Despite being a small island that is widely recognized for her tropical beauty, Sri Lanka has a tremendous amount of history dating back thousands of years. Additionally, the island boasted some incredibly advanced civilizations capable of building immense monuments. The temple known locally as Sailatalarama Vihara contains one such monument.
The temple is located a mere seven kilometers from Ambalangoda, and if you plan to reside in one of the nearby Ahungalla hotels such as the likes of Calamansi Cove by Jetwing, then you’re in luck.
The Sailatalarama temple is situated on a hill that bears a distinct dome shape and is high enough to showcase breathtaking views of the nearby surroundings encompassing lakes, cinnamon plantations the towns within the major province of Sabaragamuwa. Reaching the temple can be a bit a mildly daunting task since a total of 208 steps must be climbed to reach the main dagoba, referred to by the locals as a dewale. On every day of the full moon, referred by local Buddhists as poya day, hundreds upon hundreds of pilgrims scale the hill by the aforementioned steps to pay their tribute to the colossal Buddha statue.
The statue is indeed massive, and is considered one of the largest Buddha statues in existence. The length of the statue measures around 108 feet and what is most impressive is that it is centuries old. Interestingly, the statue is still considered quite new by the locals. The statue of Buddha in this instance, is showcased in a sleeping position.
Within the temple there is an interesting wall of pictures, including one of a cow seemingly bowing to a monk who has rescued the creature from a slaughterhouse.
If you find yourself in the nearby areas of Ambalangoda or Ahungalla, be sure to take the short journey to visit this most iconic and spiritually significant destination.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.
