About

Kataragama Devalaya

A temple for all faiths

The holy site of Kataragama, nestled on the banks of the Menik Ganga, close to the Yala Wildlife Reserve, and in the deep southeast of Sri Lanka, is a site of frequent and popular pilgrimage by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and even Christians. Rich in historical associations and legends, Katargama is tightly woven with its deity – Skandha, the God of War. The worship of God Skandha takes many forms, the culmination of which manifests in the annual Esala Festival and Perahera, itself a spectacle with many rituals. A land where all religions of the country meet, Kataragama contains multiple sites of note, including spiritual sites such as the Kiri Vehera and various temples and kovils dedicated to various deities, as well as natural attractions such as the nearby Yala National Park and Menik Ganga.

Myths and origins

Kataragama is one of the few places in modern Sri Lanka worshipped irrespective of nationality, caste, religion, and politics. An ancient shrine situated in the extreme southeast corner of Sri Lanka, the temple complex is dedicated to Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama and Hindu War God Murugan.

A unique meeting place of two connected yet divergent religious traditions on the island – Buddhism and Hinduism – Kataragama is held in deep veneration as a centre of culture and pilgrimage by both Buddhists and Hindus, as well as Muslims.

Hindu tradition

In the Hindu tradition, Kataragama is the oldest and most sacred centre of the cult of Skanda/Murugan in the island. Valli, the junior consort of Murugan, was the offspring of a Veddah chieftain holding sway over territories surrounding Kataragama, which became the permanent and favourite abode of Skanda/Murugan after he had vanquished Surapadman and his host of warriors, who exemplified the forces of evil.

The starting point of the mythological tradition of Kataragama is the god’s coming to Sri Lanka and his falling in love with the woman of the wilds – Valli Amma (‘mother Valli’).

As legend goes, Skandha, the second son of Lord Shiva, the highest god among Hindu deities, came from India to Kataragama to battle the asuras (anti-god) on behalf of the gods. While residing in Kataragama, he met Valli Amma, a beautiful woman adopted by a Veddha chieftain, to whom he proposed marriage, but she would not respond to his advances.

Thereupon, God Skandha requested for assistance from his elephant-headed older brother, Ganesh, after which Skandha came in search of Valli in the guise of an old beggar and asked her for food. However, Skandha refused the food until he had been given some water, whereupon Valli agreed to guide him to a nearby lake.

Learning, however, in the course of conversation, that the only thing she dreaded was elephants, God Ganesh came crashing out of the jungle in elephant visage, frightening Valli, who begged Skandha for protection. Skandha promised to do so on the condition that she marries him, to which she agreed. This incident is said to have happened in an area today known as Sella Kataragama, where a temple dedicated to Ganesh is situated.

The couple were soon married and lived on Kataragama peak, or Vedahiti Kanda (‘The Mountain Where They Stayed’).
However, Skandha already had a spouse – Devasena or Tevani Amma. Once she heard of his second marriage and realised that her husband would not return, having taken up his permanent abode with Valli in Kataragama, she decided to forsake her divine home and settle down close to him. She persuaded her husband and Valli to descend from their hill-top home and live with her in the now-sacred city.

Buddhist tradition

In the Buddhist tradition, Kataragama is one of the 16 sacred places in Sri Lanka visited by the Buddha during his third visit to the island. According to the Mahavamsa, Sri Lanka’s chronicle of history, Kataragama became a centre of Buddhist worship early on, with the planting of a shoot of the sacred bo tree brought to Sri Lanka by Sanghamitta, daughter of the Indian emperor Asoka.

The Sinhalese consider God Kataragama to be one of the Four Guardian Deities of the Sinhala pantheon, perhaps the most powerful one of them all. Legends say that the god is a Bodhisattva who heard Lord Buddha’s sermons and attained the higher faculty of ‘sovan’.

According to Sinhala tradition, the local ruler of Kataragama during the time of Lord Buddha’s third visit to the island was King Mahasena (or Mahaghosa). When Lord Buddha delivered his sermon at the Kihiri Forest in Kataragama, the king, who listened to the dharma and attained enlightenment, built a stupa on the site made hallowed by the Buddha’s visit.

Upon his death, King Mahasena was elevated to divine status and as his abode was Kataragama, he came to be known as the God of Kataragama. Kataragama, being the location for the first temple for the God of Kataragama, is to this day known as the Ruhunu Kataragama Mahasen Maha Devalaya.

This Buddhist background associated with Lord Mahasen or Lord Katagrama has ensured that Buddhist traditions and rituals have been prioritised in the daily and annual offerings for the god.

According to legend, around 160 BC, King Dutugemunu undertook the blessings of the God Kataragama to undertake his expedition against Chola invader King Elara and rescue the country from foreign rule. After his victory, out of gratitude to God Kataragama and in fulfilment of the vow, he built the temple and dedicated it to the god.

Guide to Kataragama

Nestled on the banks of the Manik Ganga, close to the Yala National Park, the Kataragama shrine premises contain the main shrine of the god. The Kataragama sacred site is composed of a series of devales, or shrines, and the famed Buddhist stupa, the Kiri Vehera.

Next to the main shrine is a smaller shrine for the god’s elder brother, Ganesha, alongside two shrines for Vishnu and the Buddha. The main shrine is also connected via a narrow street to the shrine of the god’s mistress Valli Amma, while the back of the main shrine is connected via another street to the Kiri Vehera, the white-domed ancient Buddhist stupa that dominates the site. To the left of the main shrine is the shrine of the god’s legitimate spouse Devasena or Tevani Amma.

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Inaugural Initiative

Channelling hope for the Apeksha Hospital

Drawing inspiration from the generosity of visitors to Kataragama and the benevolence of the God Kataragama, the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya is directing the temple’s funds, donated as tribute by its numerous devotees, toward the construction of a fully-equipped four-storey building to be used as the children’s ward for the Apeksha Hospital.

Total Project Cost - 150,000,000 (150M)

Funds Received - 10,017,779 (10.018M)

Current Spend - 54,387,083.58 (54.39M)

About the Project

EXPERT TEAM

Meet Our Volunteer Team.

Kavin Martin

Ceo

David Malan

Volunteer

David Hardson

Team Leader