If you want to go to a sacred temple located in the middle of a mountain the most suitable place for it is Nikawewa Sri Nagala Rajamaha Viharaya. Considering the historical background of this temple, it appears that this temple was built during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. It is also mentioned that Prince Saliya, the son of King Dutugemunu was responsible for many of the constructions of this temple in later times.
Although the present temple house is built at the foot of the hill, the ancient temple house can be seen in the middle of the Nikawewa hill. That is the specialty here. This means that the special feature of this land is the cave temple on the hillside. To visit this temple you have to go along a flight of steps surrounded by trees. The Nikawewa mountain range is a beautiful sight. The beauty of the view from afar is indescribable. Mountains, forests, lakes, and fields can be seen from this place. Upon entering the cave, you see a large reclining Buddha statue. This statue is about 42 feet long. In the early days, the statue was made of bricks.
[envira-gallery id=”8529″]Later it was repaired and painted. But only a small part of the original look has been left unpainted. Although the paintings on the cave walls were painted, they are now gradually obscured. Evidence is found that there were two more caves on the hillside leading to this main cave temple. This is a trek that should be taken care of while enjoying the beauty of the mountain. At the foot of the hill, you can see a temple built based on the tradition of the Kandy era. In addition, the dagoba, the monastery, and the Bo-trees bring an enlightening look to this sacred place. The dagoba which had been wild for a long time has recently been renovated. Also, several ancient inscriptions have been found in this area which mentions the rituals performed in this area. So anyone who wants to explore the history of the country is invited to visit here.
