1587, a Portuguese army led by Thome de Sousa Arronches attacked the sacred city and destroyed the temples to distract king Rajasinha I's siege of Colombo. King Rajasinghe II managed to recapture Matara and re-built the shrine to god Vishnu, which is presently known as Uthpalawarna Sri Vishnu Devalaya. Today Vishnu is venerated by a large number of devotees in Sri Lanka, and is specially revered as the custodian of the island. There are many temples and shrines which are dedicated to the god in many parts of Sri Lanka. Annual processions (peraheras) are held to pay homage to the god in most of these temples. Other than the main temple and shrine in Devi Nuwara some of the famous Vishnu shrines and temples (devalas & kovils) in Sri Lanka are located in Kandy, Vallipuram, Aluthgama (Kande Viharaya) and Dehiwala. The chief lay custodian of each shrine is known as the Basnayaka Nilame. References Further reading Perera, A.D.T.E. 1971. Upulvan, the Patron God of Sinhalese. Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Ceylon Paranavitana, Senarat. 1953. The Shrine of Upulvan at Devundara. Ceylon Government, Archaeological Department. Holt, John C. 2005. The Buddhist Vishnu: Religious Transformation, Politics, and Culture. New York: Columbia University Press. External links Official web site of Devinuwara Sinhalese Buddhist deities Forms of Vishnu