This forest hermitage of medieval times and holy abode since time immemorial, home to some of the most valued fragments of early frescoes was called the Gunners Quoin by the British. This Buddhist monastery which was abandoned after the times of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was restored to the present status in the 1950s due to the efforts of Kithalagama Sri Seelalankara Thera, who was the chief incumbent of the Vihara until his death in 1995.
This medieval hermitage, a sacred place since time immemorial, home to some of the most treasured early frescoes, was known as the Gunners Quoin by the British. This Buddhist monastery, abandoned after the Polonnaruwa Kingdom's era, was restored in the 1950s thanks to Kithalagama Sri Seelalankara Thera, who served as the Vihara's chief incumbent until his death in 1995.