Malwathu Maha Viharaya

Malwathu Maha Viharaya (also called Malwatta temple) is a Buddhist monastery located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is the headquarters of the Malwatta chapter of Siyam Nikaya and one of the two Buddhist monasteries that holds the custodianship of sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha kept in Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy. The chief incumbent of the Malwathu Maha Viharaya is the Mahanayaka thero of Malwatta chapter of Siyam nikaya, a leading Buddhist monastic fraternity in Sri Lanka. The present chief incumbent of Malwathu Maha Viharaya is Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero.

Malwathu Maha Vihara
මල්වතු මහා විහාරය
Entrance to the Malwatu Maha Viharaya
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
DistrictKandy
ProvinceCentral Province
Location
LocationKandy, Sri Lanka
Geographic coordinates07°17′23.6″N 80°38′28.9″E
Architecture
TypeBuddhist Temple
FounderSena Sammatha Wickramabahu (1473-1511)

The monastery

Malwathu Maha Viharaya consists of two sections, the Uposatha Viharaya which is also known as ‘Poyamalu Viharaya’ and the other Pushparama Viharaya popularly known as Malwathu Viharaya.[1] Poyamalu Viharaya is the oldest section of the Vihara complex which is today recognized as an archaeologically protected monument.[2]

History

This temple is believed to be built by Senasammatha Vickramabahu (1473-1511) along with a stupa and a double storey ordination hall (Uposhathagaraya) in late 15th century or in early 16th century.[1] It was originally build as the residence of three monks but today it houses many Buddhist monks including the monks of Karaka Sangha Sabha (executive council) of Malwatta chapter of Siyam Nikaya. The building known as ‘poya ge’ is used as the assembly hall for the important meetings of the monastic fraternity. This building was built during the reign of king Kirti Sri Rajasinha of Kandy.

See also

References
  1. "Malwatu Maha Viharaya at Kandy – මල්වතු මහා විහාරය". amazinglanka. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. Gazette 1677 & 22 October 2010, p. 1750.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.