Rakkhiththakanda Rajamaha Viharaya

Rakkhiththakanda Rajamaha Viharaya is an ancient cave temple rarely visited by the average traveller. The temple lies 2 km off the picturesque Ella – Wellawaya Road in the village known as Karandagolla in the Wellawaya DS area of Monaragala District.

The early Brahmi script cave inscriptions at the temple date the existence of the temple to the 2nd century at the earliest (Urugodawatte, 2022). According to tradition, this cave temple is believed to have been built by King Walagamba (89-77 BC) and carries signs of Kandyan Era renovations.

Today this cave temple consists of elegant paintings of the Kanyan Era. The date 1886 can be seen among the paintings but further study of these paintings indicates some of the paintings predate 1886.