Located within the hill country town of Ella, the history of the Muthiyangana Raja Maha Viharaya revolves around the Buddha’s third visit to the island. Records indicate that the Buddha was invited here by a local chieftain, Indaka, who after hearing his dispensation of a sermon requested a token of his visit. The Buddha obliged by giving him a number of strands of hair and a few beads of sweat which are said to have turned into pearls and to honour the gift, Indaka had these items enshrined in a stupa. Later King Devanampiyatissa enlarged the original stupa and created a temple complex around it. The stupa that exists today and stands 65 feet tall was built upon the ruins of the original one in 1956. Muthiyangana is a part of the Solosmasthana or sixteen sites of veneration in the country.

Written by Jonathan Roelofsz for Travel Lanka Compass