Nalanda Gedige
නාලන්දා ගෙඩිගේ
A stone-built shrine from the 8th to 10th centuries, styled like a South Indian Hindu temple yet regarded as the geographic centre of Sri Lanka.
Nalanda Gedige was built around the 8th to 10th centuries entirely of stone. Its form imitates the South Indian Pallava-style Hindu temple, yet it enshrines Buddha images, blending Mahayana and Tantric elements, and its walls bear rare esoteric carvings. In the 1980s it was dismantled to make way for a reservoir and rebuilt in its original form beside the lake. Entry costs about LKR 1000, and visitors are few. It lies about 20 km south of Dambulla along the A9 highway and can be visited on the way from Kandy to Sigiriya.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Dambulla Cave Temple
- Namal Uyana
- Sigiriya Museum
- Sigiriya
- Pidurangala Rock
- Habarana Village Tour (Hiriwadunna)
- Yapahuwa Rock Fortress
- Avukana Buddha Statue