Aththiyawadical Rock Buddhist Ruins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(2 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)

The Aththiyawadical Rock Monastery is an Anuradhapura-era complex featuring a hilltop stupa, stone staircase, and residential building foundations. Key artifacts include a damaged Buddha statue fragment, grinding cavities, and a secluded rock pool. A sacred footprint stone and moonstone from the site were later relocated nearby.

The Aththiyawadical Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins, located in Madurankeni within the Madurankenikulam 211-B Grama Niladhari Division of Korale Pattu North (Vakare) Divisional Secretariat, represent the remains of an ancient Buddhist monastery dating to the Anuradhapura Era. The monastic complex was established around a rocky plateau situated within a forested landscape near the Madurankenikulam reservoir.

Access Route

Travel along the Vakare–Batticaloa (A15) road until reaching the area near the 52 km (32.3 miles) milestone, opposite the naval base. From there, proceed along the Madurankeni road on the right-hand side toward the reservoir. After reaching the tank bund, continue northward for approximately 1 km (0.62 miles) along the jungle path on the right. The rocky plateau containing the ruins is located adjacent to this path.

Historical Background

The Buddhist monastic complex constructed around the Aththiyawadical rocky plateau has been identified as belonging to the Anuradhapura era, based on the surviving architectural and archaeological evidence.

Location and Nature of Archaeological Evidence

The principal stupa of the site was constructed on the elevated section of the rock outcrop. Due to destruction caused by treasure hunters, stone slabs can now be seen scattered among the excavated soil heaps surrounding the monument. Bricks and limestone fragments are also found in large quantities across the site.

A stone staircase ascends from the southern slope of the rock toward the terrace area. This staircase was constructed by carefully placing stone slabs one above another. Small quantities of scattered bricks can also be observed along different sections of the mountain slope.

Evidence of two separate building locations can be identified on the lower flat areas situated to the west and north of the stupa. Although the precise function of these structures cannot be determined with certainty, nearby stone pillars and associated remains indicate the existence of substantial constructions.

At the north-western edge of the rock formation lies a large and secluded rock pool, which likely served the water requirements of the resident Buddhist monks. In the flat area between the pond and the stupa, two large square-shaped foundation stones have rolled downhill and now remain displaced from their original positions.

At the base of the hill, near the location where stone pillars survive, a damaged statue fragment believed to belong to a Buddha image has been identified. The upper section of the statue has been destroyed.

Another notable feature at the base of the rock is a wall-like arrangement constructed from irregular and weathered stone fragments that have been systematically placed together. The rock surface also contains conical cavities believed to have been used for grinding medicinal substances.

A Siripatula Gala or Buddha footprint stone, together with a small uncarved Sandakadapahana or moonstone discovered at the site, has since been removed and fixed at the location where the Madurankulama Kali Kovil is maintained.

The collective archaeological evidence associated with this rock formation clearly confirms that the site functioned as a Buddhist monastery during the Anuradhapura Era.

Geographical Coordinates

The exact location of the site is as follows:

North Latitude: 8°03′10.8″ N
East Longitude: 81°23′25.6″ E

References

Exploration and Documentation Division (Ed.). (2017). පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථාන හඳුනා ගැනීමේ ගවේෂණ වාර්තාව, මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය. Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.

Also See

Traveling Directions to Aththiyawadical Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins

Route from Trincomalee to Aththiyawadical Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins

Through: Mutur – Senunuwara – Vakare
Distance: 95 km
Travel time: 2.20 hours
Driving directions : see on Google Maps

Map of the Aththiyawadical Rock Buddhist Monastic Ruins

Click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map

Show Location on Google Maps

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

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.