Lihiniyagala Rajamaha Viharaya (ලිහිණියාගල රජමහා විහාරය)

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Lihiniyagala Rajamaha Viharaya (Lihiniyagala Len Viharaya) is an ancient cave temple which lies in Kirthi Bandarapura in Walapane PS. Although it is not known who or when this temple was built, it is believed to have existed during the time of King Dutugemunu (161-131 BC). According to folklore, one of his generals (yodhaya), Theraputhabhaya, became a priest after the country was liberated from the Tamil invaders.

Inscription

Archaeologists have discovered Brahmi inscriptions on one of the caves, which have been dated to a period between the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE. This inscription, “Manapadasane,” has been translated to “of agreeable sight”, which is the name of the cave. (Paranavitana, 1970, p. 68)

Prehistoric Paintings

Though unknown to many, this temple is the only place in the Central Province where you will find prehistoric paintings. In a large cave about 150 feet in length and 12 feet in depth, there are Stick-Figure paintings of humans, animals, and other abstract figures.

All the paintings in the cave are clustered in an area close to the center of the cave for some reason. All the pictures have been drawn above the normal height of a person, which means that the ancient artist did not wanted his work to be destroyed by the inhabitants and climbed onto a raised platform to draw the pictures. There are a total of 13 stick figures which can be identified out of which 9 are in a single cluster.

Image House

There is a small temple on one corner of the cave with paintings belonging to the Kandyan Era. These paintings are in a dilapidated state due to lack of maintenance. A large, impressive wooden door frame with exceptional carvings adds grandeur to this image house.

It is said that this area was given the name Lihiniyagala due to a scrub called “Leeniya” which grew in abundance in the region. Therefore, this area was called ‘Leeniyagala’, which later became ‘lihiniyagala’. The ancient name of this area is said to be ‘Niyada-wanaya’.

This ancient temple can be reached by traveling on the Mahaweli Raja Mawatha towards Kandy from Walapane town. Travel about 5km, passing the ancient Keerthibandara Devalaya. At the bridge over the Belihul Oya, you will be able to see the temple on the rocky mountain on the right-hand side.

References

Dissanayake, S. B. (1997). දියතිලක නුවර : පැරණි ස්මාරක හා ස්ථාන. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Paranavitana, S. (1970). Inscriptions of Ceylon : Volume I Containing Cave Inscriptions From 3rd Century B.C. To 1st Century A.C. and Other Inscriptions in the Early Brahmi Script: Vol. I. Department of Archaeology Ceylon.

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Travel Directions to Lihiniyagala Len Viharaya

Route from Kandy to Lihiniyagala Len Viharaya	Route from Loggal Oya Junction to Lihiniyagala Len Viharaya
Through: Mahaweli Raja Mawatha Distance: 34 km Travel time: 40 minutes. Driving directions: see on Google Maps	Through: Mahaweli Raja Mawatha Distance: 34 km Travel time : 40 minutes. Driving directions: see on Google Maps

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