Kalutara Bodhiya

Kalutara Bodhiya is a large white dagoba (stupa) standing at the northern entrance of Kalutara town, 43km south of Colombo on the Galle Road. What makes it unique among Sri Lankan stupas is its hollow interior: a vaulted shrine room inside the stupa itself contains a sacred bo tree sapling said to be descended from the original Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura. The exterior is flanked by a line of smaller stupas along the Kalu Ganga riverbank, creating a striking visual from the adjacent road bridge. The complex includes a main temple, the hollow stupa, and river-facing gardens where devotees gather in the evenings. Motorists on the Galle Road traditionally sound their horns when passing the temple as a mark of respect, a custom still observed. It is easily combined with a Kalutara beach stop or a visit to the Kalu Ganga river.