Namal Anga Raja Maha Vihara is a well known Buddhist temple at Ambanpola on the Kurunegala – Dambulla main road. Two kilometres from Gokarella, a gravel road branches off the main road that leads to the temple.
The temple is believed to be over 2,000 years.
The road that leads to the temple runs through a paddy field. According to folklore, there had been a large Na (iron wood) flower carved on a rock in the paddy field.
Therefore, the temple was named as Namal Anga (Namal compound). The rock had been destroyed by treasure hunters.
According to the Ridi Vihara Asna, King Dutugemunu had brought a Buddha statue from Anuradhapura in a procession for the ceremonial placing of eyes at Ridi Vihara.
On their way, they had stopped at Namalanga and stayed a night there. Stupas had been constructed at all the places where they had stayed on their way to Ridi Vihara. Accordingly, a stupa had been constructed at this site too.
The sacred place had been covered with thick jungles for a long time. King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1790 A.D.) had restored the temple.
There is a standing Buddha statue which is 40 feet in height on the hillock in the temple precincts. As you climb the peak to the statue, there is a pathway connecting a bridge to the temple. The new temple was constructed in the late 1960s and still many additional attractions are being added for the worshippers to pay respect.
You can see several Buddha statues, among them a marble Buddha statue donated by Thailand and wall paintings depicting Jathaka stories in the temple. One of the main attractions of the temple is the replica of hell built under the main temple building.
A monument to commemorate the War Heroes who had lived in the area and had sacrificed their lives has been built in the temple premises.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the temple on their way to Mihintale and Anuradhapura during the Poson season.
