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

Pilikuththuwa Raja Maha Vihara

Pilikuththuwa, Gampaha District, Western Province · 7.0639°, 80.0503°

Gautama Buddha (image house and dagoba)Anuradhapuracave temple
Sacred since
300 BCE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
caves in use by the 2nd–3rd c. BCE
Anuradhapura

History & significance

A Buddhist cave temple at Pilikuththuwa in the Gampaha District, on ground inhabited since prehistoric times, whose caves appear to have served monks by the 2nd–3rd century BCE. The complex includes an image house and a dagoba.

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.

King Valagamba is said to have sheltered here from time to time during the invasion from South India.

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Sources

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