Story of Bahirawakanda

The enigmatic island of Sri Lanka contains a bounty of heritage sites with each of them having some intriguing stories and legends associated with them, one of the most mysterious is Bahirawakanda.

Background

Bahirawakanda is situated within the mountainous city of Kandy, and is actually a mountain, although many use the name nowadays to refer to the village that is situated at its peak. This place is to a large extent, is shrouded in mystery due to its many folk tales.

Devil’s Mountain

Many used to refer to this place as devil’s mountain or gnome mountain, it is believed that the mountain used to emit strange noises which led the people at the time to believe that a sinister being dwelled either within or beneath the mountain.

The Temple

The Sri Maha Bodhi Temple, which is found on this mountain, is one of the most popular Kandy attractions. Many travellers and guests of nearby hotels and resorts such as Mahaweli Reach Hotel constantly visit the temple due to its tranquil splendour, and the massive Buddha statue.

The Statue

The temple features one of the biggest Buddha statues in Sri Lanka, and it stands at 88 feet tall. It was built sometime in the early 70s and is a hallmark of Kandy.

Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+