Abayagiri Monastery – The Main Refectory – අභයගිරි ප්‍රධාන දාන ශාලාව

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Located close to the Uttara Mula this is considered the main refectory of the Abayagiri  Monastery. This is a square building with 42.7m on one side. Four stages of construction from early as 1st century BC has been found during the excavation of the site.

The famous Chinese traveler monk Fa-Hien who visited the monastery in the 5th century has stated that the monastery was house to 5000 monks at that time. All the meals of these monks would have been prepared and served at this location.

The ‘Bath Oruwa’ or the Rice Canoe carved out of stone which served the rice to the monks is 19 meters long. It is estimated that this canoe would hold over 5000 rice plates. Another smaller stone canoe beside this would have probably been used to serve the curries.

On the courtyard between the Rice Canoe and a center dinning area, a sun-dial has been discovered. This has been removed and a replica made out of cement has been kept in place. The original has been preserved at the Abayagiri Museum.

Also See

• Ancient Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka
• Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity

• Anuradhapura – The city of the God King

Map of Main Refectory of Abayagiri Monastery

Traveling Directions to Main Refectory of Abayagiri Monastery (Anuradhapura)

Anuradhapura can be reached through many routes from Colombo. The two main routes are through Puttalam (Puttalama) and though Kurunegala. Traveling from Puttalam you will pass scenic Wilpattu area. the From Kurunegala there are two main routes to Anuradhapura. The most common route is through Dambulla. The other route is though Galgamuwa. Out of all the routes, the commonly used is the Kurunegala – Dambulla route (Route 2).