Kahandawa Purana Viharaya is located in Rekawa on the Thissamaharama-Tangalle road. It belongs to the Tangalle District Secretariat Division.
The Vihara dates back to the early Anuradhapura period as evidenced from the stone inscriptions found in the temple site. According to the folklore the temple derived its name from a yellow eel said to have been the gurdian of the treasures enshrined in the Dagoba of the temple. The rock on which the Dagoba is founded has three inscriptions belonging to the 2nd-3rd c A.D. Though the temple has vestiges of some caves in which Buddhist Bhikkhus had taken refuge during the historical period, the recent explorations done by the Archaeological Department have proved the fact that prehistoric settlements coexisted with the caves.
( copyrighted by archaeology.gov.lk)
