The Mahaweli Maha Seya of Kotmale was opened for pilgrims today by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The construction of the Mahaweli Maha Seya was inaugurated by the then President J.R. Jayawardene and then Mahaweli Minister Gamini Dissanayake on March 20, 1983. It is 289 feet tall and the circumference is 628 feet. It is shorter than the Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura by 2 feet.

Similar to the Kalutara Stupa, the pilgrims can walk inside the stupa and observe the surrounding landscape from inside.

Situated on a hill overlooking the Kotmale Reservoir, the Mahaweli Maha Seya is to be developed into a Buddhist center in future.