Kadadora Vihara (Also known as ''Kadadora Sri Priyabimbaramaya Vihara'') was a Buddhist temple, situated in
Kadadora,
Nuwara Eliya District,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. The temple was abandoned and ruined as the construction of
Kotmale Dam
The Kotmale Dam is a large hydroelectric and irrigation dam in Kotmale, Sri Lanka. The dam generates power from three turbines, totalling the installed capacity to , making it the second largest hydroelectric power station in Sri Lanka. Constru ...
in 1979 by
Mahaweli Development programme The Mahaweli Development program ( si, මහවැලි සංවර්ධන වැඩසටහන) is known as the largest multipurpose national development program in the history of Sri Lanka and is also considered as the keystone of the govern ...
. The ruins of Vihara still can be seen when the water level of Kotmale Reservoir is low, but the sight is very rare.
It is said that about 57 villages and 54 religious places in Kotmale were submerged with the completion of the reservoir in 1985.
Except Kadadora Vihara other shrines including Thispane Vihara, Morape Devalaya, Othalawa Vihara, Pattini Devalaya and Medagoda Vihara were said to have gone under water when the reservoir was built.
However, many of these temple ruins no longer exist.
In order to compensate the loss of these religious shrines those were submerged in the reservoir, the Mahaweli authorities started the construction of bubble shaped
Stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
,
Mahaweli Maha Seya which only second to the great
Ruwanwelisaya
The Ruwanweli Maha Seya, also known as the Mahathupa (), is a stupa (a hemispherical structure containing relics) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Two quarts or one Dona of the Buddha's relics are enshrined in the stupa, making it the largest collecti ...
of
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුරය, translit=Anurādhapuraya; ta, அனுராதபுரம், translit=Aṉurātapuram) is a major city located in north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central ...
in height.
References
{{reflist
Buddhist temples in Nuwara Eliya District
Former Buddhist temples