Degaldoruwa Raja Maha Viharaya

Degaldoruwa is just a few miles away from Kandy close to Kundasale. This is considered as a Cave Temple with Kandyan era Paintings and Architecture.The Degaldoruwa Temple was built in 1771 AD by King Rajadi Rajasinha and was initiated during the reign of his elder brother King Kirti Sri Rajasinha [1747-1782 AD].

The temple had been built at a place where two rocks were touching each other from above and below.The rock mass has a height of about 40 feet. A Cave had been made by breaking the rocks large enough to accomodate the Shrine Room of the Buddha and an area leading to the Shrine Room.Degaldoruwa paintings were started by King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe, the king had died before they were completed. It was during the reign of his younger brother, King Rajadhi Rajasinghe, who succeeded him, that they were completed. After the work was done, the king had handed it over to Moratota Dhammarakhkhita Nayaka Thera, who was his teacher. 

The paintings at the temple were the work of four painters.Among them, Devendra Mulachari is regarded as the leader. Devaragampola Silvattenne Unnanase was the best known out of them .Hiriyale Naide and Nilagama Patabendi are the other two painters.

Four Jathaka stories are seen in the ‘budu-ge’,Vessantara Jataka, Sattubhatta Jataka, Sutasoma Jataka and Mahaseelava Jataka are the four stories of the Bodhisatva which are depicted at Degaldoruwa .

Apart from the Jathaka stories, the life of the Buddha is also painted.In the Shrine Room ceiling, which is a rock surface, is also painted the scene of the Lord Buddha and the Mara and his forces. There is also a painting of Mahi Kantawa or the Earth Godess on the ceiling.

There is a Bo tree and a Stupa at a terrace above the summit of Rock Temple and a path with carved steps on the rock from the lower terrace and then an ascend of a pathway leading to Bo Tree and Stupa area.

 

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya

The Somawathi Chaithya is located about 20km north east of ancient city of Polonnaruwa.This is also called the Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya.The Somawathi Chaithya was built in 2nd century BC . According to the history the very first Arahant of this country Ven.Aritta brought back the Sacred Right Tooth of the Buddha from Gods.This Relic was handed to king Giri Abha and his queen Somawathie.She constructed  a Stupa at Somapura with consent of Arahath Mahinda and the King Giri Abha.

The site was rediscovered in 1940’s. In 1964 archaeologists started excavating the site While excavating the main stupa.They have found a smaller stupa at a depth of 5 feet 5 inches in to the main stupa.It is believed this smaller stupa was the original Somawathi Chethiya and the latter stupa build around the original was the work of King Kanittha Tissa in 164 AC.Also Nine stone inscriptions have been found around this site and the most popular is the four inscriptions found on the Eric Swan rock.This rock got its name because a photographer called Eric Swan who was killed by a wild elephant near this rock.

Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya  is popular for following reasons. 

• Somawathiya Rajamaha Viharaya holds one of the only two tooth relics of Buddha existing in the world.

• This site is located deep inside the jungle infested with elephants and other wild animals.

• Rays of light, different floating and flashing lights, halos and rainbows are observed by thousands of visitors around the Stupa.

Galle Fort

Galle fort is traced to Ptolemy's world mp of 125-150 AD. Those days it was a busy port trading with Asian Countries, Arab Countries and Greece. This is the harbour in which the Portuguese, beneath the management of Lorenzo de Almeida, made their first landing in 1505.The fort was first constructed by the Portuguese in 1588 before being extensively fortified by the Dutch in the mid 1600s.In 1640, the Dutch entering the fray joining hands with King Rajasinhe II to capture the Galle Fort and with a force of some 2,500 men under Koster, captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1640.

The Dutch were also in charge for introducing a road system and canals. They designed a sewage system to carry all the waste inside Fort to the sea by gravity. There are two main gates in Galle Fort. The walls in front of the Fort were built by the Portuguese.

On 23-Feb-1796 British Forces in Sri Lanka, led by Captain Locklan Macwary, Captured Galle without any fighting. The Law Court complex built during the British period still remains without major changes.