Most of the people living in and around the Kurunegala town do not know that there is a footprint of the Buddha similar to the footprint in Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak). It is carved on a rock in a temple in the town itself.
This footprint could be seen at the Ibbagala Raja Maha Vihara that lies in the mid valley area where the Ethugala (Elephant Rock) and Kurumuniya gala (beetle rock) meet.
Urbanisation
Although a bustling city today, Kurunegala was the ancient capital of Sri Lanka for over 50 years in the 13th Century. The city has lost most of its ancient heritage with urbanisation but most of the temples of ancient times still remain.
A group of enemies of the 1848 rebellion had come to this spot and destroyed several buildings and chased some bhikkus away. As a result, this sacred site had been abandoned for a long time.
King Parakramabahu IV had built a stone wall around this temple. According to folklore, the history of the Ibbagala Raja Maha Vihara dates back to the Kurunegala period. There is an interesting story over the inception of this temple.
The mother of King Buwanekabahu II who was very old had a great desire to go to Sri Pada to venerate the footprint of the Buddha. But it was not possible for the King to take her to Sri Pada on a pilgrimage as she was not fit enough to travel such a long distance. Anyway, the King wanted to make his mother happy. He summoned a stone carver and asked him to carve a footprint on a rock similar to the footprint in Sri Pada.
The stone carver visited Sri Pada and studied the features of the footprint there. He then came back and carved a similar footprint on a rock at Ibbagala. Then, the King took his mother on a Dolawa (palanquin) across a forest around the town several times in a procession and finally gave her an opportunity to venerate the newly carved footprint. The king had done this because he wanted to grant some relief to his mother.
The cave image house is believed to have been built during King Buwanekabahu II (1293- 1302 C.E.) for the two bhikkhus who were in charge of the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha which was deposited in a palace close by.
Natural cave
A natural cave north of the Viharaya has been utilised as the main image house of the temple. A fragment of an anicut line painting that looks similar to the line painting of the Anuradhapura period can be seen in the cave.
To the west of the bhikkhu’s dwelling is a natural pond, it is called the Vetakeiya Pokuna. Folklore has it that the vetakeiya bush close to the pond had been created by God Sakra and is said to remain the same height without growing.
History records that King Buwanekabahu II had granted 15 acres for the temple construction. This rock is known as Ibbagala because it takes the shape of a tortoise.
The main cave of the temple had been renovated by Ven. Meddeketiye Saranankara Thera in 1908. It consists of a dwelling house, Chaitya, Dhamma hall, Bo Tree, upper cave temple and the shrine room with the footprint of the Buddha
The ancient drip-ledged cave temple of the Ibbagala Raja Maha Vihara has been identified as an archaeological monument by Government gazette notification published on November 8, 2006.