Sankapala Vihara near Pallebedda

This history of the cave temple known as Sankapala is beliebed to trace back to the times of Dutugemunu (Dutthagamani). Sri Lanka’s most famous king reigned in the 2nd century BC. Ten giants are said to have been Dutugemunu's helpers in his campeign against the foreign invaders in Anuradhapura. One of these giants was Pussadeva, who informed the people about victories by blowing a conch shell. After the war, the area of Sankapala was granted to the loyal warrior by the king, the conch was entombed in the rock at the top of Sankapala, wgich became a Vihara, a Buddhist monastery, since Pussadeva lived as a hermit at this place. The caves of the Sankapala rock were restored as a Buddhist Vihara during the reign of the Kandyan king Rajadhi Rajasinghe. Most decorations that can be seen today are from the 20th century. Sankapala has become a popular pilgrimage destination. Buddhist devotees also venerate Hindu deities at cave temples called Devales within the compound of the Sankhapala Vihara.

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