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photo courtesy of Dr. Ashan Geeganage
Budugallena is an ancient monastery complex lying deep inside the jungle of Rahathungala mountain range near Buttala. This complex has been called Konketiya Viharaya in the past but has been abandoned with people migrating elsewhere. In the 1970s parts of this massive complex were cleared and some caves have been used for meditation by priests. With this turnaround, this site was known as the Budugallena Aranya Senasanaya.
Budugallena Monastery or the Konketiya Viharaya has a history going back to pre-Christian times. According to legend, this complex was developed by a son of Theraputtabaya who was one of the generals of King Kawanthissa (205–161 BC). According to the head priest, Konketiya Viharaya had spread across hundreds of acres in the Rahuthungala mountain range. 62 drip-ledged caves have been identified in this complex and just a few of these caves are now being used. About 14 rock inscriptions belonging to the pre-Christian era have been discovered in the caves mostly describing a donation of the cave to the priesthood.
Inside one cave temple you will come across a number of limestone caved Buddha statues damaged at various places, guard stones, and 2 other statues. One statue with the head shows a close resemblance to the Dutugemunu statue at the Ruvanweliseya and it is believed this statue to be of King Dutugemunu. The other statue is believed to be of King Saddhasissa, brother of Dutugemunu. However, historians believe that these statues might be of Avalokiteshvara and Maitree Bodhisattvas.
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Map of Buttala Budugallena Forest Monastery
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Traveling Directions to Buttala Budugallena Forest Monastery
| Route from Kataragama to Buttala Budugallena Forest Monastery |
| Through : Buttala Road Distance : 45 km Travel time : 1 hour Driving directions : see on Google map |
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