Sri Lankathilake Temple

The Lankatilaka Temple, dating back to the 14th century, is an iconic Buddhist temple from the Gampola period in Sri Lanka. Located near the Gadaladeniya Vihara in Kandy, it is renowned for its exceptional architecture and historical significance. The temple showcases intricate stonework and murals that reflect the cultural and religious essence of Sri Lanka during the Gampola reign. Rock inscriptions in Sinhalese and Tamil found on-site offer valuable insights into the region's history. The Lankatilaka Temple remains an important religious and historical landmark, representing the grandeur of Sri Lankan heritage.

The Lankatilaka temple was built on Panhalgala rock, a natural rock, and had three sections - the Temple building (which has the Buddha Image house in the east and Temples of God in the west), the Stupa and the Bo tree. With a touch of Dravidian and Indo-Chinse style of architecture, this temple of Polonnaruwa era resembles temples of southern India.

This Buddhist Temple, also known as Lankatilaka Viharaya, is situated in Udunuwara of Kandy in Sri Lanka and is one of the three famous Western temples. Located centrally among the two other temples, Embekke Temple is situated 4 KM south of it, and Gadaladeniya is 4 KM north of it. Lankatilaka means Lanka’s adornments or island’s ornament, belongs to the primary monastery of Polonnaruwa, which is now buried under history, unlike Lankatilaka Viharaya of Kandy.