Delgamuwa Raja Maha Vihara ( si, දෙල්ගමුව රජ මහා විහාරය) is an ancient
Buddhist temple situated in
Kuruvita of
Ratnapura District
Ratnapura ( Sinhala: රත්නපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය, Tamil: இரத்தினபுரம் மாவட்டம்) is a district of Sri Lanka in the Sabaragamuwa Province.
The gem-mining centre of Sri L ...
,
Sri Lanka.
This temple is reputed as the hiding place of the
tooth relic of Buddha during the ruling period of
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
in the country.
Currently this temple has been declared as one of the
archaeological sites in Sri Lanka.
History
The written history of Delgamuwa Vihara goes back to the time period of
Sitawaka kingdom. During the past this temple was known as ''Saparagamu Vihara'' and ''Labujagama Viharaya'' as well.
With the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and the death of the
King Bhuwanakabahu VII of
Kotte Kingdom
The Kingdom of Kotte ( si, කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, Kottay Rajadhaniya), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century.
Kotte, under the rule of Ming-backed ...
, a political turmoil was caused in the country. This was intensified with the conversion to Catholicism by
King Don Juan Dharmapala. This incidence led the then
Diyawadana Nilame Hiripitiye Divana Rala, who was the custodian of the tooth relic, to move the relic from Kotte Kingdom to
King Mayadunne of Sitawaka (now
Avissawella
Avissawella, ( si, අවිස්සාවේල්ල, ta, அவிசாவளை) is a township in Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council, situated on the A4 route from Colombo to Ratnapura, Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka ...
) for safe keeping in 1549.
With the guidance of king Mayadunne the tooth relic was brought to Delgamuwa Vihara for further safekeeping, and kept it in a Kurahan (
Eleusine coracana
''Eleusine coracana'', or finger millet, also known as ragi in India, kodo in Nepal, is an annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and self-pollinating species ...
) grinding stone at the Vihara premises.
In 1592 Konappu Bandara, who conquered the throne of Kandy again, changed his name as
Wimaladharmasuriya I and reclaimed the tooth relic from Delgamuwa vihara in
Ratnapura
Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located o ...
to
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
.
He managed to build a separate two-storied palace to enshrine the tooth relic within the palace complex.
A few years after the removal of tooth relic, the temple was robbed and demolished by the Portuguese who constructed a fort there later.
See also
*
List of Archaeological Protected Monuments in Ratnapura District
References
{{reflist
Buddhist temples in Ratnapura District
Archaeological protected monuments in Ratnapura District