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Loading...Kalpe Thammennawahinna (Thammennahinna) Archaeological Reserve lies somewhat in the middle of Anuradhapura – Trincomalee Road. It is 48 km away from Anuradhapura and 61 km away from Trincomalee. Traveling from Anuradhapura passing Mihintale, Kahatagasdigiliya and the Kalpe wewa, you come across the Kalpe Junction, 13 km past Kahatagasdigiliya. From this junction take the gravel road to the left and travel 2 kilometres to reach the Thammennahinna Hills where the ruins lie.
The archaeological site is abandoned by authorities and is covered by the jungle. The main artefact of the site is a fairly large dilapidated stupa. There are several ruins of buildings and stone pillar bases scattered around the site.
A life-size Samadhi Buddha statue which once stood majestically is lying in multiple pieces, destroyed by treasure hunters. The pieces of the statue are kept on a large stone flower altar. The stone pillars of an image house are still well preserved. Nearby lies a stone doorway in its original position.
The ruins are spread along a 500-meter stretch along the hill range. In addition to these ruins, there are several drip ledge caves including one with Brahmi inscriptions. The inscription is too weathered to be read. The whole site is severely damaged by treasure hunters.
The location marked on the Google Map below shows an approximate location. Since these ruins lie inside the forest of Thammennahinna Hills, a guide from the village will be needed to find the site and to avoid wild animals.
References
- Mendis, T., Abeywardana, N. and Dissanayaka, S. (2015) “මධ්ය යාන්ඔය නිම්නය ආශ්රිත පුරාණ ජනාවාස රටාව හා සංස්කෘතික භූ දර්ශනය,” The Journal of Archaeology & Heritage Studies, 2(1).
Also See
Map of Kahatagasdigiliya Kalpe Thammennawahinna Archaeological Reserve
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 Kahatagasdigiliya Kalpe Thammennawahinna Archaeological Reserve
Colombo to Anuradhapura By Bus
Anuradhapura can be conveniently reached by bus, train, or private transport. Both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses operate from the Colombo Fort Main Bus Station. In addition, luxury buses departing from various locations in Colombo travel via Anuradhapura to Vavuniya and Jaffna; these require advance online booking and generally operate overnight, arriving at their final destinations early in the morning.
Colombo to Anuradhapura By Train
Five daily trains operate from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Anuradhapura. Typically, the first train departs at 9.40 a.m. and the last at 8.30 p.m. The journey takes approximately four to five hours, depending on the number of stops made by the particular service.
Colombo to Anuradhapura By Car or Van
Anuradhapura can be accessed from Colombo via several routes, with the two primary corridors running through Puttalam and Kurunegala. The Puttalam route passes the scenic Wilpattu area. From Kurunegala, there are two main approaches: the more commonly used route via Dambulla and an alternative route via Galgamuwa. Among all options, the Kurunegala–Dambulla route (Route 2) is the most frequently used.
| Route 01 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route 02 from Colombo to Anuradhapura |
| Through: Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance from Colombo: 210 km Travel time: 4.30-5.00 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps | Through: Negombo – Chilaw – Puttalam Distance from Colombo: 210 km Travel time: 4.30-5.00 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps. |
| Route 03 from Colombo to Anuradhapura | Route from Kandy to Anuradhapura |
| Through : Katunayake Expressway – Narammala – Wariyapola – Padeniya – Thambuthegama Distance from Colombo: 203 km Travel Time: 4.30-5.00 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps | Through: Katugastota – Matale – Dambulla Distance from Colombo: 136 km Travel Time: 3.5 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps |
| Route from Anuradhapura to Kahatagasdigiliya Kalpe Thammennawahinna Archaeological Reserve |
| Through : Mihintale – Kahatagasdigiliya Distance : 49 km Travel time : 1 hour Time to spend : 1 hour Driving directions : see on google map |
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