Kalutara Chaitya

Kalutara Chaitya

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Description

The Kalutara Chaitya is a Stupa and is worshipped by many Buddhists in the country, which Kalutara Chaithya is a well-known place that rests right opposite the Kalutara Bodhiya. The Galle Road separates these two historical and wonderful places. It is a Buddhist shrine located immediately south of the Kalutara bridge. It consists of a hollow structure with 74 murals.

The life of Lord Buddha is depicted inside the structure. These stories are known as Jataka tales of Lord Buddha. The visitors can walk inside the shrine and look at the beautiful paintings. This beautiful Stupa was constructed by State Engineering Corporation of Sri Lanka and is one of the few hollow Stupas in the world with 74 murals within, each connected to the life of the Buddha. It is the first hemispherical shell built in the country. This holy place was reconstructed as the Portuguese destroyed the temple during the colonization era where the specific location was used as a fort by the Portuguese.

The Dutch invaded the Portuguese and they expanded the fort as the official government agent bungalow. During the British period, the location was divided into two sections known as Uda Maluwa and Pahala Maluwa. After independence, the government agent office was relocated and the developments took place in the location under the supervision of the Buddhist clergy. During 1964 the foundation was laid to develop the shrine and the pinnacle of the chaitya was opened to the public in 1974. Sri Lankan President J R Jayawardena deposited the relics in the Inner Stupa during 1990 and it was opened to the public.

It is one of the key iconic locations for the Buddhist worshippers and visitors can walk inside the Stupa. You can also walk into the Chaitya and be a part of the wonderful settings.