Maha Saman Devalaya
| Maha Saman Devalaya මහා සමන් දේවාලය |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Ratnapura, Sri Lanka |
| Geographic coordinates | 06°41′28.1″N 80°22′51.6″E / 6.691139°N 80.381000°ECoordinates: 06°41′28.1″N 80°22′51.6″E / 6.691139°N 80.381000°E |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Deity | Saman deviyo |
| District | Ratnapura |
| Province | Sabaragamuwa |
| Heritage designation | Archaeological protected monument (27 June 1952) (6 June 2008) |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Devalaya |
| Founder | King Parakramabahu II |
| Completed | 1270 |
Maha Saman Devalaya or the Great Saman Temple (also called Sumana Saman Devalaya) is a shrine dedicated to deity Saman, situated at Ratnapura, Sri Lanka who is the presiding deity of the Sri Pada Mountain (Adam's Peak) which is also called Samanthakuta meaning the mountain of Saman which is believed to have the left foot impression of Lord Buddha which he kept in his visit to Sri Lanka.
Considered as one of the guardian gods of Sri Lanka, Deity Saman is deeply venerated in the region of Rathnapura and related areas in the province of Sabaragamuwa of Sri Lanka, he is recorded to have been a district administrator of the region contemporary to Lord Buddha who he met on the former's visit to Sri Lanka.
According to the Mahavamsa the chronicle of ancient Sri Lanka, it is mentioned that the Administrator Saman, attained the first level of enlightenment Sotapanna at the end of the sermon of Lord Buddha. After the demise of Saman, the administrator of Deva Clan he has started to be venerated as a God or a deity.
It is believed after the demise of Saman, his clan of Deva started to venerate him by erecting a shrine for him. And it's believed there had been a Temple called Saparagama Viharaya, in the same premises in the Anuradhapura era of Sri Lanka, as it's mentioned in Mahavamsa that monks from the said temple attended to the opening ceremony of Ruwanwelisaya of King Dutugamunu.
It is mentioned in 'Saman Siritha' that a monk named Ven. Seelawansa on a pilgrimage to Sri Pada, saw a dream about a statue in the wild and later brought it to the above temple with the help of a minister named Pathirajadeva.
Anyways, the present shrine is said to have built by a court minister in Dambadeniya era of Sri Lanka named Aryakamadeva, in the patronage of King Parakramabahu II, in 1270 AD, as a fulfillment of his vow to erect a shrine in the name of deity Saman, if his effort to find gems is successful. Later King Parakramabahu IV of Kotte Era of Sri Lanka patronized the shrine giving more resources.
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Wikipedia