Muwangala Raja Maha Vihara

Muwangala Raja Maha Vihara (also known as Digamadulle Purana Raja Maha Vihara, Sinhala: මුවංගල රජ මහා විහාරය හෝ දිගාමඩුල්ලේ පුරාණ රජ මහා විහාරය) is an ancient Buddhist temple in Muwangala, Sri Lanka. The temple is located on Hingurana – Ampara road approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) distance from Hingurana town. The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka. The designation was declared on 26 December 2014 under the government Gazette number 1895.[1]

Muwangala Raja Maha Vihara
මුවංගල රජ මහා විහාරය
The Stupa of Muwangala Raja Maha Vihara
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
DistrictAmpara
ProvinceEastern Province
Location
LocationMuwangala, Hingurana
CountrySri Lanka
Geographic coordinates07°15′00.7″N 81°39′50.0″E
Architecture
TypeBuddhist Temple

The temple
A 3rd century inscription, engraved on the rock surface near to the Stupa. In where the period of reign is not indicated[2]

The temple complex at Muwangala has been constructed on two rocky outcrops between Ampara and Hingurana. The modern buildings of the temple are situated at the lower ground of the mountain and the ruined structures of the ancient temple are scattered on the top of rocky plateau. Among the ancient structures, Sri Pathul Gal (slabs of Buddha footprint), an Asanaghara, pieces of Sandakada pahana, plight of steps, rock inscriptions, a drip ledged cave, bases of buildings and pillars can be identified. Before the construction of Buddha statues, people used various objects such as Asanaghara and Sri Pathul Gal to represent Buddha. Therefore, the presence of Sri Pathul Gal or Asanaghara in a temple is considered by the archaeology as an indicator that the temple was there before the Buddha statues were built in the country.[3]

References
  1. Gazette 1895 & 26 December 2014, p. 1148.
  2. Wijesekera, Nandadeva (1990). Archaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990): Inscriptions. Volume 2 of Archaeological Department Centenary (1890-1990): Commemorative Series. Commissioner of Archaeology, 1990.
  3. Wijethunga, Sirisaman (20 March 2017). "සිරිපතුල් වන්දනාව (in Sinhala)". Budu Sarana, Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017. ඉතාම පැරණි පුදබිමක් ලෙසින් හඳුනා ගැනීමට නිශ්චිත පුරාවිද්‍යාත්මක සාක්ෂියක් ලෙසින් පුරාවිද්‍යාඥයෝ සිරිපතුල් ගල් හඳුන්වති
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