Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara
One of the four great monasteries founded in Sri Lanka after the monk Mahinda brought Buddhism to the island. From the 3rd century BC to the 11th century AD it was the leading centre of Buddhist learning in the south, and its white dagoba is one of the largest stupas in the country.
- Where
- Tissamaharama, Southern Province, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 6.2794, 81.2903
Get the Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara. 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 Southern Province volume with your photos and a note.
Near Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara
Bundala National Park 10 km
A coastal park of lagoons and scrub that is an important winter home for migratory water birds, with 197 species recorded and flocks of greater flamingos the highlight. In 1991 it became Sri Lanka's first Ramsar wetland, and in 2005 a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Kataragama Devalaya 16 km
A temple complex once deep in the jungle, dedicated to the deity Kataragama, honoured by Hindus as the war god Murugan. It is one of the few sacred sites revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and the Vedda people alike, with shrines and a mosque standing side by side.
Kiri Vehera 16 km
A white stupa 800 metres north of the Kataragama Devalaya, probably dating to the 3rd century BC. It is counted among the Solosmasthana, the 16 most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites of ancient Sri Lanka, and pilgrims bring it flowers after visiting the shrines below.
Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya 21 km
An ancient monastery among the rocks of the Yala forest, 18 km east of Kataragama, believed to have been founded by King Kavantissa in the 2nd century BC. Its name comes from Chiththala Pabbatha, the hill of the quiet mind, and the rock summit looks out over the jungle.
Yala National Park 38 km
A 979 square kilometre park on the Indian Ocean, protected since 1900, with monsoon forest, scrub, lagoons and beach. It is the best known place in Sri Lanka to see leopards, and also shelters elephants and 215 species of birds.
Ussangoda National Park 39 km
A patch of high ground by the sea near Ambalantota, a national park and archaeological site in the southern turtle nesting zone. Unlike the land around it, its flat top is covered only in grass and a few pockets of dwarf forest, over strikingly red soil.
Udawalawe National Park 48 km
Grassland and scrub on the border of Uva and Sabaragamuwa, set aside in 1972 as a refuge for animals displaced by the reservoir on the Walawe River. It covers some 30,800 hectares and is one of the surest places on the island to see wild elephants.
Maligawila Buddha 50 km
A standing Buddha carved from a single block of limestone in the 7th century by Prince Aggabodhi of Ruhuna, the tallest free standing ancient Buddha statue in the country. Found broken into pieces in 1951, it was put back together and raised upright again in 1980.
More hidden gems in Southern Province
Questions
Where is Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara?
Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara is in Tissamaharama, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Bundala National Park (10 km), Kataragama Devalaya (16 km), Kiri Vehera (16 km).
How do I get the Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Southern Province volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Tissamaharama Raja Maha Vihara before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Southern 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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