Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara
Uva Province
Photo by Udeshika Jayapali via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
About Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara
Mahiyangana, where the hill country tumbles down to the Mahaweli plain, holds the deepest root of Buddhism on the island: by unbroken tradition, the Buddha himself came here - his first of three visits to Lanka - just nine months after enlightenment, taming the spirits of the plain and leaving a handful of hair relics. The stupa raised over them, enlarged by kings across two thousand years into today's golden-tipped dagoba, is therefore honoured as the oldest in Sri Lanka, one of the sixteen holiest places of pilgrimage. The temple's setting matches its stature - the blue wall of the central mountains behind, the sacred Mahaweli close by, and the homeland of the Vedda people at Dambana twenty minutes east; Vedda chiefs still attend the temple's Esala procession, a living link to the island's first peoples. The engineering marvel of the 18-hairpin Kandy road descent adds drama to the arrival.
Top Activities
- ✓The ancient stupa and temple precinct
- ✓Esala Perahera with Vedda participation
- ✓Sorabora Lake and its rock-cut sluice nearby
- ✓Vedda village visits at Dambana
- ✓The 18-hairpin bend drive from Kandy
Nearby Attractions
Closest Places in This Guide
Straight-line distances; allow considerably longer by road, especially in the hills.
Travel Tips
Visit Sorabora Lake's ancient rock sluice - ten minutes away and remarkable.
The temple is a major pilgrimage site; dress in white or modestly.
Count the 18 hairpins if you arrive by the Kandy road - a rite of passage.
Quick Info
Best Time
Year-round; Esala festival (Aug–Sep)
Weather
Hot on the plain; mornings and evenings are gentle.
Estimated Daily Budget
7.3311°N, 81.0011°E
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