Many Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka believe that Katharagama Deviyo is a guardian deity of Buddhism and he is the presiding deity of Katharagama temple. Katharagama is also one of the 16 principal places of Buddhist pilgrimage to be visited in Sri Lanka. According to the chronicle of Sri Lankan history the Mahawamsa, when the Bo sapling of Bodhi Tree, under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment in North India was brought to the city of Anuradhapura 2,300 years ago, the warriors or Kshatriyas from Katharagama were present on the occasion to pay homage and respect. The Bo tree situated behind the Katharagama temple is one of the eight saplings (Ashta Phala Bodhi) of Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. This tree has been planted in the 3rd century BCE. The Kiri Vehera Dagoba which stands in close proximity to the Katharagama Devalaya was built by the King Mahasena. According to the legend, Lord Buddha, on his third and the last visit to Sri Lanka, was believed to have met King Mahasena, who ruled over the Katharagama area in 580 BC. It is said that King Mahasena met Lord Buddha and listened to the Buddha's discourse and as a token of gratitude; the Dagoba was built on that exact spot where it now stands. Thus the local Sinhalese Buddhists believe that Katharagama was sanctified by Lord Buddha. Katharagama, houses the ancient Kiri Vehera Buddhist stupa. It is a pilgrimage town popular with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and indigenous Veddah communities of Sri Lanka and South India. The town has Ruhunu Maha Katharagama Devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Kataragamadevio also known as Skanda-Murukan. Katharagama is situated in the Moneragala District of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is situated 228 km ESE of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. Although Katharagama was a small village in medieval times, today it is a fast developing township surrounded by jungle in the South Eastern region of Sri Lanka. The town has a venerable history dating back to the last centuries of BCE. It also was the seat of government of many Sinhalese kings during the days of Ruhunu kingdom. Since the 1950s the city has undergone many improvements with successive governments investing in public transportation, medical facilities, and business development and hotel services. It adjoins the popular Yala national park. The general vicinity of Katharagama has yielded evidence of human habitation at least 125,000 years ago. It has also yielded evidence of Mesolithic and Neolithic habitations. During the historic period, the general area was characterized by small reservoirs for water conservation and associated paddy cultivation. Katharagama village is first mentioned in the historical annals known as Mahawamsa written down in the 5th century CE. It mentions a town named Kajaragama from which important dignitaries came to receive the sacred Bo sapling sent from Asoka’s Mauryan Empire. It was also functioned as the capital of number of kings of the Ruhuna kingdom. It pro