Trip to Katharahgama, Sri Lanka - Part III - Final

Trip to Kataragama

Part III- Kirivehera Temple and Devalaya

(Visit my previous posts for Part I & Part II of this post)

Kataragama Devalaya

Speaking of the Kataragama Devalaya, it is believed that it is the place where the Kataragama God resides. The premise is situated a few meters away from the Kirivehera Temple. The passage from the temple to the Devalaya consists of several small stores which sell fruit baskets, garlands and flowers for the purpose of donating to the Kataragama God and other gods. It is really colorful when you see these stores during the night. Usually, regardless of which time of the day it is, this place is always crowded with thousands of people. But the day which we visited was a special day as it was the presidential elections, therefore, everyone has decided to stay at home instead of going anywhere. Well, we didn’t do that apparently.

This is a picture of the passage from the temple to the Devalaya that I could capture. I got this shot in the afternoon on the day we visited the place. You can see no one till the end of the passage.

However, in the premises of the Kataragama Devalaya, there is a Bo Sapling from the main Jaya Sri Maha Boghiya (The Bo tree under which Lord Buddha attained Buddhahood in India) which was received to King Devanampiyathissa during his ruling of Anuradhapura from India (then called Dambadhiwa or Janbudeepa). It is one of the eight substitute Bo saplings from the main Bo tree.

The Devalaya Premises

The Bo Sapling

The sky through the leaves of the Sapling

Small boutique-like places where you can buy many colorful threads. It is also believed that these are blessed in the name of Kataragama God. You can buy them when you pay visit to the Kataragama Devalaya. I bought some too!

Colorful threads

The roof of this place was decorated with Kohombha leaves (globally known as Neem, Nimtree and Indian Lilac

If you are a traveler from any part of the world interested about historical places, I hope you got more information as to the importance of Kirivehera Stupa and the Kataragama Devalaya. If you have visited this place without knowing about these historical facts, I hope that this post was of great use to enhance your knowledge.

I value history, tradition, culture and ethics of all countries in the world that have existed for thousands of years. Our ancestors have protected and taken care of these preciously and that is the reason why we, the new generation, has been capable to visit and see these places with our own eyes. Therefore, we must bear in mind to take care of these sacred places so that the future generations can see these places just the way we did. Also, these significant places have brought a uniqueness and an identity to our nation in the world. So do the cultural values of other countries bring a uniqueness to those respective countries, therefore, it is our duty to preserve these values by protecting these beautiful places. 

If you are a traveler who loves witnessing historical sceneries, here’s a great place, come down to Sri Lanka and visit this place. If you have already done so, let me know how your trip was and what you liked about it. 

A lot more is to come…. Keep in touch with my Blog for more facts and pictures of various other places which I have visited so far.

(Watch my video for more pictures which I captured on my trip by clicking here, don't forget to subscribe!...)

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