List of the specific sites of Buddhist and Hindu Temples destroyed by the Portuguese and names of Churches constructed on top of destroyed Temple sites
Posted on November 7th, 2025
Source: AI Overview
According to the Portuguese Historian Fernão de Queirós, and other sources detailing the Portuguese colonial period, many Buddhist and Hindu temples were systematically destroyed in Sri Lanka to make way for the construction of Christian churches
Temples and corresponding churches mentioned in historical accounts
Based on available historical accounts, including some that reference Queirós’s work, specific sites of temple destruction and church construction include:
- Kelaniya Temple: The historic Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya was completely demolished by the Portuguese in 1575. The Church of St. Anne was later built on the same site.
- Devundara Temple: A large “thousand-pillar” Buddhist and Hindu temple in Devundara (Dondra) was destroyed, and a church dedicated to Our Lady of Guidance (Nossa Senhora da Guia) was built in its place.
- Nallur Kandasamy Kovil: This significant Hindu temple was razed to the ground by Filipe D’Olivera, the Portuguese commander of Jaffna. The stones from the temple were used to build a church in Nallur and the Jaffna fort.
- Pattini Devales: Some popular Catholic churches, such as the Kochikade church in Colombo and the Madu church in Mannar, were built on the ruins of former Pattini Devales.
Other Buddhist sites destroyed by the Portuguese
While not explicitly linked to a replacement church in the search results, Queirós and other chroniclers mention the destruction of several other prominent Buddhist sites:
- Saman Devale in Ratnapura
- Sunethra Devi Pirivena in Kotte
- Vidagama Pirivena in Raigama
- Wijebahu Pirivena in Totagamuwa
- Temples in Nawagamuwa, Mapitigama, and Wattala
Note
Queirós, a Jesuit priest, wrote his chronicle, The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon, documenting the 150 years of Portuguese involvement in the island. While he did not visit Sri Lanka himself, his work documented the events of the period, including the destruction of temples. Historians acknowledge that Queirós’s full work contains many accounts of the Portuguese campaign to destroy non-Christian places of worship and proselytize the local population.
Source: AI Overview