Archeologically and historically important, Kadurugoda Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple that stretches over a small hamlet, named Kandoradai, in Chunnakam, Jaffna District, the northern province of Sri Lanka. With an eventful history and folklores that date back to the pre-Christian Anuradhapura era, the temple is a prominent archaeological site in Sri Lanka where excavation was first carried out in 1917. Being one of the most-visited tourist sites in Jaffna, the Kadurugoda Temple shows you a variety of ruins in a one-acre area that is preserved by the Sri Lankan army now.
The unique attraction of the temple is small stupas appearing in the ground with little height instead of the usual towering single stupa. The construction itself differs from the usual temple architecture of the whole country. Although there had been nearly sixty found in excavations, currently there are 20 complete stupas are available on the site with the largest about 23 feet in diameter and the smallest roughly six feet. The base is constituted by coral stones with a distinguished pattern while the domes are coral rubble. The stupas are said to enshrine the remains of 6o Arhat Bhikkus tragically died in here.
According to the folklore and tales, the place where the Kadurugoda temple situates is believed to be where Buddha delivered his sermon on his second visit to Sri Lanka. Thereupon, the place received veneration from people who planted a Bo-tree there. During the Anuradhapura era, Sngamitta, the eldest daughter of King Asoka, visited Kadurugoda on her way to Anuradhapura to hand over the plant of Maha Bodhi tree to king Devanampiyathissa. The temple is supposed to have been built by a prince who belongs to the Shailendra dynasty of the Sri Vijaya kingdom.
The stupas at the temple tell of a story of sixty Arhat Bhikkus who died while escaping the cruelty of king Sangili who ruled the Jaffna peninsula at the time.
It was in 1917 and 1919, the first archaeological excavations took place at Kadurugoda by Paul. E. Pieris who dug out several Buddha images, time-old coins, remains of a shrine room, roughly 60 small and large stupas, pieces of stone that carry the imprints of Buddha and Dagaba pieces of pinnacles of Stupas, head and headless body of Buddha image, and several artifacts including a black-red pot with letters that belong to the pre-historic period. Excavations have continued since in the place.
in 1948, the archaeology department has had seven acres of land around the region for excavation, but it was eventually reduced nearly one acre due to the land occupation by local people.
