Asgiriya Maha Viharaya

Asgiriya Maha Viharaya stands on a gentle rise north of Kandy Lake, its compound of whitewashed shrines and aged bo trees forming one of the most spiritually significant addresses in Sri Lanka. As the headquarters of the Asgiriya chapter of the Siyam Nikaya — the oldest Buddhist monastic order to be established in the island's Kandyan era — the temple carries an authority that reaches well beyond its physical walls.

What is the significance of Asgiriya Maha Viharaya?

The monastery holds a unique constitutional role in Sri Lankan Buddhism. Together with the Malwathu chapter, the Asgiriya chapter shares custodial responsibility over the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha, enshrined at the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa) a short distance away. No major ceremony at the Dalada Maligawa is complete without the participation of the Asgiriya Mahanayaka — the supreme patriarch of the chapter — making the monastery inseparable from the religious life of Kandy.

The Asgiriya chapter also plays a central role in the annual Esala Perahera Festival, the grand procession that draws pilgrims and visitors from around the world every July or August. Monks of the Asgiriya chapter join their Malwathu counterparts in presiding over ceremonies that date back centuries to the Kandyan Kingdom.

What can I see inside the Asgiriya Maha Viharaya complex?

The monastery is not a single building but a living campus of interconnected structures, each layer reflecting a different period of Kandyan religious patronage.

• Purana Viharaya (Old Temple): The oldest section of the complex, containing shrines and artefacts that predate the formal organisation of the Siyam Nikaya. The interior murals and carved wooden pillars here are among the finest examples of late Kandyan craftsmanship.
• Meda Pandala (Middle Temple): A transitional section connecting the older and newer parts of the complex, used for monastic gatherings and ceremonial processions within the compound.
• Aluth Viharaya (New Temple): Added at a later period to accommodate a growing monastic community, this section houses additional shrine rooms and meditation spaces.
• Gedige Vihara: A stone shrine room built in a style that blends South Indian and Kandyan architectural influences — a style sometimes called gedige, in which a solid masonry tower rises above the relic or image chamber.
• Adahana Maluwa (Royal Cremation Grounds): Perhaps the most historically poignant part of the monastery. This walled enclosure served as the cremation site for the kings of the Kandyan Kingdom, and the ceremonial stones and monuments within it offer a rare, tangible connection to the royal lineage of Kandy.

How does Asgiriya Maha Viharaya connect to the Kandyan Kingdom?

The Siyam Nikaya was formally established in 1753 with ordinations conducted under King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, who invited monks from Siam (present-day Thailand) to restore the higher ordination lineage that had lapsed in Sri Lanka. The Asgiriya chapter became one of the two principal divisions of this order, and the Kandyan kings maintained a close patronage relationship with both chapters throughout the remaining decades of the kingdom.

The Adahana Maluwa is a direct physical record of that relationship. Royal cremations were conducted here with elaborate Buddhist rites, and the site retains a solemn, park-like character that sets it apart from the more visited temple precincts nearby. Historians studying the Kandyan period consider it an important open-air archive. Those with a deeper interest in Kandy's layered history may also find the story of Ehelepola Nilame illuminating — one of the most dramatic episodes of the kingdom's final years unfolds against exactly this religious and political backdrop.

How do I get to Asgiriya Maha Viharaya from central Kandy?

The monastery lies roughly one kilometre north of Kandy Lake, making it walkable from the Kandy city centre in around fifteen to twenty minutes. Tuk-tuks from the Kandy bus stand or the area around the Temple of the Tooth Relic reach the monastery in under ten minutes. There is no large dedicated car park, so visitors arriving by private vehicle should ask their driver to wait along the approach road. A Kandy city tour arranged through Lakpura can combine Asgiriya with other key landmarks in a single half-day itinerary.

What is the best time to visit Asgiriya Maha Viharaya?

The monastery is generally accessible to respectful visitors throughout the day, though the early morning hours — when monks are engaged in chanting and alms rounds — offer the most atmospheric experience. Avoid scheduling a casual visit on poya (full-moon) days if you are not prepared for large local crowds; on those days the compound fills with worshippers and the mood is intensely devotional rather than touristic. The period surrounding the Esala Perahera, usually in July or August, brings heightened activity and ceremony across all Kandyan Buddhist sites including Asgiriya.

What should I know before visiting?

Asgiriya Maha Viharaya is an active monastery and a place of worship, not a museum. Visitors are expected to dress modestly — shoulders and knees covered, shoes removed before entering shrine rooms. Photography inside shrine halls should be undertaken only where it is clearly permitted and never during active worship. Loud voices and flash photography are disrespectful in any section of the complex. The monastery does not charge a formal entry fee, though donations to the upkeep of the shrines are welcomed.

Women wishing to pay their respects should note that, as in many Theravada monasteries in Sri Lanka, direct physical offerings to monks or entry into certain areas reserved for the Sangha may be restricted. Local guidance at the gate will clarify what is accessible on the day of your visit.

How does Asgiriya Maha Viharaya relate to other Buddhist sites near Kandy?

Kandy and its surroundings form one of the densest concentrations of living Buddhist heritage in Asia. Within easy reach of Asgiriya are cave temples, riverside monasteries, and sites linked to the Kandyan-era artistic tradition. The Kandy Tourist Information Center maintains up-to-date guidance on access and local transport for the wider area. For visitors extending their journey beyond Kandy, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — preserves an even earlier chapter of Sri Lanka's Buddhist civilisation and is accessible as a day trip or overnight excursion.