Religious Places
Temple of Tooth (Dalada
Maligawa)
The Temple of Tooth houses the most important part of Buddha
relics, the sacred tooth of the Lord of Buddha. The tooth was said
to be taken from the flames of Buddha's funeral pyre in 543 BC and
was smuggled into the island during the 4th century AD, hidden in
the hair of princess. The tooth was moved from place to place, up
and down Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura, the first place, eventually
to Kandy.
The Temple of Tooth started
constructing in 1687 and finished in 1782. It is an imposing
pink-painted structure, surrounded by a deep moat. The octagonal
tower inside the moat was built to house the important collection
of Ola (palm-leaf) manuscripts however this section was heavily
damaged by the 1998 bomb blast. Person wearing shorts is not
allowed to enter in this temple and shoes must be removed before
entering.
Maligawila & Dambegoda
About 15 km to the south of Monaragala, Maligawila is where two
colossal Buddha statues stand. One of them is the 11m-high ancient
Buddha statue dates back to the 7th century AD that is considered
to be the world's largest free standing Buddha figure. Both of
them are carved from crystalline limestone. In close proximity
(about 1 km away) at Dambegoda is another 10m-high statue,
Avalokitheswara Bodhisattva (a divine being who chooses to reside
on the human plane to help ordinary people attain salvation).
Buduruwagala
With its meaning of 'Buddha image',
Buduruwagala was named after
rock-cut Buddha statues carved on a cliff located in the area.
This 7-statue complex, which is of the Mahayana Buddha School,
comprises of the huge standing Buddha figures traced back to 8th -
10th centuries AD. The central of three figures to Buddha's right
is thought to be the Buddhist mythological figure, the
Avalokitheswara Bodhisattva.
Dowa Cave Temple
Located proximity to the highway 24 km away from Badulla, the Dowa
Cave Temple, near an old wooden bridge, attracts visitors with its
ornamental gateway. The cave is situated by a stream at the bottom
of a hill. It has a 4m Buddha image sculptured into a rock and
some interesting paintings.
Muthiyangana
A shrine built, to enshrine the jaw-bone of the Lord Buddha, in
the 4th Century AD at a site personally blessed by the Lord Buddha
during one of his three visits to Sri Lanka, and hence is one of
the sixteen most venerated places for Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
Bogoda Bridge and the
Temple
The only Kandyan-period roofed wooden bridge built during the 16th
century, constructed gracefully over the Gallanda Oya, is
elegantly supported by 11 pairs of elegantly carved pillars and a
railing of banisters.
The proposed location is at
Bogoda Raja Maha Vihara. The total distance to the site from
Badulla is about 14 miles. Access to the site along Badulla -
Bandarawela high way turn off to right to Ketawala and then turn
to left to Jangulla and proceed to Bogoda Bridge. |
