A hilltop Buddhist temple near Aluthgama crowned by one of the tallest seated Buddha statues in the world.

Overview

Kande Vihara, the 'mountain temple', sits on a hill just inland from Aluthgama and is dominated by a colossal seated Buddha depicted in the earth-touching (Bhumisparsha) posture, at nearly 49 metres among the tallest of its kind anywhere. Below the statue, the older parts of the temple include a historic image house, a stupa and a venerable sacred Bodhi tree ringed by an octagonal wall. Steps and a road lead up to sweeping views over the coast and countryside.

History

The temple was founded in 1734 by Karapagala Dewamitta Thero under the guidance of the chief monk of the nearby Galapatha Raja Maha Vihara. Its old stupa was built enclosing a smaller 18th-century one, and the Bodhi tree is said to be over 300 years old. The giant Samadhi Buddha statue was begun in 2002 and opened to the public in 2007, making the temple a major landmark of the southern Kalutara coast.