Discover Aluthgama

Kande Viharaya is located on a hill in Aluthgama. “Kanda” means “hill” in Sinhala, so the word’s meaning matches the temple’s location. Several landmarks come together on the grounds: a stupa, a Bo tree, an image house, a relic chamber and several Devalas. These are dedicated to the deities Upulvan, Kataragama and Paththini.

Kande Viharaya: Architecture and Visual Art

The stupa is bell-shaped and stands inside an octagonal protective structure. The image house is divided into an inner and an outer chamber. The inner chamber contains standing, seated and reclining Buddha statues. Each of the three postures gives the figures a different body shape, making the room’s features easy to describe concretely.

The wall decoration also contributes to the temple’s appearance: its interior walls and ceiling are adorned with murals from the Kandyan period. Alongside the statues, the painted surfaces provide another form of visual art. To understand Kande Viharaya, therefore, both the shape of the stupa and the layout of the image house, as well as the interior paintings, are relevant.

The Bo tree is estimated to be more than 300 years old. A museum and a library are located outside the temple. This spatial distinction adds facilities that are not part of the temple interior to the overall picture of the site.

Cultural and scenic themes in the surrounding area

Brief Garden is three kilometres inland from Aluthgama and is a landmark in its own right in the nearby area. The house there was formerly the home of Bevis Bawa, the brother of architect Geoffrey Bawa. It features a diverse art collection with sculptures, including homoerotic works, as well as a mural of Sri Lankan life in the style of Marc Chagall. Brief Garden thus offers a different focus from Kande Viharaya: here, the emphasis is on a former residence and its art collection, while the temple is defined by its religious architecture and artworks.

The Kaluwamodara River is also near Aluthgama. Its calm waters and lush vegetation provide a setting for leisurely boat rides or walks along the river. The river offers a different theme from the cultural landmarks, with its focus on scenery and spending time by the water. The nearby area thus brings together different themes, without locating Brief Garden or the river within Aluthgama itself.

If you are looking for a hotel in Aluthgama, you can first consider whether your trip will focus mainly on the town itself or also on nearby destinations. Kande Viharaya is in Aluthgama; Brief Garden and the Kaluwamodara River are landmarks in the surrounding area in their own right. This spatial distinction can help you plan the scope of your stay and consider Aluthgama as a destination for finding hotels.

Discover more destinations: Beruwala, Matugama, Pelawatta, Panadura, Kalutara, Neboda, Wadduwa, Bentota.

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