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

Magul Maha Viharaya

Lahugala, Ampara District, Eastern Province · 6.8675°, 81.7367°

Gautama Buddha (image shrine, stupa and Bodhi tree)Ruhuna
Sacred since
205 BCE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
trad. King Kavantissa, 2nd c. BCE
Ruhuna

History & significance

A Buddhist temple at Lahugala in the Ampara District whose image shrine, stupa and sacred fig all survive in good condition. Tradition assigns its completion to King Kavantissa in the second century BCE, though other accounts credit King Dhatusena of the fifth century CE.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Magul means 'wedding' in Sinhala: the site is said to mark where Kavantissa married Viharamahadevi after the sea carried her miraculously ashore, and the foundations of the Magul Maduwa wedding pavilion are still shown there.

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Sources

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