The Kalutara Chaitya is a

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 ...

(

buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

shrine) located immediately south of the Kalutara Bridge in the

Kalutara District Kalutara District ( si, කළුතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය; ta, களுத்துறை மாவட்டம் ''Kaḷuttuṟai Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative ...

of Sri Lanka. It is one of only a few hollow Buddhist

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 ...

s in the world and its interior contains 74

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s, each depicting a different aspect of the

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 tradition, he was ...

's life. Four small chaityas (stupas) are located inside the larger hollow stupa and on the walls of the larger stupa, scenes from Jataka tales are painted. Visitors can walk inside the Kalutara Chaitya to worship and to look at the statues and wall paintings of the stories of Buddha. The stupa was commissioned by Sir

Cyril de Zoysa Sir Cyril de Zoysa ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රිමත් සිරිල් ද සොයිසා) (26 October 1896 – 2 January 1978) was a Sri Lankan industrialist, Senator and a philanthropist. The President of the Senate of Ceylon from 1 ...

, with the design undertaken by

Justin Samarasekera Justin Samarasekera (21 May 1916— 19 October 2003) was a Sri Lankan architect. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of the architectural profession in Sri Lanka and a pioneer of architectural education in the country. Early l ...

in collaboration with A. N. S. Kulasinghe. The construction was carried out by the State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka, whose computer (the first in the country) enabled the complicated calculations to be carried out. The large diameter and circumference concrete dome has a thin shell with a thickness of . It was the first thin hemispherical shell built in the country. The site of the stupa was originally occupied by the Gangatilaka Vihara, however it was destroyed by the Portuguese when they invaded the country. The Portuguese subsequently built a fort on the small hill. The Dutch rebuilt and expanded the fort, which was surrendered to the British in 1796. The fort was converted into the office and residence of the Government agent. During the British colonial era, Galle Road was constructed between the Uda Maluva and the Pahala Maluva, splitting the site into two separate sections. The

Kalutara Bodhiya Kalutara Bodhiya is a Bodhi tree (sacred fig) located in Kalutara, Western Province of Sri Lanka. Situated on the Galle Colombo main road, by the side of Kalu River just south to the Kalutara city, it is believed to be one of the 32 saplings of ...

, one of 32 saplings of the sacred

Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi ( Sinhala: ජය ශ්‍රී මහා බොධිය) is a historical sacred bo tree (''Ficus religiosa'') in the Mahamewna Garden in historical city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This is believed to be a tree grown f ...

, was shared with the official residence of the Government agent and the local

Kachcheri A kachcheri or district secretariat is the principal government department that administrates a district in Sri Lanka. Each of the 25 districts has a kachcheri. The main tasks of the District Secretariat involve coordinating communications and ac ...

. De Zoysa persuaded the government to relocate the agent’s residence and offices to a site he owned in

Nagoda Nagoda is a small town in Sri Lanka. It is located within Southern Province. See also *List of towns in Western Province, Sri Lanka Western Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Colombo District, Gampaha District, and Kalutar ...

, in order to allow the development and restoration of the Bodhi premises. The foundation was laid in 1964, and the pinnacle of the Chaitya was topped in January 1974. The pinnacle was unveiled and relics deposited in the inner chamber by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

on 28 February 1980.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Kalutara Bodhi Trust
Tourist attractions in Western Province, Sri Lanka Stupas in Sri Lanka Religious buildings and structures in Kalutara