Highlights
- Tradition credits King Mahasena with building the Kiri Vehera
- One of the 16 great places of Buddhist pilgrimage in Sri Lanka
- Linked to the Buddha's third visit to the island
- About 95 feet high and 280 feet around
- A short walk from the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya
- Visited by people of many faiths
Overview
Kiri Vehera is an ancient white stupa at Kataragama, near Yala in the south-east. It is counted among the Solosmasthana, the 16 most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka. Kataragama itself is a sacred town for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and the Vedda people, and Kiri Vehera is the Buddhist heart of it.
History and legend
Tradition holds that the Buddha visited Kataragama on his third visit to the island, and that the stupa marks a place where he sat. The chronicles name an early local ruler, King Mahasena of Kataragama, as its builder; it is very old, but exact dates are uncertain. It has been restored many times.
What you see
The milk-white dome rises above a large terrace, with a Bodhi tree and shrines nearby. Pilgrims in white bring flowers and walk around the stupa. A tree-lined path of about a kilometre links it to the Maha Devale, the main Kataragama shrine to the god Skanda, also called Kataragama deviyo.
The evening puja
The best time to visit Kataragama is for the evening puja at the devale, with drums, fire and crowds of devotees. Many visitors walk to Kiri Vehera before or after.
Festival
The Kataragama festival, usually in July or August, draws huge crowds, including pilgrims who walk for weeks from the north.
How long it takes
About an hour for Kiri Vehera; two to three hours with the devale and puja.
Getting there
Kataragama is about 30 minutes north-east of Tissamaharama by road.
Practical tips
- Wear white or light, modest clothes; remove shoes and hats.
- Bring socks; the terrace gets very hot.
- Watch your belongings in festival crowds.
Nearby are the Tissamaharama stupa and the Yala safari. See things to do around Yala and hotels near Yala.
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