Maha Saman Devalaya
The great shrine at Ratnapura to the god Saman, presiding deity of Sri Pada, the mountain where a footprint is held to be the Buddha's. That peak is also called Samanthakuta, the mountain of Saman, and this temple in the town below is his chief seat.
- Where
- Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 6.6911, 80.3810
Get the Maha Saman Devalaya stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Maha Saman Devalaya. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Sabaragamuwa volume with your photos and a note.
Near Maha Saman Devalaya
Bopath Ella 12 km
A waterfall in Ratnapura District whose fan of water takes the shape of a leaf of the sacred bo tree, which gives it its name. Local stories say it is haunted and that it hides a hoard of treasure.
Kitulgala 18 km
A small town on the Kelani River where The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed, though only the concrete footings of the bridge remain. These days it is the base for white water rafting, which starts a few kilometres upstream.
Adam's Peak 19 km
A 2,243 metre cone of a mountain topped by Sri Pada, a footprint shaped hollow in the rock. Buddhists hold it to be the Buddha's footprint, Hindus that of Shiva, and others Adam's; pilgrims climb thousands of steps through the night to reach the top by dawn.
St. Clair's Falls 41 km
One of the widest waterfalls in Sri Lanka, falling in broad tiers through the tea estates near Talawakele. Its width has earned it the nickname the Little Niagara of Sri Lanka.
Horton Plains National Park 48 km
A high plateau of grassland and cloud forest at 2,100 to 2,300 metres, made a national park in 1988 and rich in species found nowhere else. Walkers cross it to Baker's Falls and to World's End, where the plateau drops away in a sheer cliff.
Kalutara Bodhiya 48 km
A sacred fig tree beside the Kalu River on the Galle road, believed to be one of the 32 saplings of the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. Next to it stand the Kalutara temple and a large modern stupa, and travellers along the coast road often stop to make offerings.
Hakgala Botanical Garden 49 km
The second largest of Sri Lanka's five botanical gardens, laid out on the slopes below Hakgala rock outside Nuwara Eliya. Its cool terraces are planted with roses and temperate flowers, and its edge runs straight into the Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve.
Bambarakanda Falls 51 km
The tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka, a 263 metre drop of the Kuda Oya, a tributary of the Walawe River. It falls through a forest of pine trees near Kalupahana, about 5 km off the A4 highway.
More hidden gems in Sabaragamuwa
Questions
Where is Maha Saman Devalaya?
Maha Saman Devalaya is in Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Bopath Ella (12 km), Kitulgala (18 km), Adam's Peak (19 km).
How do I get the Maha Saman Devalaya stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Maha Saman Devalaya and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Sabaragamuwa volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Maha Saman Devalaya before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Sabaragamuwa volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.