LANKALIBRARY FORUM

Historic Devanagala temple at mercy of thieves

DM / Thursday, August 04, 2005

Historic Devanagala temple, built during the reign of King Walagamba, is in a state of deterioration.

Residents of the area say that the temple has been left to the mercy of treasure hunters without attention by the relevant authorities. They express concern for the wanton destruction of ancient statues in the temple by treasure hunters.

The ancient dagoba, built by King Walagamba 11 and several statues of gods, unique to Devanagala temple have also been destroyed.

It is said, that the sacred tooth relic had once been under protection at Devanagala Raja Maha Vihara, until it was taken to Hanguranketa during foreign invasions.

The Buddhists in the area appeal to the authorities to take immediate steps to protect Devanagala temple which is of great historical importance.