The shrine is built on the summit of the rock Panhalgala in the village of Rabbegamuwa, approximately 12 km. from the Peradeniya Bridge. It can be reached from two directions, from the Colombo-Kandy Road and from the Gampola-Kandy Road. Lankatilaka, is with another Buddhist shrine at Gadaladeniya and Embekka Devale dedicated to God Katharagama, all dating from fourteen century, form an important trio possessing their individual architectural and decorative merits to attract experts and scholars from all over the world. Overlooking the eastern escarpment of the rock, the surroundings provide a magnificent panorama with distant hills, paddy fields and diverse vegetation. Apparently the site had been selected as usual for its beauty and peaceful environment. This hamlet is well-known for its traditional vocations, which are obviously part of its cultural heritage handed down from ancient times. The temple bears the same name famous construction of Parakramabahu I at Polonnaruwa. Inscriptional evidence at the site provides information regarding the date, the founder and the chief architect. Accordingly, the foundation dates from 1344 A.D, being the pious dedication of Senalankadhikara, a minister of Buvenekabahu IV of Gampola (Gangasiripura). The chief architect was Sthapatirayar, evidently a South Indian. The original building has undergone several stages of development in later times. The temple has maintained its significance throughout the centuries, as seen from the various donations mentioned in the inscriptions. In the second half of the fourteenth century the scholarly incumbent monk of Lankatilaka was, in fact the grandson of the founder of the temple. According to the Culavamsa, the ruler, Parakramabahu VI of Kotte (1412-1467 AD), carried out some stucco embellishments. The major decorative elements in the form of murals are possibly the work of Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1747-1780 AD). Besides being a vital architectural monument, this shrine is also significant from a religious point of view, since it combines the worship of the Buddha with that of the Hindu gods. The shrine retains special units for the images of Hindu and indigenous deities. This feature of religious synthesis is also evident at Gadaladeniya, which belongs to the same period. The Lankatilaka image house is a fine example of a Buddhist-Hindu shrine of the fourteenth century. The Buddhist Pilimage faces east and the Hindu Devale is orientated to the west. This magnificent edifice of brick and stucco, positioned on the saddle of a dominant cliff, originally had a grand flight of steps of about 45 metres leading to the Buddha shrine. The residence of the monks is at the lower terrace and is of the courtyard type. This has the traditional appendage of grain stores and assisting functional units. The fields, belonging to the lay-guardians, extend beyond the irrigable land. To the west of the shrine, and frontal to the Devale, is the extended ridge of the cliff,