Kiri Vehera
During his third long journey to Sri Lanka, Lord Buddha stayed at the place where Kataragama Kirivehera was built, so Kirivehera is also named as one of the sixteen places. It is also said that when the Buddha visited here, there was a god king named 'Mahaghosha'. It is said that after the Buddha arrived and preached the Dharma, the people there adopted Buddhism and that a cedar or 'Kiri Vehera' was built at the place where he lived in the 'Kihiri Vana'.
Legend has it that the Kesha relics donated by Lord Buddha to Lord Mahaghosa and the wedding sword with which Siddhartha Bodhisattva cut off his hair donated by Prince Vidudabha to Mahaghosa are also treasured in this Chaitya Dhatu Garbha.
According to the current archaeological evidence, Kiri Vehera was built in AD. B.C. By King Mahanaga who ruled Ruhuna in the 1st century. In an inscription belonging to the fifth century, Kirivehera is introduced as Mangala Maha Chaitya.
In the recent history, the heroic King Narendrasingha assigned this temple to Vehella Dhammadinna Nayaka Theradhra through a Sannasa, and until today, the Theradhras of that generation of students are protecting this noble sacred ground.
Kirivehera, which had fallen into disrepair over time, was restored in 1961. Currently, the height of the pagoda is about 96 feet and the circumference of the ground level is about 280 feet.
At present, this temple is dominated by Ruhunu Magam Patthu’s chief Sanghanayaka, Master Venerable Kobawaka Dhamminda Nayaka Swamindra.
