Nalanda Gedige, Ancient stone temple in Matale District, Sri Lanka

Nalanda Gedige is a stone temple in the Matale District of Sri Lanka, made up of an entrance hall, a central sanctuary chamber, and a passageway that runs around the inner core of the building. The structure is built entirely from stone blocks fitted together without mortar, using construction methods brought from South India.

Built between the 8th and 10th centuries, the shrine dates from a period when South Indian kings gained power on the island as Sinhalese rule declined. A 9th–10th-century pillar inscription found here records that it was a Buddhist monastery, with regulations written in Sinhala. Archaeological work began in 1893, when Commissioner H. C. P. Bell acquired the land around the granite shrine.

The carvings on the outer walls show figures and motifs drawn from both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, which visitors can observe up close as they walk around the structure. This mix reflects a period when craftsmen in Sri Lanka worked across religious boundaries without apparent tension.

The site is reached by a short path leading east from the main road, lined with flowering plants that make the approach easy to follow. The ground around the temple is flat and open, so walking the full circuit of the building takes only a few minutes and requires no special footwear.

The temple's original site is considered the geographical centre of Sri Lanka. When the Bowatenne Tank was created in the 1980s, the shrine was dismantled and rebuilt on the tank's bund, high above the water, and is now approached by a flower-edged causeway.