Wewurukannala Viharaya is situated in Dickwella in the Matara District, Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The Wewurukannala Vihara temple is dominated by a Lord Buddha’s statue which is 160 ft and stands on an elevation. It is said to be Sri Lanka’s biggest Buddha statue, and dates back to King Rajadhi’s period of reign (1782 – 1798).
The temple has three sections, the oldest of which is about 250 years old, but this is not of specific concern. The next section shows in graphic detail life-size models of demons and sinners. It was believed that this is what happened to you if you didn’t follow the route to enlightenment. Punishments include drowning in boiling cauldrons, sawn in half, disemboweled, etc. And finally there is a large statue of Lord Buddha which is close to the height of an 8-storied building.
The walls of the temple adorn paths to enlightenment that depict events that took place in Lord Buddha’s life. The Chulla Dhammapala Jathaka story has one of its episodes depicted on the walls. This relates the story of the king Maha Prathapa of Varanasi upon entering the palace discovered his Queen fondling and cuddling her seven month old baby. The Queen ignored her husband as she was more engrossed in her baby. The King felt insulted and commanded that the little Prince be slain and his body thrown into the air. There are many jathaka stories that are depicted on the walls and some of them were even used as Vesak stamps in 1991.
Upon visiting this beautiful place, one must definitely visit the temple museum. The large clock which is enclosed in a glass cubicle is said to have been crafted by W. Elaris de Silva from Maggona in 1926. This clock was bought by the priest for Rs. 3,000 and is still in perfect working order. It still chimes out at the thewawa times at the time in the morning and evening.