Kirinda temple near Yala national park Sri Lanka

Kirinda is a small but beautiful village on the southern coast of Sri Lanka close to Kataragama. It has a beautiful beach and a Buddhist shrine built on a huge round rock. The area is also close to the Great and Little Basses reefs which provide some of the most spectacular scuba diving in the country.

To us Kirinda is one of the most beautiful temples in Sri Lanka with stunning beach views from its elevated heights atop a rocky outcrop.

One of the most well-known attractions in Kirinda is the statue of Queen Viharamaha Devi. This is situated on the spot where she is said to have landed after being set adrift on the sea from Kelaniya. The rock temple mentioned above is largely believed to be the site of her landing.

Also see Sithulpawwa rock temple within Yala Park