I’m probably biased in my review of this ancient Buddhist
temple because it was the first I went to in Sri Lanka. I’d never been inside a
Buddhist temple before so I was mesmerized by the sheer beauty of this serene
place. As you enter, you’ll be met with well-preserved murals lining the walls
from floor to ceiling, crumbling, but still beautiful, Makara toranas and a
huge reclining Buddha.
Several hundred years old, the Thotagamuwa Rajamaha Viharaya
is located in the little village of Thelwatta and it is regularly visited by
locals and tourists alike. If you go on Poya day (full moon of the month)
you’ll find many locals dressed in white offering blessings of rice and flowers
to the statues.
Outside the temple there is a sacred Bodhi tree that is said
to have been planted from a branch of the very tree the Buddha sat under.
Beautiful and serene, this temple remains one of the few in Sri Lanka that hasn’t been made into a tourist attraction charging a ridiculous entrance fee. Go and see it if you can.
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