The current temple was built in 1874, funded by the Nattukkottai Chettiar. This temple is used to pray by both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple was originally a small statue under a tree prayed to by the Hindu people but has been developed by the people in Matale. The first “Kumbhabhishekham” of the temple was held in 1960.

One of the visually dominant features of this temple is its 32.9 m (108 ft) high Gopuram (‘Raja Koburum’), a large decorated tower located above the main northern gateway (‘Vadakku Vaayil’) to the temple. The Raja Koburum is one of the largest Gopurams in Sri Lanka. The 1008 statues of Hindu deities are the work of South Indian sculptor Nagalingam and his son Ramanathan, with the help of about 100 designers, painters, and architects from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Raja Koburum was completed in 2005 at the cost of approximately Rs 150M.

Special events

The main religious festivals including the chariot festival at the temple, are celebrated during February or March on an annual basis.
The temple has five ornate chariots, which are used to convey statues of Hindu deities around the city on ‘Sithira Ther’ (Carts), the chariot ceremony day, which is held the day before ‘Medin Poya’ (The Poya day in March). Ganesha, Shiva and Mahadevi, Murugan, Sri Muthu Mari Amman (female goddesses), and Chandeshvara Nayanar are the five prominent statues of Hindu deities which are carried by devotees in the chariot festival.