Ranawana Purana Rajamaha Viharaya — Attraction in Central Province

Ranawana Purana Viharaya is a Buddhist temple situated in Pilimathalawa in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. The temple is located about 1 km distance from the Colombo - Kandy highway and can be reached by traveling along the Ranawana temple road start from the Kiribathkumbura Highway Museum Junction.

The calm ascetic environment and some modern monastic features including the tallest walking Buddha statue in the country have made this temple an attractive place for local and foreign visitors.

History



The history of old Ranawana temple is unclear. However, a gold sheet/Sannasa which had been given to an elite person in Ranavana village by the then king reveals some information about an Buddhist temple located in this area. The Sannasa mentions that it was issued in 1602 Saka years (1675 C.E.) to a indigenous doctor named Ranawana Vedarala with representing his farther Ranawana Mohottala. According to that Sannasa, Ranavana Mohottala and a monk called Hamithi Thera had continued previous constructions of the temple and finished the establishment work of three-Bodhis. Then they had conferred the temple to a Buddhist monk named Buluwe Maha Thera along with some paddy lands. However, after few years, that monk had abandoned the usual maintaining work of the temple for about 20 years and was begging in Hath Korale area. Ranawana Vedarala, the son of Ranawana Mohottala informed this situation to Henakanda Biso Bandara who lived at the time at Anuradhapura. She ordered to dedicate the temple to a new monk and continue the ritual practices again. Instructed by Henakada Biso Bandara, Ranawana Vedarala came back to Ranawana and started the temple rituals along with other reconstruction work. One day, the king who came to the temple with dressing as a villager saw Vedarala and ordered his one of ministers to bring him to the palace. By hearing the total story from Vedarala, king became happy and gave him more paddy lands and the appellation name 'Sri Rama Mohottalage Gedara' to him and his ancestry.

The name of Ranawana temple can be found in the book, 'A Gazetteer of the Central Province of Ceylon (excluding Walapane)' written by A.C. Lawrie (Lawrie, 1898). According to the account given in that book, Ranawana Vihare has been built by the people of Ranawana Walawwa. It further mentions that Boyagama Unnanse was appointed as incumbent by Ranawana Disawa just after the accession in 1815 when he was Basnayaka Nilame of the Natha Devalaya in Kandy...

Ranawana temple is a Buddhist temple situated in Ranawana, Kiribathkumbura village (Yatinuwara-Pilimathalawa)in the Kandy district. A tallest buddhist statue is situated on top of a mountain, it is a popular place for sightseeing visitors and tourists due to its sheer beauty and amazing view of the surrounding landscape. It is a modern temple with its construction. This buddhist statue is the tallest statue in Kandy area.

It is one of the most beautiful temples in Sri Lanka and is tightly bound with nature. Apart from the usual characteristics of a temple, this temple has a trail in to the forest. It depicts many of the important incidents in the life of the Buddha. It is also the only other temple which has a similar structure of the north entrance of the Saanchi Sthupa in India. This is one of the important buddhist place if you visit Kandy area. A good surrounding with several statues inside the forest.

In addition to featuring typical characteristics of a Buddhist temple, the Ranawana Purana Rajamaha Vihara encompasses forest trails, lined with trees and shrubbery, that lead to portrayals of Lord Buddha’s life inside the adjacent forest. The temple offers a tranquil environment for visitors of all backgrounds, religions and ethnicities to come together and meditate in pursuit of attaining mental peace and harmony.

The Ranawana Purana Rajamaha Vihara also conducts a Dhamma School for locals, which is considered an important part of the community services that are offered by the temple. The forest trails that lead to the depictions of Lord Buddha within the forest are used for educating the local Buddhist children who attend the...

Simply amazing. Need a bit of physical strength to complete the route which shows buddhas life stories. Educational and simple. With a bit of fitness u can get to know alot about historical story about buddhism. This is a most impressive temple. As you climb the steep stairs you see life size scenes from the life of the Buddha beautifully constructed. They look like still images. To increase the impact the hillside is forested and the scenes have the authentic background of the time of the Buddha. The scene where the Buddha is living in the jungle being attended on by an elephant and offered honey by a monkey is most effective. Upon reaching the top you look up at the standing Load Buddha with one foot raised in taking his next step. It is awe inspiring. Then your eye drops and you see a line of monks lined behind him. They disappear into the forest. These are the eighty leading disciples. It's not a typical temple, which makes it more interesting for those looking for off the beaten rack visits. One of the most interesting things about this place is the big amount of statues telling stories about budhism and about the tooth relic that has been carried around Sri Lanka to protect the Budha's tooth and the heritage of Buddhism. If you have the chance to visit with a local, you'll be able to learn a lot about the meaning of the statues, thus about Budhism and Sri...