Built by King Kavantissa, the temple includes a stupa and a huge standing Buddha statue. It is often visited by devotees who are on pilgrimage to Kataragama.
One must take the paved staircase that has been carved into the rock to get to the top of the mountain where the temple is located. Once you reach the top of the stairways, there is a path on the side that leads to the standing Buddha Statue. Upon arriving at the temple, at the entrance there is a shrine room and the stupa is centred on the uppermost position of the area. You will note a stone inscription that reveals that there was a king called ‘Naga’ who had converted to Buddhism at this temple.
Historical legend says that this temple was dedicated to Queen Viharamahadevi. During that time, the sea level had risen in Kelaniya and flooded the area, making people of the time believe that it was an act of punishment by God due to a sin committed by the king when he had arranged for a monk to be killed. Therefore in order to make amends, the king was asked to sacrifice his daughter, Princess Viharamahadevi in which he had set her ashore.
Therefore, the brave young princess, Princess Viharamadevi had arrived ashore to a place called Doreva, Kirinda. King Kavantissa who was ruling the Ruhunu kingdom at the time, had welcomed her intot he area and married her later. Thereby the king had constructed the Kirinda temple to commemorate this event. King Kavantissa and Queen Viharamahadevi had two sons, Prince Dutugemunu and Prince Kelani Tissa.
The temple served as a refuge for victims of the tsunami in 2004.
