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The Mulkirigala Temple is a much visited pilgrim destination in Sri Lanka. The structure is considered to be one of the 64 temples which were built by King Kawantissa and dates back to the 2 century BC. There are five terraces of the temple namely; the Great King's temple terrace (Raja Maha Vihara Maluwa), Chetiya terrace (Chaitya Maluwa), lower terrace (Patha Maluwa), Bo tree terrace (Bodhi Maluwa) and Upper Bo tree terrace (Uda Bodhi Maluwa). The Bo tree in the Bodhi Maluwa is believed to be a sapling from the 32 saplings of the greatly honoured Anuradhapura Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya. The Chaitya Maluwa is considered to house the most precious relics of Lord Buddha which was offered by King Saddhatissa to the temple.
The Mulikirigala Temple also has seven cave temples with different sculptures of Lord Buddha, art and Brahmi scripts. On your way to the lower terrace you would be passing a Sanghavasa where monks reside and the cave of Lord Chulla Tissa. The roofs of the caves are adorned with Lord Buddha paintings, floral designs and squirrels. Janakatha also referred to as folklore could be seen on many of the walls of these temples. The 2nd cave temple is named as Paduma Rahath and has an enormous reclining Buddha statue.
Climbing each section to find these temples is somewhat made easy by the paved stairways on the rock itself. Visitors of old age will need to get assistance since some parts do not have a railing to hold on to. When you pass terrace by terrace you would see all seven temples containing unique features and importance. Many devotees visit the Mulkirigala Temple because it is believed that favours asked here are granted.
With new developments such as the Southern Expressway, tourism has taken a boost mostly favouring the Sri Lanka beach resort industry. Tangalle is one of the largest cities with the best southern beaches in the Hambantota District. Most of the Tangalle hotels are structured to give its visitors a panoramic view of the blue waters and picturesque surroundings. The Ranna 212 hotel provides excursions to the Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary and Historic Mulkirigala Temple.
Uditha Dharmawardhane is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Roland Lefevre. He specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+
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