Gadaladeniya Temple is one of the masterpieces of the Gampola Kingdom of the late Medieval to the Renaissance eras. It was actually named Gadaladeniya due to the village in which the monastery was built.

Presently, the Gadaladeniya Temple lies in the Central Province in the District of Kandy. Originally it was the Sri Dharmakirti Vihara, named for one of the founders of the monastery at the time of the then King Buvanekhabahu IV. It was planned and built by the South Indian architect Ganeshavachari, and the remnants of a once-extensive monastic complex are now limited to a small stupa enshrined behind a small, roofed building. This larger stupa stands on a stone platform, carved with incredible detail, and with four more stupas built in a ring around the main one. As for the other pieces of artwork here, there had once been a Buddha image within, said to have been destroyed by the Portuguese invaders.

Written by Vasika Udurawane for Travel Lanka Compass