Devinuwara Upulvan (Vishnu) Devalaya
Devinuwara, also known as Dondra, is a small town situated at the southernmost point of the country, about 6.5 km southeast of Matara. During the 13th-15th centuries, it was a bustling seaport and a renowned place of worship and pilgrimage, with a magnificent temple whose gilded copper roof could be seen from far out at sea. The town was adorned with numerous stone pillars, intricately sculpted in various designs and shapes, serving as evidence of the grand shrines and temples that stood overlooking the ocean until the latter half of the 16th century.
According to legend, Devinuwara was a thriving city during the time of King Rawana and is connected to the Indian Epic of Ramayana. The 15th-century “Paravi Sandeshaya,” a poetical work, describes the deity at Devinuwara as a destroyer of Asura, suggesting that this same deity is also “Rama” of the Ramayana.
The Mahavansa, Sri Lanka's great chronicle, recounts how Vishnu was chosen as the guardian to protect the land of Sri Lanka an...
According to legend, Devinuwara was a thriving city during the time of King Rawana and is connected to the Indian Epic of Ramayana. The 15th-century “Paravi Sandeshaya,” a poetical work, describes the deity at Devinuwara as a destroyer of Asura, suggesting that this same deity is also “Rama” of the Ramayana.
The Mahavansa, Sri Lanka's great chronicle, recounts how Vishnu was chosen as the guardian to protect the land of Sri Lanka an...
