Yatagala Rajamaha Viharaya in Galle (යටගල රජමහා විහාරය)
2300 year old Yatagala Rajamaha Viharaya is a Buddhist place of worship that has been recipient of Royal Patronage from Three Kings of Sri Lanka.
2300 year old Yatagala Rajamaha Viharaya is a Buddhist place of worship that has been recipient of Royal Patronage from Three Kings of Sri Lanka.
Buid as a memorial to the over 35,000 Sri Lankans killed by the Tsunami in 2004, The Paraliya Tsunami Honganji statue is an exact replica of the 5th Century 175 feet Barmiyan Buddha Statue destroyed by the Muslim Fundamentalists in Afghanistan.
South Asia’s largest reclining Buddha statue lies in an ill-maintained, little known Temple in Karandeniya called Shailatharama Viharaya close to Balapitiya
The Maduwa Pattini Devalaya was built in an ancient spot called Kalinga Uyana . This shrine was later rebuilt by late Simon de Silva, an exponent on this Pattini cult.
The Kothduwa Purana Raja Maha Viharaya is an esoteric hideway. Nestled in the Madhu Ganga in the Balapitiya electorate, it is the only temple inside a river without a village flanking it.
Close to this Bentota river lies an ancient temple named Bentota Galapatha Raja Maha Viharaya. This temple is believed to hold the tooth relic of Maha Kashyapa Thero.
The Galle lighthouse is situated inside the landmark Galle Fort. It is built seven metres above the road on the ramparts. This is Sri Lanka’s oldest light station dating back to 1848, but the original lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1934.
Centuries ago when Lanka was ruled by the Sinhalese Kings, ‘Gaalla’ or Galle was the old world’s romantic city which owed its glory to its natural harbour.
The Dutch Galle Fort is a rare historical jewel protected by dark, thick stone walls – with the endless ocean on one side.
From the road the building looks like a church. The high arched doors and windows decorated in very European style floral motifs make it look quite out of place in a temple compound. More so because the temple is the Balapitiya Purana Viharaya, the headquarters of the Amarapura Nikaya and the main temple in a staunchly Buddhist coastal area.