Wewrukannala Buduraja Maha Viharaya is situated in the town of Dikwella. This place has a huge statue of a seated Buddha which is 160ft in height and the largest statue in all of Sri Lanka. It dates back to the time of King Rajadhi who ruled between 1782 to 1798.
About the location
Wewrukannala Buduraja Maha Viharaya is about 250 years old and it has three parts. The first part has nothing interesting but the second part has statues of demons and sinners. It depicts that if you don’t follow the path to enlightenment these punishments will be given to you. The punishments include being drowned in boiling pots, sawn in half, and so on. The next section is the most interesting which is a huge seated Buddha that is as high as an eight-storied building.
Legend of Wewrukannala Buduraja Maha Viharaya
The temple walls have hundreds of comic strip representations of events in the Buddha’s life. One among them is the scene of the Chulla Dhammapala Jataka. The story tells how King Maha Prathapa of Varanasi on entering the palace saw the queen cuddling her seven-month-old child and after ignoring him the King was left insulted. So he ordered that the prince to be executed and the body to be thrown into the air. Several more stories are surrounding this place.
Other features
There is a huge clock tower in the temple museum which can be seen from the front of the building which is functioning up to date. . It has been built by a local craftsman named W. Elaris De Silva in 1926 and it has been purchased by the priest in 1928 for a sum of 3000 rupees.
How to reach your destination
From Colombo
Go on McCallum Road and turn left at Ibbanwala onto Dr. Colvin R de Silva Mawatha. Turn right onto Kynsey Road and turn left onto Dudley Senanayake Mawatha. Turn right onto Athurugiriya Road and merge to the Southern Expressway. Exit from the Aparekka interchange and turn right onto Uda Aparekka Road. Turn left onto Rathmale Road to reach your destination.
From Dikwella
You have to go on Beliatta Road for 1.1 km to reach your destination.
