Kataragama Temple
The story of the construction of the present main temple is in AD. B.C. It belongs to the time of King Gemunu Maha who united Sirilake in the second century. While King Gemunu was traveling with his army from Magama to Anuradhapura to liberate Anuradhapura from King Elara, he met God Kataragama at this shrine, and at that moment the king asked God to bless him to win the war.
Accordingly, the king, who was also helped by the God of Kataragama, united the land and came back to Kataragama and asked what should be done to show gratitude to the deity.
The deity said to send a hea from the hill and build a temple where it falls on the ground, and according to this Maharaja Dutugemunu arranged everything to fulfill the same and built the great temple. There, the responsibility of making tea for the deities, or the chief cotton title of the temple, was given to the giant Nandimitra, but even today, the same responsibility is carried by the descendants. The guardianship of the deities and the temple was entrusted to Basnayake Nilame.
From then until today, the Kataragama Deity resides here, receiving the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of people, and giving benefit to every penny.