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Kukuluwel Vihara Temple

The oldest cave temple located in Ratnapura district of Sabaragamuwa province, kukuluwa Raja Maha Vihara, is a Buddhist shrine that has to be reached along footpaths through forested areas after completing a very difficult journey. This cave temple was located on a mountain peak at the top of the Niriyali mountain range. Two main caves can be seen here, separated into the larger cave temple and the smaller cave temple. Legend has it that there is a tunnel from this temple to Ratnapura Pothgul temple.
        Kukuluwa Raja Maha Vihara has not been subjected to a scientific survey so far. But there are two main opinions about its origin. The first is that the king of Watta Gamini Abhaya (Walagamba), who was staying in the forest to protect himself from foreign invasions, stayed in these caves for about three months, and later turned it into a temple. The second is that this is a place where all the nobles hid during the reign of Rajasingha 1 (Sitawaka Rajasingha). King Sitawaka joined with Arittaki Vendu in anti-Buddhist activities to save himself from the sin of killing his father, so Lord Sitawaka at that time hid from the kingdom of Sitawaka. The lord lived in these caves located on the top of the hill at the edge of the kingdom's control area.
        According to the observed facts, the second opinion is confirmed, Most Venerable Pandita Kiriella Gnanavimala Thero states that the history of this temple does not go beyond Sita's era. Even the inscriptions carved in the caves here are a good testimony to confirm that.
         This temple at the southern end of Niriyali Nedagama, which was granted to Niriyalle Tismadaya Narayana Brahmachari Mudianse by King Rajasingha 1, is named as Kanate Cave Temple. According to the old state administrative division system, this cave temple belongs to Digampota Korale.
   A Sinhala New Year festival was held for the first time in 1555 during the reign of Sitawaka. A Sinhala New Year festival was held for the first time during the reign of King Rajasingha in 1637.
         AD King Rajasingha II, who reigned from 1635 to 1687, was a king who was very fond of physical sports. One of his favorite sports is cockfighting. Therefore, a cockfighting competition has been held and orders have been drummed throughout the country saying that a village will be awarded to the owner of the winning cock.
          A villager from Hadda Pitisara village, near Ayagama in Diggampatha Korala (near present-day Kalawana) in Saparagamu, participated in the chicken fighting competition held at Rajavasala in Kandy. This villager named Korala brought along his well-experienced fighting cock for the competition. Eighteen people have participated in that match with him.
         Paragala - Korala's chicken defeated all those chickens and won. (This cockfighter belongs to a generation of skilled magicians in Paragala village, and he killed all eighteen other chickens in the cockfighting competition and his rooster won by tying a string made of a powerful spell between the feathers of his rooster so that it could not be seen outside. Thus, the rooster is fiercely competitive. It is also said that he won by beating the chickens.)
         The king, who was very happy about this, added the title Paragala Wijesundara Kukulu Korala to the beginning of his name "Koraala" and granted him a village of about four hundred acres near Paragala. The village is still known by the name "Kukulegama".
         In a few days, this incident became very famous in the area. Therefore, the Korala, which was called Diggampatha Korala until then, was named as Kukulu Koralaya, the Dik Oya that flowed through this area was named Pukku Ganga, and the big rock called Kurulugala, which is exactly 3,000 feet above sea level, located on the Gala Udakanda above Paragalagama, was named Pukku Gala, not far from Paragala. The Gallen Vihara of this cemetery located in Pimbure has also been converted to the name of Pukukwa Viharaya.
         Kukulu Korala is a forested area with many unique places including Gedagala Kanda, Nagirikanda, Mana Kanda, Galauda Kanda, Tapaswara Kanda, Ilumbakanda, Matale Gallenath in Gavaragiri which includes the historical Sinharaja Forest.
         Niriella and Udakanda villages were the victim villages of Kukuluwa temple in the past. Udakanda village was the first abode of the Weragama Arachchi family, who came through the Niriyali mountain during the settlement of kukulu Koralaya. A person named Udakanda Kankanama provided leadership to them. They spent about two centuries in that land at the foot of the temple, and for some reason the area became depopulated, the inhabitants moved to the nearby village called Pimbura, and the temple became a habitat for bats under the jungle. At this time, the paintings here were destroyed by bats.
         We hear about the Kukuluwa temple again in 1892 after the idol lying here was destroyed by thieves. It is said that the statue was destroyed by shooting at the head, chest and shoulders.
         At this time, Mr. Delwala Lokubandara, who was the country gentleman in charge of the chicken corral, restored the chicken temple again with the help of the devotees, as per the advice of Daliwala Saddhatissa Thero, the head of Kalawana Tilakaratnarama Vihara at that time. Again in 1934, under the patronage of Ratnapura Saddharama Thero, a temple and a Bhantha tower were built in the small cave.
         However, there is no continuous community in the Kukuluwa Vihara, so it remains wild for most of the year. Even the image of a chicken that was fixed on the temple by thieves
Labni. According to folklore, a stone the size of a chicken, made of gold or carved with gems, is said to be treasured here.