Pothgul Vihara:

Disseminating the Dhamma for over six decades

by Ganga RATNAYAKE

Pothgul Vihara

In close proximity to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, perched on the foothills of the famous Udawatta Kele sanctuary, is a temple encircled by a charming cloud wall. Overlooking the scenic cityscapes of the beautiful Kandy city, this temple has silently served the nation for 66 years with the invaluable Dhamma, and still continues to do so. This is the Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgul Vihara in Kandy, a temple graced by the eloquence of erudite Bhikkhus for decades.

The history of Pothgul Vihara dates back to 1946,when Sri Lanka was still under British colonial rule. The downfall of the ancient library at Sri Dalada Maligawa known as ‘Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgula’ was inevitable at the time. Thus, under the concept of then Diyawadana Nilame (Chief Lay Custodian) C.B. Nugawela, a land next to the Dalada Maligawa was obtained from the Government and the temple was built in 1946.

Among the well-wishers who supported the cause were the then Mayor E.L. Senanayake, A.S. Karunaratne (Attorney-at-Law) as well as P. Mapalagama (Attorney-at-Law). The temple was named as Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgul Vihara in memory of the ancient library. The first Chief Incumbent of the temple was Ven. Yatirawana Narada Nayaka Thera. Following the demise of Ven. Narada Thera the temple has been under the care of the present Chief Incumbent Ven. Yatinuwara Sumana Nayaka Thera, since 1976.

Buddhist literature

A library was built in Pothgul Vihara at the outset and was filled with historical Buddhist literature. The library comprised many ola leaves, the majority of them encompassing the volumes of the Tripitaka (Pali Canon) written in Pali, Sinhala and Burmese languages. Following the establishment of the library, more libraries were built in and around the city of Kandy to preserve and disseminate local literature, and the D.S. Senanayake Public Library in Kandy is one of them.

Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgul Vihara has always drawn large throngs of devotees regularly for decades. The temple invites most renowned Bhikkhus in the country to deliver a special Dhamma sermon every Sunday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. In fact, the Dhamma sermons have been conducted since 1946 for over six decades consecutively. In addition, every year, during the three months of the Vas season (retreat during the rainy season), Dhamma sermons and discussions are held every evening. A multitude of great scholars among eminent Bhikkhus have spent their Vas season at Pothgul Vihara or visited the temple to disseminate the noble Dhamma to the devotees.

They include Most Ven. Maho Sumedha Maha Thera, Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maithriya Mahanayake Thera, Chief Incumbent of Vajirarama Ven. Narada Maha Thera, Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Ven.Sirimalwatte Ananda Thera, Ven. Weligama Gnanarathana Nayaka Thera, Ven. Heenatiyana Dhammaloka Mahanayake Thera, Ven. Piyadassi Thera, Ven. Hendiyagala Sri Seelarathana Nayaka Thera and Ven. Panditha Rathninde Sri Anomadhassi Thera as well as Ven. Homapola Sugathawansa Nayaka Thera.

Lay preachers

Not only famous Bhikkhus, but even lay scholars with profound knowledge have delivered Dhamma sermons at the Pothgul Vihara. They include the eloquent preacher Brahmachari Dharmasena Ariyathileka who was later ordained as Ven. Harispattuwe Ariyawansalankara Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the International Vipassana Meditation Centre. The retired Divisional Revenue Officer R.B. Ratnayake was also among other lay Dhamma preachers.

In 1969 the then Chief Incumbent of Pothgul Vihara, Ven. Narada Nayaka Thera erected the first Ran Veta (golden railing) around the Sri Maha Bodhi (sacred Bo-tree) in Anuradhapura. A model of the original golden railing is placed in the elegant shrine room as a memento of the historic event.

Not only disseminating the Dhamma, but Pothgul Vihara is also actively involved in the Amisa pooja as a social service. The Dayaka Sabha (organising committee) of the temple has continuously donated milk to the Cancer Ward at the Kandy General Hospital for nearly three decades. The Women’s Buddhist Association of the temple organises a monthly alms-giving to the patients of the Cancer Ward and even undertakes cleaning and whitewashing a selected ward of the hospital every year.

Religious programs

As in all Buddhist temples, the Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgul Vihara also organises religious programs on Poya days as well as on Sundays. On full Moon Poya days the temple accommodates around 1,500 devotees, of all ages, observing Ata-sil (eight precepts) where they partake in Dhamma sermons and discussions.

In addition, the Buddha Pooja (offering to the Buddha) takes place every Sunday at 4.30 p.m. whereas every month the temple facilitates meditation classes. At present, there are about 10 resident Bhikkhus at the temple.

In 1979, with the aim of uplifting the standard of Buddhist education among children, the Siri Samadhi Dhamma School was established in the temple. The Dhamma School began with only five students and three teachers and today accommodates about 1,700 students studying under the guidance of 42 teachers.

Since Dhamma schools are usually conducted in Sinhala, the students of international schools and those studying in English were missing the opportunity to gain this education. To support such students, the Pothgul Vihara opened the Siri Samadhi English Dhamma School in 2005. Today, there are about 100 students studying in the English medium. And as a fruition of the endeavour, S.S. Ranathunga of Siri Samadhi English Dhamma School received the all-island best results at the Dhamma and Abhidhamma examination in 2011 (Junior Part II).

As a temple perched on a hill and surrounded by serene scenery and lush greenery, the Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Pothgul Vihara in Kandy continues to serve the nation, satiating the thirst for the knowledge of the Dhamma while building a strong society imbued with moral values.