Sri Lanka, May 5 -- The Badagamuwa Raja Maha Vihara is a Buddhist temple with an ancient Tempita vihara built during the era of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747- 1781 A.D.) of the Kandyan kingdom. The temple lies bordering the Bdagamuwa Forest reserve on the Kurunegala-Dambulla main road.

A Tempita vihara is a structure on a wooden platform which rests on a number of stone stumps usually 3-4 feet tall. The roof is held by a structure built of timber and walls are generally made of wattle and daub.

The original Tempita Vihara of the temple had been built on eight pillars and is said to have had three stories. The enlarged ground floor had been used as the Pohoya Geya. The walls of the image house had been covered in murals. However, thi...