Nalanda Gedige
A complete stone temple near Matale, built between the 8th and 10th centuries in a Dravidian style more often seen in South India. Its original site is said to be the geographical centre of Sri Lanka, and an inscription found there shows it served as a Buddhist monastery.
- Where
- Matale, Central Province, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 7.6697, 80.6456
Get the Nalanda Gedige stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Nalanda Gedige. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Central Province volume with your photos and a note.
Near Nalanda Gedige
Aluvihare Rock Temple 19 km
A cave temple among boulders 30 km north of Kandy on the Matale road, traced back to King Devanampiyatissa in the 3rd century BC. It is where monks are said to have first written down the Buddhist Pali Canon, on palm leaves, in the 1st century BC.
Dambulla Cave Temple 21 km
A cave temple high on a rock above Dambulla, a World Heritage Site since 1991. Its five caves are filled with Buddha statues and their ceilings are painted edge to edge with murals, a shrine that has been in use for more than two thousand years.
Sri Muthumariamman Temple 22 km
A Hindu temple in Matale dedicated to the goddess Mariamman. Its tall gopuram gateway is covered in rows of brightly painted figures of gods and guardians, and it is one of the best known Hindu temples in the central hills.
Ridi Viharaya 22 km
A temple from the 2nd century BCE at Ridigama, called the Silver Temple because silver ore found here paid for the completion of the Ruwanweli stupa. According to the Mahavamsa, King Dutugemunu built it in gratitude.
Sigiriya 34 km
A granite column about 180 metres high rising out of the plain near Dambulla, crowned with the ruins of a 5th century royal citadel. Climbers pass painted frescoes and the polished Mirror Wall, then a pair of giant lion's paws, before the last stairs to the summit.
Knuckles Mountain Range 35 km
A massif in central Sri Lanka, spread across the Matale and Kandy districts, that locals call Dumbara Kanduvetiya, the mist laden range. British surveyors named it for the folded peaks that, seen from Kandy, look like the knuckles of a clenched fist.
Pidurangala Rock 35 km
An ancient Buddhist temple on a rock about 1 km north of Sigiriya. The path climbs past the temple and a reclining Buddha to a bare summit with the best view of Sigiriya itself, which makes it a favourite climb at sunrise.
Yapahuwa Rock Fortress 40 km
A medieval citadel built around a granite rock that rises almost 100 metres from the plains, midway between Kurunegala and Anuradhapura, and for a short time a royal capital. A steep ornamental stairway guarded by carved stone lions climbs towards the top.
More hidden gems in Central Province
Questions
Where is Nalanda Gedige?
Nalanda Gedige is in Matale, Central Province, Sri Lanka. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Aluvihare Rock Temple (19 km), Dambulla Cave Temple (21 km), Sri Muthumariamman Temple (22 km).
How do I get the Nalanda Gedige stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Nalanda Gedige and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Central Province volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Nalanda Gedige before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Central Province volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
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