Rikillagaskada Wilwala Rajamaha Viharaya

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Tucked away in Sri Lanka’s historic heartland, Vilwala Rajamaha Viharaya is a beautiful relic from the Gampola Kingdom era. According to local legend, the temple was founded by Queen Henakanda Biso Bandara, the chief consort of King Vikramabahu III (1357-1374 CE). While this story adds a layer of romance to his historic site, historians suggest that the inscriptions at the temple point to an even earlier time, during the reign of King Vijayabahu V (1335–1341 CE).

Inside a rock-cut cave, visitors can find an intimate shrine house showcasing several remarkable statues. The centerpiece is a serene Buddha statue, seated on a 67-centimeter-high pedestal beneath an elaborate Makara Torana — a beautifully detailed dragon arch. On either side of the Buddha are two divine attendants with chamara in their hands. Flanking these are two more figures, thought to be deities or Bodhisattvas.

Just to the side, a tall and dignified statue of Vishnu stands at 1.39 meters, its presence lending a protective aura to the shrine. Along the side walls, two more seated Buddha statues quietly face one another.

Look closer and you’ll notice the delicate folds of their robes, resembling rippling water — a signature of Gampola-era craftsmanship. Each statue is crowned with a flame-shaped siraspatha.

Although the vibrant wall paintings in the cave temple were added much later, they still add charm and color to the space. Nearby, there’s a small stupa, just under two meters tall, thought to be part of the original temple complex.

Wander east from the main cave, and you’ll find another drip ledge cave, now housing a modern shrine dedicated to the deity of Aluth Nuwara Devatha Bandara. Scattered remnants of old stone walls hint that this site was once much larger and more bustling with activity than it appears today.

On a small rocky outcrop in a nearby paddy field belonging to the temple is a carving of a dog.

One of Wilwala Viharaya’s true treasures is a 31-centimeter-high seated Buddha made of gilded bronze, dating back to the Gampola period (1341-1408 CE). This exquisitely crafted statue sits proudly on a lotus-decorated pedestal, its flowing robes and flame-shaped siraspatha on the black painted hair.

Wilwala is also recorded as one of the 32 sites where the first 32 saplings of the Sri Maha Bodhi (Dethis Pala Bodhi) were planted during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa (307–267 BCE). If this Wilvila is indeed the same location mentioned in the ancient records, the history of this temple complex would date back as far as the 3rd century BCE.

Inscription of King Vijayabahu V (1335–1341 CE)

The inscription consists of five lines of writing, though lines 2, 3, and 5 are somewhat weathered and worn. The letters vary in size, ranging from 1½ inches to 2½ inches in height. They exhibit the typical style of the 14th-century Sinhala alphabet, consistent with other stone inscriptions from the same period, and do not present any unusual features.

The inscription is dated to the eleventh year of a king referred to as Sirisangabo Sri Vijayabahu. Based on palaeographic (script-based) analysis by H.W. Codrington, this ruler has been confidently identified as Vijayabahu V (1335–1341 CE).

Text

සිරිසඟබො ශ්‍රී විජයබාහු [චක්‍රවර්ති ස්වාමීන් වහ]න්සේට එකොළො[ස්]වනු …
ගල් විහාරයට ලූ කුඹුරු වල් කැලෑ තෙරැ කිඹුලුගල කහබ පඩවෙල පලිවිලිලුල
තුන්බළපුව නිකපාකඩ කන්ටිකය ලෙණදොර සත්රට කෙලිසා පසිරටින් දුන්
බිජුවට සාමුණු තූන් පෑළට ඉරසඳ පවතිනා තෙක් පවතින්ටත්
මෙහි ……. ළෙත් කවුඩු බල්ලා විති

Translation

In the eleventh (regnal) year of His Majesty King Sirisangabo Sri Vijayabahu dedicated paddy fields and wildernesses to ….. Galvihara from the following places: Teru-Kimbulugala, Kahaba, Pandavela, Tun-Balapuva Nikapakada Kantikaya Lenadora, Satrata, and Kelisa-pasi-rata, in all six amunas and three palas in extent to be lasted till the sun and the moon endure. If anyone commits sin by grabbing these, they will be born as dogs and crows. (Ranawella, 2014, pp. 21–22)

Wilwala Rajamaha Viharaya Rock Inscription

Aluthnuwara Devatha Bandara Devalaya at Wilwala Rajamaha Viharaya

References

Dissanayake, S. B. (1997). දියතිලක නුවර : පැරණි ස්මාරක හා ස්ථාන. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Ranawella, G. S. (2014). Inscriptions of Ceylon : Volume VII: Containing Slab Inscriptions, Rock Inscriptions and Pillar Inscriptions of the Dambadeniya, Kurunagala and Gampola Periods: Vol. VII. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.

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