Ridi Viharaya - The silver mine of King Dutugemunu

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(12 votes, average: 2.25 out of 5)

Ridi Viharaya - Kurunegala — Ridi Viharaya – Kurunegala

Ridi Viharaya lies about 20 kilometers away from the ancient kingdom of Kurunegala in a small village called Ridi Gama. This temple is said to been built by King Dutugemunu in the 2nd century BCE as a memorial to the place where he found a silver (ridi) ore mine, which was used to finance the building of the gigantic Ruwanweli Seya.

The great chronicle Mahavamsa describes the discovery of this mine by a trader

…. In a southerly direction from the city, at a distance of eight yojanas, silver appeared in the Ambatthakola-cave. A merchant from the city, taking many wagons with him, in order to bring ginger and so forth from Malaya, had set out for Malaya. Not far from the cave he brought the wagons to a halt and since he had need of wood for whips he wetit up that mountain. As he saw here a branch of a bread-fruit-tree, bearing one single fruit as large as a water pitcher, and dragged down by the weight of the fruit, he cut the (fruit) which was lying on a stone away from the stalk with his knife, and thinking: `I will give the first (produce as alms),’ with faith he announced the (meal) time.
And there came thither four (theras) who were free from the asavas. When he had greeted them gladly and had invited them with all reverence to be seated, he cut away the rind around the stalk with his knife and tore out the bottom (of the fruit), and pouring the juice which filled the hollow forth into their bowls he offered them the four bowls filled with fruit-juice. They accepted them and went their way.
Then he yet again announced the (meal) time. Four other theras, free from the asavas, appeared before him. He took their alms-bowls and when he had filled them with the kernels of the bread-fruit he gave them back.
Three went their way, but one did not depart. In order to show him the silver he went further down and seating himself near the cave he ate the kernels. When the merchant also had eaten as he wished of the kernels that were left, and had put the rest in a bundle, he went on, following the track of the thera, and when he saw the thera he showed him the (usual) attentions. The thera opened a path for him to the mouth of the cavern: `Go thou now also on this path, lay brother!’ When he had done reverence to the thera he went that way and saw the cave. Standing by the mouth of the cave and seeing the silver he struck upon it with his axe, and when he knew it to be silver he took a lump of the silver and went to his freight-wagons. Then leaving the wagons behind and taking the lump of silver with him the excellent merchant went in haste to Anuradhapura and told the king of this matter, showing him the silver. ….

As a gesture of gratitude, The king decided to build a temple on the same ground and sent over 300 stone craftsmen to work on the temple. He also got a large gold-plated Buddha statue to be bought from Dambadiva, India to be kept at the site. According to the ancient book called “ridi vihara asna“, when King Dutugemunu was coming to the competed temple with the Buddha Statue brought from India, the cart got stuck between some rocks and couldn’t be moved. The king disappointed, sat on the rock refusing to move until the cart is moved. Arhath Indragupta Thero (the same Thero who showed the merchant the way to the silver mine) saw this and made the statue float in the sky and travel through the air all the way to the temple.

Today this 2200-year-old statue can be seen at the very spot where the silver ore was found inside the pahatha maluwa, protected by a glass casing.

Although this area belongs to Kurunegala District, this area was part of the Kandyan Kingdom during European occupation, and King Kirthi Sri Rajasinha has made major renovations on this temple. Therefore, most of the paintings and statues we see today belong to the Kandyan Era.

Waraka Welandu Viharaya

On the way to the main cave, you will come across a curious image house built entirely of stone. This is called the ‘Waraka Veladu Viharaya,’ which translates to ‘the temple where jackfruit was consumed.’ It is said that this was the cave in which the Indragupta Maha Thero consumed the jackfruit (called breadfruit in the Mahavamsa translation) that was offered by the merchant. Inside this image house is a seated Buddha statue, and all the walls have Buddhist paintings belonging to the Kandyan Era.

The design of this building strangely resembles a Devala (dedicated to Hindu gods). There is also a hallway to enter the shrine similar to Devala Design. The 8 stone pillars holding the main roof of the hallway have carvings of female dancers, which is not generally found in the Buddha image houses. Therefore, it could be that this building was built during a period when the Hindu beliefs were strongly present in the country, such as the Polonnaruwa Era or Kandyan Era.

Passing this image house, you would enter an entrance hall of the main Vihara complex. Here you would see a massive alms bowl, which is said to have been used for Buddha Puja in ancient times.

