It’s believed Buddha visited the site of this temple on his third visit to Sri Lanka, but the grand temple building presently on the site was an 18th century construction. Inside are lavish murals on the life of Buddha and the Buddhist history of Sri Lanka, including a depiction of Mahinda and Sanghamitta bringing Buddhism to Sri Lanka on what resembles a European galleon.
The dagoba, which (unusually) is hollow, is the focus of the Duruthu Perahera in January each year. The complex is some 7km northeast of Fort, just off the Kandy Rd.
