Heritage

Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa (නිකවැව ශ්‍රී නාගල රජමහා විහාරය)

56 years ago6 months ago03 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(29 votes, average: 3.14 out of 5)

The ancient image house of the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa
Image courtesy of Dr. Ashan Geeganage

Having a history going as far as King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BCE), the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya lies at the foothill of the Nikawewa mountain range, which lies between Moragollagama and Madagalla. The temple had been neglected and deserted for a long period, and now it had been redeveloped and restored to its ancient glory.

An ancient stupa (now restored), the ancient Bo tree, an image house and several ancient rock inscriptions can be found at the bottom of the mountain. The most ancient image house lies in the middle of the mountain range.

Founding of Sri Nagala Monastery

Local tradition holds that the Sri Nagala Monastery was founded by Prince Saliya, son of King Dutugemunu (161-137 BCE). This belief is supported by the dimensions of the bricks in the lower part of the ancient stupa. These bricks average 16.41 inches in length, 8.16 inches in breadth, and 3.39 inches in thickness. Such dimensions suggest a construction date not later than the first century BCE, likely spanning from the reign of Dutugemunu to the early part of the first century. (Parker, 1909, p. 333)

Identification of the Relics

Parker (1909, pp. 333–334) writes that there were 2 ancient wooden statues, larger than life with a thin plaster to protect the wood, in two of the long-abandoned caves of the mountain. Tradition identifies one of the statues as of King Dutugemunu and the other as of his son, Prince Saliya. The former statue includes a high royal crown.

Restoration Effects

Restoration of this cave temple began around 1900 under the guidance of a priest named Selaratna Thero. When the debris from the stupa, destroyed by treasure hunters, was cleared, the main relic chamber was found intact at the very bottom, concealed by a large stone slab. Among the relics discovered were various beads and 12 relic caskets (karanduwa). Of these caskets, 10 were made of crystal, while 2 were crafted from glass—one a dark green color and the other an opaque pale green. (Parker, 1909, p. 335)

View of the 2 caves of Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa from the road

View of the caves of Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa from the road

The ancient stupa now restored at the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Climb to the caves of the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

En route to the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

View from the main image house at Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Entrance to the main image house of Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Broken statues in the main image house at Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

2nd cave image house at Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Fading frescoes on the 2nd cave image house at Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Second cave of the Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

View from the 2nd cave image house at Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

References

Parker, H. (1909). Ancient Ceylon: An Account of the Aborigines and of Part of the Early Civilisation (1st ed.). Luzac & Co.

Also See

Map of Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

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.

Travel Directions to Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Route from Colombo to Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya at Nikawewa

Through : Minuwangoda – Giriulla – Narammala – Wariyapola – Maho – Madagalla
Distance : 157 km
Travel time : 3.5 hours
Driving directions : see on google map

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. […]