Kinihirikanda Rajamaha Viharaya

Royal and sacred cities, colonial strongholds, temple caves and virgin forests – with no fewer than seven World Heritage Sites (The Sacred City of Anuradhapura 5 B.C. , The Medieval Capital of Polonnaruwa 10 A .D., The Cave Temples of Dambulla 1 B.C. , The Sigiriya Rock Fortress 5 A .D., The Royal City of Kandy 15 A .D., The Dutch Fortifications at Galle 17 A .D., The Sinharaja Forest Reserve) declared and listed by UNESCO, Sri Lanka is one of Asia's richest treasure troves of both natural and man-made wonders.

Six of these marvels span some 2,500 years of history – from the sacred city of Anuradhapura and the cave temples of Dambulla, to the magnificent temples. The country's former royal capital, Kandy , the archaeological sites at Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya – the palace in the sky – form Sri Lanka 's Cultural Triangle – a world of ancient wonders.


The popular belief is that the stone, on which the flag was hoisted, is the resemblance of a Kinihira (a large hammer). Some also say that the mountain got its name because “Kinihiri” flowers were in abundance and back in ancient times the mountain was covered by many kinihiri trees. Even today a large Kinihiri tree, over hundreds of years old, still stands in the precincts of the Viharaya. Today we call the cave temple by the name “Kinihirikanda Rajamaha Viharaya”.