Maha Viharaya

Beyond the entrance lies the principal monastic complex, which is divided into two distinct sections: the Maha Vihare (Main Temple), also referred to as the Pahala Vihare (Lower Temple), and the Uda Vihare (Upper Temple). The Maha Vihara dates back to the 2nd century BCE and was constructed under the patronage of King Dutugemunu. Centuries later, the Uda Vihare was added during the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747–1781).

The Maha Vihare is situated within a spacious natural rock cave and houses several significant religious artifacts. Most notably, it contains a 9-meter-long reclining Buddha image, alongside the original gold-plated seated Buddha statue believed to have been donated by King Dutugemunu himself.

At the feet of the reclining Buddha are statues arranged in a specific devotional sequence. These include an image of Ananda Thero, a statue of the Maithree Bodhisattva, and figures of various divine beings (Devatha). Tradition holds that the final figure in this sequence is not a deity but a likeness of King Dutugemunu.

In front of this group stands a row of five Buddha statues that, according to historical accounts, were once gilded in gold.

One of the most intriguing features of the Maha Vihare is the flower pedestal supporting the reclining Buddha. This pedestal is adorned with approximately 200 Dutch tiles from the 18th century, known as “Bible tiles,” which depict scenes from the life of Christ. These tiles are believed to have been a gift from a Dutch governor to King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, who then offered them to the temple. Interestingly, the arrangement of the tiles appears haphazard, suggesting that the craftsman who installed them was unaware of the Christian iconography they portrayed.

The cave’s roof is plastered and covered in intricate painted designs. However, in 2008, during the pilgrimage season, a large section of this decorative plaster fell off. This was likely due to the intense body heat generated by the overcrowding of devotees inside the confined space.

Pancha Nari Getaya

Passing this image house, you would enter an entrance hall of the main Vihara complex. Here you would see a massive alms bowl, which is said to have been used for Buddha Puja in ancient times.

Uda Viharaya

The Uda Viharaya (Upper Temple) of Ridi Vihara, attributed to the 18th-century Kandyan monarch King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, comprises three interconnected chambers and a linking corridor.

The first chamber is dedicated to Kumara Bandara Deviyo, the guardian deity believed to protect the sacred mountain on which Ridi Vihara stands.

The central and most expansive chamber is the Buddha Image House. It enshrines a large seated Buddha statue and contains rare and fascinating artwork—not on the walls, as is common in Kandyan temples—but on the sides of the statue’s pedestal.

Left Side – “Tri Singha” (Three Lions with One Head): A unique drawing showing three lions sharing a single head.
Right Side – “Vrushaba Kunjaraya”: A rare and imaginative representation combining the heads of a bull and an elephant, entwined in a single form.
War Imagery – Rama and Ravana: Also on the pedestal are three painted figures of armed soldiers, believed to portray scenes from the Rama-Ravana battle, a tale from the Indian epic Ramayana.

Outside the inner shrine room, at the end of the cave, is one of the temple’s most iconic and symbolically rich artworks—a painting of Navanari Kunjaraya. This composition arranges nine female figures in such a way that, when viewed from a distance, they form the shape of an elephant.

Stupa

Ridi Vihara features two stupas located in different parts of the temple complex. One stupa is positioned beside a cave behind the Uda Maluwa (Upper Terrace). The second is situated on a separate hill known as Sarasum Gala, which can be reached by climbing a distinct set of granite steps. It is believed that the original temple may have been centered around this stupa.

Also See

Map of Ridi Viharaya

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 Ridi Viharaya

Ridi Vihara is located approximately 20 kilometers from Kurunegala town. To reach the temple, take the Kandy Road from Kurunegala until you arrive at the Mallawapitiya junction, which is about 5 kilometers from the town center. From there, turn onto the Keppitigala Road and continue for around 15 kilometers. At this point, you’ll see a signposted junction directing you toward the temple. Follow this route for about 1.5 kilometers to reach Ridi Vihara.

If you continue along the Keppitigala Road for another 5 kilometers beyond the Ridi Vihara turnoff, you will come to the Rambadagalla Viharaya, home to the world’s largest granite-carved Samadhi Buddha statue.

Route from Colombo to Ridi Vihara	Route from Kurunegala to Ridi Vihara
Through : Kelaniya – Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Mallawapitiya – Ridigama Distance : 116 km Travel time : 2.5 hours. Driving directions : see on google map	Through : Kurunegala – Mallawapitiya – Ridigama Distance : 21 km Travel time : 30 minutes. Driving directions : see on google map