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photograph by : Samith Peiris
This ancient ruined site is located deep within a dense forest, approximately two kilometers from Pulmoddai, in the Pulmoddai Grama Niladhari Division No. 4, under the Kuchchaveli Divisional Secretariat in the Trincomalee District. It was officially declared a protected monument under Section 16 of the Antiquities Ordinance, as per Gazette Notification No. 1823/73, dated August 16, 2013.
To reach the site, one must travel about one kilometer past the Pulmoddai Police Station on the Pulmoddai–Mullaitivu road, then take a right turn into the forest and proceed for another kilometer.
The ruins extend across roughly two acres. This forest hermitage, known as “Nai Pena Wana Senasuna” (Cobra-Hooded Forest Hermitage), gets its name from a pair of caves shaped like cobra hoods. Believed to have been built around the same time as Girihandu Seya in Thiriyaya, the site features three large boulders atop a hill that resemble a traditional three-stone hearth. Several caves can be seen here, including the iconic cobra-hood-shaped pair with carved drip ledges.
Unfortunately, the site has suffered significant damage due to treasure hunting and encroachment by non-Buddhist villagers. The only major structure still identifiable is the ruined foundation of a large image house that originally held Buddha statues facing the four directions. Among the remnants are two standing Buddha statues that had been beheaded and thrown down the hillside; these were later recovered and restored at the top, though their lotus pedestal bases remain missing. Numerous stone pillars lie scattered around, along with what appears to be a beheth oruwa (medicinal trough) and the base of a stupa or other brick structures, all of which show signs of excavations by treasure hunters at their centers.
Two rock inscriptions in Pre-Brahmi script have been discovered here. One inscription, roughly two feet wide and three to three-and-a-half feet long with several lines, is found behind one of the caves on a rock face, though a portion has broken away. The second inscription is located inside one of the caves.
At the foot of the hill, where most of the ruins are scattered, remnants of a larger monastic complex are visible, including traces of ponds and a lake that would have supported the monks. Currently, three meditating monks reside in this hermitage. In 1980, C. Cyril Mathew, then Minister of Scientific Affairs and Industries, initiated efforts to develop and preserve the site. However, due to the civil unrest and terrorist activity that followed, the sacred area was left to be reclaimed by the jungle.
Photographs from the 1980s show that the Buddha statues were originally intact. However, according to Venerable Panamure Thilakawansa Thero—Chief Sanghanayaka of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and Chief Incumbent of the Arisimale Aranya Senasanaya—when the site was rediscovered in 2011, the statues had been toppled and their heads were missing. Since then, Venerable Thero has played a key role in protecting and restoring this forest hermitage, persevering through significant challenges posed by hostile elements within the local non-Buddhist population.
Also See
Map of Pulmude Nagalena Rajamaha Viharaya
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.
Travel Directions to Pulmude Nagalena Rajamaha Viharaya
| From Trincomalee to Pulmude Nagalena Rajamaha Viharaya |
| Route: Via Nilaveli – Kuchchaveli Total distance: 57 kilometers Estimated travel time: 1 hour 10 minutes Time to spend: Approximately 30–45 minutes Driving directions: View on Google Maps |
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