Muthiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya (Royal Temple)

Muthiyangana Royal Temple is located in Badulla city in the Badulla District of Uva Province. Badulla could be reached from Kandy on the Kandy- Nuwaraeliya highway or from Colombo on the Colonbo-Bandarawela highway. From Badulla city the temple is reached by traversing a short distance along the Batticaloa road situated on its right side.

Mutiyangana temple is one of the premier sacred places in Badulla district and also one of the 16 sacred places (Solosmasthana) of Buddhist worship in Sri Lanka. Folk lore has the sweat drop of the Buddha which was transformed into a pearl is enshrined in this temple.
According to historical commentaries of Buddhaghosha (Aluwa writer) Thera, Buddha had set foot on this island for the eighth time at this place. The commentaries on the Majjima Nikaya (Buddhsit text) considers Mutiyangana to be the place where Arahant Maliyadeva (the known last Arahath Buddhst monk in Sri Lanka) preached the Caraka Sutta.

In another folk lore, King Devanampiyatissa had planted in Mutiyangana one of the 32 seedlings obtained from the sacred Bo tree and had enlarged the Dagoba as well. But Muthiyanganaya is not cited in well known historical chronicles such as Mahavamsa,Bodhi Vamsa or Dhatuvansa but in the Samantapasadika which older than that.
The Arch at the entrance to the temple, the Dagoba and the Atthaphala Bodhighara are the main features of the temple. The Makara Torana over the Buddha image in Samadhi posture with two peacocks on its side is of the singular significance.

Stone columns, stone slabs and a painting on cloth illustrating the Vessantara Jatakaya are some of the artifacts found. There is a belief that rains will come if the painting on cloth is taken in procession to the Namunukula mountain. Mutiyangana temple which was declared a protected archaeological monument had been named as a sacred area in 1979 as well.

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