Gani Purana Raja Maha Viharaya is an ancient Buddhist temple located in the coastal town of Bentota with a history dating back to the Polonnaruwa period between 1056 and 1236 AD, forming one of five temples said to have been part of a larger temple complex covering an area of more than 1,000 acres on the south bank of the river Bantara, and it is said that it was originally built by a king in the twelfth century as part of his palace, and the monuments that we see today in the temple, including the stone columns carved at its entrance, are part of the remains of that palace, and the columns and carved stones surrounding the buildings of the temple are considered It is a protected monument.