still stand nearby.

Damage by Treasure Hunters

In April 2011, reports emerged detailing extensive damage caused by treasure hunters. The stupa at the summit of the hillock and the ancient Buddha statue suffered considerable destruction. Today, the stupa is barely distinguishable from a natural mound of earth.

Batahela Kanda and Inscriptions

Directly opposite the temple, across the road, stands another rocky formation known as Batahela Kanda. A series of stone-carved steps leads to its summit. At the top—at a location marked ‘B’—several ancient inscriptions have been discovered carved into the rock face, indicated by the marker ‘D’. These inscriptions add yet another layer of archaeological importance to the area.

References

Okamura, T., 1999. Ruins of the Ancient Ruhuna Civilization – In the Jungles of Kumbukkan Oya Basin SRI LANKA. Tokyo: Exploration Club of Hosei University.

Also See

Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya Map

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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.

Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya Driving Directions

From Monaragala to Kotiyagala Wattegama Rajamaha Viharaya

Total Distance : 30 km
Time to Travel : 45-60 mins
Time to spend : 30-60 mins
Driving Directions : See Google Map here

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Muruthtthanai Cave with Indigenous Art (මුරුත්තානෛ ආදිවාසී චිත්‍ර සහිත ලෙණ)
Deep in the Kiran jungle, this cave features a Brahmi inscription documenting its donation to the Maha Sangha. It also houses well-preserved animal rock art from a later period, believed to have been created by the region’s indigenous Vedda community. […]
Muruthtthanai Buddhist Stupa Ruins in Kiran (මුරුත්තානෛ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Muruthtthanai Stupa in Kiran is a 5-meter-high brick monument hidden on a wooded hillock. Plundered by treasure hunters who dug a deep summit pit, the site also includes an ancient rock quarry used for shaping stone architectural elements. […]
Akkuranai Buddhist Monastic Ruins in Kiran (අක්කුරානයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Akkuraṇai Monastic Ruins in Kiran feature a central circular stupa surrounded by terraces, multi-sized pillared structures, and drip-ledged caves. Severely damaged by treasure hunters, the site retains a 2-meter carved flower altar, brick foundations with mortised stone doorframes, and shattered sacred chatra fragments. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 2 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය 2)
The Maduru Oya Valley site in Miniminiththāweli features an Anurādhapura-period building complex with stone pillars and brick foundations. Unfortunately, illegal excavations by treasure hunters have severely damaged these structures, though they have also exposed various ancient artifacts and pottery. […]
Miniminiththaweli Archaeological Site 1 in Kiran (මිනිමිණිත්තවේලි පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-era Miniminiththāweli site 1 in Kiran features a historic building complex heavily damaged by forest gravel road construction. This development destroyed the site's archaeological context and displaced ancient artifacts, including a stone-carved flower altar bulldozed to the roadside. […]
Mavil Aru Amuna and the Reservoir : A Landmark for Resiliency of the People of Sri Lanka
Mavil Aru Amuna was a turning point for the LTTE, a ruthless terrorist organization responsible for thousands of deaths of Sri Lankan citizens. The operation to release LTTE grip on this sluice gate turned in to a full scale operation which saw the military defeat of the terrorist organization in 2009. […]
Kurangukodipottamale Drip Ledge Cave (කුරන්ගුකොඩිපෝට්ටමලේ කටාරම් සහිත ගුහාව)
Located in Kadiraweli, this Anuradhapura-era cave features early Brahmi inscriptions and drip ledges, marking it as a significant monastic dwelling. Despite its historical value, the site faces severe threats from unauthorized excavations and commercial quarrying in the Vakarai region. […]
Mavil Anga Nikkanawewa Reserve Archaeological Ruins (මාවිල් අංග නික්කාන වැව රක්ෂිතය පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
The Nikkanawewa ruins in Vakarai mark an Anuradhapura-era monastic complex. Situated on a rocky outcrop, the site preserves stone pillar bases, ancient bricks, a urinal stone fragment, and terrace remains, confirming its past as a secluded Buddhist forest monastery. […]
Sri Maha Bodhi :The sacred Bo-Tree of Buddhist World (ශ්‍රී මහා බෝධිය)
After bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Mahinda Thero in 250 BC king Tissa received the Sri Maha Bodhi tree sapling and planted it at the present site in 249 BC making this tree 2272 year old (as in 2022). […]
Rediscovering Mavil Anga: An Anuradhapura-Era Image House in Vakarai (කල්ලරිප්පු මාවිල් අංග පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන්)
Mavil Anga is an Anuradhapura-era site in Vakarai featuring a 24-pillar image house. Key finds include a Siripatula Gala and Padmasana, marking it as a significant early Buddhist monastery now hidden within the dense eastern jungle. […]
Pullavi Jungle Buddhist Monastic Ruins (3) in Kayankerni (කායංකේණි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන් – 3)
The Pullavi Jungle Ruins (3) in Kayankerni are an early Anuradhapura-period Buddhist monastery complex. Despite treasure-hunting damage, the forested site preserves carved foundation stones, stone pillars, a mortised doorway slab, and balustrade fragments. It represents one of three interconnected yet distinct monastic centers in the area. […]
Vannathimadu Ancient Pond in Pullavi Jungle (පුල්ලාවි වනයේ වණ්ණාතිමඩු පැරණි පොකුණ)
The Vannāthimadu Ancient Pond (Vannathimadu Kulam) in Vakarai is a 2.42-hectare, oval-shaped reservoir dating to the Early Anurādhapura period. Enclosed by an earthen embankment, it still holds water and served as the primary water source for three nearby forest monasteries. […]
Archaeological Site near Kayankerni School (කායංකේණි පාසල අසල පුරාවිද්‍යා භූමිය)
The Anurādhapura-period archaeological site near Kayaṅkerni School in Vakarai features five short stone pillars from a three-row structure. Characterized by distinct chisel marks, the palm-covered site also contains scattered broken pillars, ancient roof tiles, and stone slabs. […]
Padigala (Padiettanamalei) Buddhist Monastic Ruins (පඩිගල පඩිඑත්තනමලෙයි බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Paḍigala Monastic Ruins in Vakarai feature a ruined brick stupa atop a rock plateau, reached by an ornamental 69-step stone staircase. The complex includes large building foundations, primitive moonstones, and pottery, though treasure hunter activity has severely damaged the site. […]
Omadiyamadu Forest Buddhist Monastic Ruins (ඕමඩියාමඩු වනයේ බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period stupa ruins in the Ōmeḍiyāmadu Forest, Vakarai, sit atop a rock formation. Treasure hunters have damaged the small, dilapidated stupa by digging a 2.5-meter-deep pit into its dome. Excavated bricks and stone debris lie scattered nearby. […]
Sitamalai Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins (සීතාමලායි පර්වත බෞද්ධ ආරාමික නටබුන්)
The Anurādhapura-period Sītāmalai Monastic Ruins in Vakarai are centered on a 90×90-meter rocky outcrop. The site features a damaged brick-and-rubble stupa visible up to its first basal ring, a brick foundation eastward, and two building sites at its southern foot. […]