Padaviya Buddhangala Rajamaha Viharaya

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The ancient ruins of Buddhannehela ( Buddhanehela, Buddhanhela) Viharaya are situated about 10 kilometres away from Padaviya on the Kebithigollewa road close to the Anuradhapura – Vavuniya boundary.  This ancient ancient temple complex is also referred to as Buddhangala Rajamaha Viharaya nowadays. The complex lies on a rocky hill surrounded by the forest.  The current bhikku quarters and and ancient ruins lie on the cliffs of these rocks.

Out of the two drip ledge caves found at the site, one is converted into a shrine room. The smaller second cave stocks many ruined artefacts found at the site. An ancient building close to the pond on the rock surface shows it had 24 pillars. It seems they were fitted into square holes carved into the flat rock surface. A fragment of a granite door frame lying close to the pond is said to be of this building.

The stupa at the top has completely disappeared. A lotus-shaped pedestal of a standing Buddha statue, a rock-cut basin and some stone pillars are among the ruins at the top which you need to climb 43  steps cut into the rock to reach.

To the right of the Padaviya Buddhangala rock are 3 more caves. One of the caves has been turned into a new image house and more artefacts of the ancient temple can be seen here.

Two rock inscriptions and two pillar inscriptions have been found at the Padaviya Buddhangala site. Both rock inscriptions are weather-worn and one pillar inscription can be found inside the shrine room standing upside down. This pillar has been possibly brought from some other site long ago and kept in the cave. According to Rev Ellawala Medhananada, this inscription can be dated to the 9th or 10th centuries.

Wilhelm Geiger in his publication of Culavamsa: Being the More Recent Part of Mahavamsa, states that an inscription found at Buddhannehela possibly belongs to the period of Kassapa V ( 914-923) possibly referring to the above pillar inscription.

Padaviya Buddhangala Site provides a unique relic chamber which is buried under standing Buddha statues (Yantra Gala). This is the only site which has offered five chambers instead of 9 chambers found everywhere else.  The five chambers are cut into the rock in the form of a cross, four on four sides and one on the centre. (Senarat Paranavitana Commemoration Volume – edited by Senarat Paranavitana, Leelananda Prematilleka, Johanna Engelbert van Lohuizen-De Leeuw)

Rock 2

References

  1. Ellāvala Medhānanda, 2005. The Sinhala Buddhist heritage in the East and the North of Shri [i.e. Sri] Lanka. 1st ed. Colombo: Dayawansa Jayakody & Co.

Also See

Map of Padaviya Buddhangala Ruins in Padaviya

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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

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Travel Directions to Padaviya Buddhangala Ruins in Padaviya

Route from Anuradhapura to Padaviya Buddhangala Ruins in Padaviya
Through : Medawachchiya – Kebithigollewa
Distance : 77 km
Travel time : 1.5 hours
Driving directions : see on google map

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