Kalutara Temple

 

Kalutara Temple is an Iconic site in Kalutara and its famous for Kalutara Bodiya and the  Buddhist Stupa. One of the most venerated religious places in Sri Lanka, hundreds of Buddhists and foreign tourists visit this religious place daily

Kalutara Bodiya

Kalutara Bodhiya is an ancient Bodhi tree identified as one of the 32 saplings of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi planted during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa in the 2nd century BC in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
According to the ancient chronicle Sinhala Bodhiwamsa, 32 saplings of sacred figs sprouted from Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi were planted in various parts of the country as instructed by Arahant Mahinda Thera. Further, the chronicle states that this Bodhi tree existed intact till the 15th century AD.

Kalutara Bodiya new photo

Kalutara Chaitya (Stupa)

The Kalutara Chaitya is a Stupa (Buddhist shrine) located immediately south of the Kalutara Bridge in the Kalutara District of Sri Lanka.

It is one of only a few hollow Buddhist stupas in the world, with 74 murals depicting various aspects of the Buddha’s life. Four small chaityas (stupas) are located within the larger hollow stupa, and scenes from Jataka tales are painted on the walls of the larger stupa. Visitors can enter the Kalutara Chaitya to worship and view the statues and wall paintings depicting Buddha’s life stories.

kalutara stupa far view