Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara is an ancient

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

located in the middle of

Badulla Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...

town in the

Badulla District Badulla District ( ''badūlla distrikkaya''; ''Patuḷai māvaṭṭam'') is a Districts of Sri Lanka, district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area of the Badulla district is and has a total population of 871763 as of 2024. The d ...

Uva Province The Uva Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 8,500 km2 and a population of 1,266,463, making it the 2nd least populated province. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by the East ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

History

Buddhists Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

believe that this site has been visited by

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

, and it is regarded as one of the

Solosmasthana Solosmasthana are 16 sacred places in Sri Lanka, believed by Buddhists to have been hallowed by visits of Gautama Buddha. These places of worship are among the most important religious locations in Sri Lanka, and are located throughout the country. ...

, the 16 sacred places in the country. On the 8th year after attaining the Enlightenment, the Buddha made his 3rd visit to

Kelaniya Kelaniya ( ) is a suburb of Colombo in the Western Province, Sri Lanka, Western Province, Sri Lanka. Located from Colombo Fort, it is known for the Buddhist temple built on the banks of the Kelani River, which divides the suburb from Colombo Di ...

on the invitation by a king of

Naga people Nagas are various Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups native to northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar. The groups have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority of population in the Indian state of Nagaland ...

named ''Maniakkitha''. During this visit, a local chieftain named ''Indaka'' invited Buddha to visit his place in Badulla. At the end of sermons made by Buddha there, ''Indaka'' had wanted something to worship in memory of Buddha's visit. The Buddha is said to have given him a few of his hairs and a few drops of sweat that turned into pearls (''mukthaka''). ''Indaka'' had enshrined these sacred hair and pearls in a

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, believed to be the stupa here. ''Indaka'', the chieftain of then

Deva people The Deva are a mythical people of Sri Lanka according to the Sanskrit epics. According to the Mahavamsa and Ramayana they lived among the Naga, Yakkha and Raskha. They ousted their arch enemies the Raskha from Sri Lanka, with the help of Vish ...

is now regarded as a deity, reigning the

Namunukula Namunukula, literally "Nine Peaks" in Sinhala language, is the name of a mountain range in Sri Lanka's province of Uva. Its main peak is high. The nearby town is also sometimes called Namunukula Town. During the Ming treasure voyages of the 15 ...

mountain range and Muthiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya. This site is not cited in well known historical chronicles such as Mahavamsa,

Bodhi Vamsa The English term ''enlightenment'' is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably ''bodhi'' and ''vimutti''. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: wikt:बोधि#Sanskrit, बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi'') means the know ...

or Dhātuvansa but mentioned in the

Samantapasadika Samantapāsādikā refers to a collection of Pali commentaries on the Theravada Tipitaka Vinaya. It was a translation of Sinhala commentaries into Pali by Buddhaghosa Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Sinhalese Theravādin Buddhist commentator ...

which is older than the former documentaries. It states, "The Lord Buddha visited this

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

thrice. Third time He arrived with 500

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s. Being entered into ''Nirodha Samapatti'' (attainment of ceasing of feeling and perception) He stayed here...", turning the site into most sacred religious one for the Buddhists. This is also regarded as one of 32 Buddhist religious sites wherein the saplings bred from

Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi '' Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Tree is a Ficus religiosa, sacred bo tree (''Ficus religiosa'') in Mahamewuna Garden in the historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is believed to be a tree grown from a cutting of the southern branch from the his ...

have been planted.

Refurbishment

King

Devanampiya Tissa Tissa, later Devanampiya Tissa (, ), also known as Devanape Tis (, ), was one of the earliest kings of Sri Lanka based at the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. According to the traditional chronology, he ruled from 307 BC to 267 BC, bu ...

(307 - 266 BC) further developed the original stupa and turned the site into a temple complex. Thereafter King Jettha Tissa I (266 - 276 AD), King

Dhatusena Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who reigned from 455 to 473 AD. He was the first king of the Moriyan dynasty. In some records, he is also identified as Dasenkeli. Dhatusena reunited the country under his rule after twenty six years of anarchy, ...

(459-477 AD), King

Vijayabahu I Vijayabahu the Great (born ''Prince Keerthi'') () (ruled 1055–1110), also known as Vijayabahu I, was a medieval king of Sri Lanka. Born to a royal bloodline, Vijayabahu grew up under Chola occupation. He assumed rulership of the Ruhuna principa ...

(1055–1110 AD) and King

Parakramabahu I Parākramabāhu I (Sinhala language, Sinhala: මහා පරාක්‍රමබාහු, 1123–1186), or Parakramabahu the Great, was the List of Sinhalese monarchs, king of Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, Polonnaruwa from 1153 to 1186. He oversaw ...

(1153–1186 AD) have renovated the stupa.

Attractions

SL Badulla asv2020-01 img06 Muthiyangana Temple

SL Badulla asv2020-01 img11 Muthiyangana Temple

The site consists of (a) ''Thorana'' (b)

Makara Makara () is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, and of the god of the ocean, Varun ...

''thorana'' (c) Main image house (d) Center image house (e) ''Sath sathi viharaya'' (f) Statue of deity ''Indaka'' (g) Statue of Maithri Bodhisathva (h)

Stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

and (i) ''Bo'' trees (

Bodhi The English term ''enlightenment'' is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably ''bodhi'' and ''vimutti''. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi'') means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakene ...

Thorana

This ''thorana'' (pandol) is at the entrance to the temple. It has six levels and Makara (

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

) is visible on the second level.

Makara ''thorana''

This has been built at the entrance to the main image house.

Image houses

There are two image houses – main and center. Ancient appearance of these two buildings has been vanished due to refurbishment in 1960's and 1970's.

The stupa

The present stupa was constructed with the height of and diameter of on the ruins on ancient one in 1956.

''Bo'' trees

There are four ''Bo'' trees (

) remaining in the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

. One is named after Maliyadeva ''Thera'', a disciple believed to be the last one who had attained the state of ''Arhant'' in Sri Lanka. Another ''Bo'' tree is called ''Ananda bodiya'' as it had been brought from

Jetavana Jetavana () was one of the most famous of the Buddhist monasteries or viharas in India (present-day Uttar Pradesh). It was the second vihara donated to Gautama Buddha after the Venuvana in Rajgir. The monastery was given to him by his chi ...

monestey in

Sravasti Shravasti (, ; ) is a town in Shravasti district in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala which was ruled by Lava and the place where the Buddha lived most after his enlightenment. It is ne ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

wherein a ''Bo'' tree with the same name still remains. Another ''Bo'' tree which remains in this site has been considered as it originated from

and planted by King

Procession

An attractive procession (''Perahera'') will be held at site annually.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara Buddhist temples in Badulla District Stupas in Sri Lanka Archaeological protected monuments in Badulla District Buildings and structures in Badulla