Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Ancient · Buddhist · Sri Lanka

Gonagolla Vihara

Gonagolla, Ampara District, Eastern Province · 7.4155°, 81.6557°

Gautama Buddha (ancient stupa)Anuradhapuracave temple with vatadage
Sacred since
300 BCE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
3rd c. BCE stupa; frescoes 3rd c. CE
Anuradhapura

History & significance

An ancient Buddhist site at Gonagolla in the Ampara District where a stupa and two ponds are dated to the third century BCE, surrounded by drip-ledged caves, a vatadage, stone stairways and carved pillars. Its third-century CE frescoes have earned it the local name Punchi Seegiriya, 'little Sigiriya', and rock inscriptions of the 3rd to 5th centuries record gifts by monks and by the wives of district governors.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Anuradhapura