Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya[1] is aTheravadaBuddhist temple inKandy,Sri Lanka. It is located inBahirawakanda, approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) from the city centre. The temple is known for its giant Buddha statue. The statue of Buddha is depicted in the position of theDhyanaMudra, the posture of meditation associated with his first Enlightenment, and can be seen from almost everywhere in Kandy. It stands at 26.83 m (88.0 ft) high and is one of the tallest Buddha statues in Sri Lanka.
The temple is built on land donated by theMinister of Lands,Hector Kobbekaduwa, to Ven. Ampitiye Dammarama Thero, a monk from theAmarapura Nikaya in the early 1970s. Initially Dammarama lived in a makeshift dwelling whilst soliciting funds for the construction of the temple. The temple was opposed by the senior monks of theSri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic), claiming it would overshadow the centre of theSiyam Nikaya. In the 1980s a chief monk of the Amarapura Nikaya, Hinatiyana Dhammaloka, successfully petitionedPresidentRanasinghe Premadasa to intervene and legally grant the land to Dammarama.
In the late 1980s Dammarama began to build a statue of Buddha, with construction of the statue completed in 1992. It was officially opened on 1 January 1993 by President Ranasinghe Premadasa.[2] It is now a popular tourist attraction.
Buddha statue of Sri Maha Bodhi ViharayaBuddha statue in daytime
