On the west end of the peninsula of the same name, the Rumassala Peace Pagoda was built by Japanese Buddhist monks of the Mahayana sect in 2005, as part of their scheme to build peace temples in war-torn places worldwide (the Sri Lankan war was raging at the time). The glistening white stupa is easily seen from Galle Fort and can be reached via narrow 1.6km road along the east end of the bay. There is another built by the same monks in Ampara, on the east coast.
