Wewurukannala temple, a guide to Dikwella's giant Buddha

Wewurukannala is a Buddhist temple about 1.5 km inland from Dikwella town, known for a seated Buddha about 50 metres tall. A visit takes about an hour, shoulders and knees must be covered, and you can come by tuk-tuk in a few minutes from Dikwella or Hiriketiya.

What is Wewurukannala temple?

It is a working temple, the Wewurukannala Vihara, on the road from Dikwella towards Beliatta. People from the town come here to pray, bring flowers and light oil lamps. Visitors are welcome among them.

The temple goes back to the time of King Rajadhi Rajasinghe, who ruled from 1782 to 1798. The buildings you see today are from different times, and guides describe the temple in three parts:

• The oldest shrine, about 250 years old. It is small and plain beside the rest, and it is the part with the most history.
• The hall of figures, with life-sized models of demons and of people who lived badly, shown with the punishments that wait for them.
• The great seated Buddha, which is what brings most visitors.

What is there to see?

The seated Buddha. Sources give its height as about 49 or 50 metres, as tall as a building of eight floors, and call it the largest seated Buddha in Sri Lanka. It was finished around 1970.

The painted walls. The temple's walls carry row after row of painted panels, like a comic strip. They tell the life of the Buddha and the Jataka stories, the tales of his earlier lives. Some of these scenes were chosen for Sri Lanka's Vesak postage stamps in 1991. Walk slowly. The pleasure is in the small details: the faces, the animals, the clothes.

The hall of punishments. A long corridor shows, in bright paint and in life-sized figures, what is said to happen to those who lie, steal or harm others. People are boiled in cauldrons and sawn in two by demons. It is meant as a lesson, and it does not hold back. Small or sensitive children may find it frightening, so look first and decide.

The old clock. The temple's museum has a large clock made in 1926 by a Sri Lankan craftsman, W. Elaris de Silva. The chief monk bought it in 1928. Its works are shown behind glass, and it is said to keep time still.

How should you dress and behave?

A temple visit is easy if you remember that it is somebody's place of prayer. The British government's travel advice for Sri Lanka gives the main rules, and the temple will tell you the same:

• Cover your shoulders and your legs. This is for men and women. A light shirt and long trousers or a long skirt are right. A sarong over shorts is fine, and guides say sarongs can often be borrowed at the entrance.
• Take off your shoes and your hat before you go into the temple buildings. The ground can be hot in the middle of the day, so bring socks.
• Do not pose for a photograph standing in front of a Buddha statue. If you want a picture of the statue itself, ask first whether it is allowed.
• Treat every image with respect. The same advice says that disrespect towards Buddhist images is a serious offence in Sri Lanka, and that visitors with a visible tattoo of the Buddha can be refused entry to the country. Read the official page and check before you travel.
• Speak quietly, and step around people who are praying, not through them.

How do you get there?

The temple is about 1.5 km inland from the centre of Dikwella.

• By tuk-tuk. A few minutes from Dikwella town, and not much more from Hiriketiya or from us at Turtle Beach. Agree the price first. Most drivers will wait.
• On foot. From the centre of Dikwella it is a walk of about twenty minutes along the road, in the sun.
• By bus. Buses along the coast stop in Dikwella. From the bus stand you walk or take a tuk-tuk.

What does it cost, and when is it open?

Visitors report a small entrance fee or donation. The figures differ: guides we read in November 2026 give 100 LKR, 250 LKR, and a donation of up to about 500 LKR. Take small notes, and add something to the donation box if you enjoyed your visit. It is how the temple is kept.

The temple is open in the daytime. Guides give hours from about 6 AM to 6 PM, or from 8 AM to 5 PM. Go in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the stone is cooler under bare feet and the light on the statue is softer.

What else is nearby?

The temple takes an hour, so it joins well with the Hummanaya blowhole, about 5 km east of Dikwella, in the same morning. More ideas are in places to see near Dikwella, and everything we know about the area is in our Dikwella and Hiriketiya travel guide.

After a morning of steps and hot stone, a calm bay and a long lunch are close. We are less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya, and the kitchen serves lunch from 11:00.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya. Directions are on Find us.
• Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00, every day.
• Food is not spicy unless the dish says so.
• Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge. Filtered water is on the house.