Hello Friends,
Today I will introduce my village and the landmark places of it. My village is Ambagaspitiya in Sri Lanka , which has a beautiful surrounding and ancient history. The village life is full of contentment and happiness because people are not rushed like in the city. People in the village lead a very simple life. Villages are typically located outside of the hustle and bustle of urban civilization. A village's natural beauty can be appreciated because it is surrounded by trees, flowers, mountains, streams, and farmlands. There is no pollution in the village, and the breeze is refreshing.
"Maligatenna Raja Maha Viharaya" is my village temple and
Maligatenna is the highest point in Gampaha District, offering a 360-degree panorama. As Maligatenna is also an ancient monastery, the rocky hill is crowned by a dagaba. This is one of a group of temples in the rarely visited Siyane Korale area.
The cave temple complex of Maligatenna, which is still inhabited by monks, can be seen on the hill's northern slope. A 1 km long jungle path leads to the summit from the temple. It goes through a cave and a small chasm.
The Maligatenna Rajamaha Viharaya is a historic site in Gampaha District, 8 kilometers east of Yakkala, (a town near Gampaha on the Colombo-Kandy road A1.)
"Maligatenna" is one of many temples that claim to have become a refuge for King Walagamba (Vatthagamani Abhaya) during his years in exile after Anuradhapura was captured by Tamil invaders. Hiripitiye Rala is said to have aided the king while he was hiding in Maligatenna. According to local legend, the Maligatenna caves were used as a hideout for ancient and medieval Sri Lankan kings and princes seeking refuge from enemies.
According to two of these local legends, Maligatenna was the temporary home of the Tooth Relic, and the temple was named after this most important Buddhist object of worship.Actually, the term "Maliga" comes from the official name of Kandy's Tooth Temple: Sri Dalada Maligawa. Maligatenne served as a hiding place for the Sacred Tooth Relic during two periods of foreign invasions, at the end of the Polonnaruwa period and again at the end of the Kotte period.
When the Kalinga Magha marauded and destroyed the Polonnaruwa Kingdom in the first half of the 13th century, the sacred Tooth Relic had to be safeguarded by transporting it to safer places further south. The monk Vachissara Sangharaja is said to have brought the holiest Buddhist relic to Maligathenna.
The relic was brought to Sitavaka to be kept safe. Because Sitavaka was occasionally invaded by Portuguese forces, the priest kept it secret in Delgamuwa, some way away from Sitavaka. As according Maligetanna folklore, the national palladium was first brought from Sitavaka to Maligatenna for safekeeping, and then to Delgamuwa near Kuruwita, where it was hidden in a grind stone for several decades before being transferred to Ratnapura and finally to Kandy.
A gust of wind will greet you at the summit. A white stupa crowns the summit. The summit is known as Uda Maluwa, which translates as "upper terrace." A large rectangular water lily pond on the summit near the stupa is said to never dry out. Locals believe that King Walagamaba hid a treasure at the bottom of this pool.
So this is my village and the history. I feel immense pleasure whenever I visit my village because of its peaceful and serene environment. Here, I can eat some fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. My village's people are very helpful, and they live in harmony with no grudges. They live as one big family who always looks out for each other. This kind of compassion is hard to come by in the city.
Thank you for reading my post. Let's meet again with a new post.