After exploring Muhudu Maha Viharaya and hearing the story of the selfless Princess who was cast away to sea, was washed up in a different part of the country and married the King of that area, we moved on to the second site mentioned in the legend. We found the signpost to Magul Maha Vihara easily about seventeen kilometres from Pottuvil along the A4.
The legend has it that the site of Magul Maha Vihara is where the marriage ceremony was conducted and that the King later had a Temple built here to celebrate such an auspicious event. As usual there are alternative explanations as to how the temple came to be here with archaeological evidence quoted however the Castaway Princess Marries the King after appeasing the Gods seems a good one with the legend being very well known in Sri Lanka.
Magul Maha Vihara is in the Lahugala National Park area where elephants are often seen along the roadside. That feeling that there may be some of those ponderous, yet majestic animals around was with us as we left the car parked under some trees and clambered over large rocks, below which was a bird busy lotus pond, to find the track down to the ruins.
At the height of its glory Magul Maha Vihara is thought to have housed some 12,000 monks, occupied some ten thousand acres and had not only a monastery, stupas and other religious buildings but also a palace. Today some of the ruins have been reclaimed from the jungle, however that jungle is still only a couple of metres away, the trees standing tall and plants growing in the crevices of the brick wall that formerly surrounded the whole area.
The worn track led to a flight of ancient steps with this unique
moonstone at the foot. Moonstones are a feature of all the ruins and
many temples in Sri Lanka but this one is really special. It is the only
one in the country that has mahouts on some of the elephants.
This
ancient stupa had four entrances, each one protected by a pair of
guardstones at the foot of the stairs and also guarded by a pair of
lions at the raised base.
The image house had the usual pair of guardstones and baulastrades.
Compared to many of the guardstones I have seen at other such sites in Sri Lanka, I thought that these were less sophisticated in construction. Perhaps they were built at an even earlier time.
These monkeys were also in an unsophisticated style.
The limestone Buddha has sadly already lost his head and forearm. If a structure were to be provided to protect this statue from further disintegration it would take away from the mood of this natural environment.
We had a very pleasant time wandering around quietly exploring on our own in this special yet often unvisited historical site. There is no set admission fee - just a quiet request for a donation. I do recommend visiting during the week as the weekends are very busy with pilgrims coming from afar to offer their devotions.
The legend has it that the site of Magul Maha Vihara is where the marriage ceremony was conducted and that the King later had a Temple built here to celebrate such an auspicious event. As usual there are alternative explanations as to how the temple came to be here with archaeological evidence quoted however the Castaway Princess Marries the King after appeasing the Gods seems a good one with the legend being very well known in Sri Lanka.
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| Lotus pond |
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| Temple, Magul Maha Vihare |
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| Brick wall, Magul Maha vihara |
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| Moonstone, Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Ruins of a Stupa at Magul Maha Vihara, Pottuvil |
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| Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Magul Maha Vihara, Pottuvil |
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| Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Image house, Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Guardstone |
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| Monkeys decorating the wall - Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Magul Maha Vihara |
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| Magul Maha vihara |
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| Magul Maha Vihara |
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