Discover Hindagala

In the village of Hindagala is the Hindagala Raja Maha Viharaya, a cave shrine and monastery in the Kandy District. Rock inscriptions, a cave façade with paintings, an image house, and a stupa give the complex several distinct historical and artistic associations. For travelers considering a culturally focused destination, the temple’s history and Buddhist imagery are the main attractions. However, the evidence does not all belong to the same period: inscriptions, paintings, and historical accounts each offer their own chronological and thematic perspectives.

Rock Inscriptions and Temple History

The rock inscriptions concern the history of the temple; two of them are dated to the 6th and 7th centuries CE. According to one historical interpretation, a second phase in the development of the Hindagala Raja Maha Viharaya dates to the Kandyan period in the 14th century CE. The dates refer to different aspects: the inscriptions on the one hand, and a phase in the development of the complex on the other. Thus, two early centuries and a later phase of development stand side by side, without a single date representing the entire history of the temple.

Paintings on the Façade and in the Shrine

The outer cave façade is plastered and decorated with paintings from the early 20th century. They depict events from the Buddha’s life as well as scenes of punishment in hell. One painting shows the Buddha in the Indrasala Cave in Magadhadesa, which is in northeastern India. Indra, also known as Sakra, is part of the scene: he visits the Buddha and questions him. Above the present-day rock shrine are also ancient paintings that may date to the 7th century based on stylistic features. This tentative dating refers to the paintings above the shrine, not to the early 20th-century façade paintings. The different dates make clear that the complex brings together visual evidence from various periods.

Stupa and Historical Accounts

Below the image house is a stupa regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s early rock-cut dagobas. A legend mentioned in an 1896 Gazetteer of the Central Province compiled by A.C. Lawrie associates a reclining Buddha statue in the middle of the cave with Queen Henekanda Biso Bandara. Another historical account reports that the Tooth Relic was kept at the Hindagala Raja Maha Viharaya for one day on its way to Kandy. The accounts emphasize different things: the legend links a statue with a queen, while the account of the Tooth Relic names a stop on the way to Kandy and its duration.

The Site in Context

The Hindagala Raja Maha Viharaya is described as a cave shrine and monastery in the Kandy District. A 2009 gazetteer places it in Kandukarapahala Korale, in the Udapalatha Division of the Kandy District. These details complement the reference to Hindagala with an administrative location at a higher level.

Discover more destinations: Galewela, Kandapola, Hakgala, Polgolla, Akurana, Pallegama, Harangala, Talawakelle

For the broader travel overview: Central Province.