Mihinthale

This picture was taken from Mihinthale, ancient buddhist Monastery. It is situated on top of a hill and the view from here is absolutely stunning. Faraway, we can see the ancient city of Anuradhapura and its monumental structures Ruwanweliseya, Abhayagiriya and Jethavanaramaya

2300 years ago, Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka and then king Devanampiyathissa met Arhath Mihindu at this scared place. The king built a monastery and a temple for the monks at Mihinthale.

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Eight Meter Door Frame

This colossal granite door frame was seen in the ancient capital of Anuradhapura.

Anuradhapura is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it has thousands of ruins scattered in an area as large as 40 square kilometers, belong to the period from 4th century BC to 11th century AD.

This particular building must have built over one thousand years ago as it belongs to the latter Anuradhapura period.

Thanthirimale

This ancient and sacred temple is situated in a remote place about 35 kilometers north west of Anuradhapura. It is situated on top of a rocky terrain. Thanthirimale is definitely a larger temple but it surely reminds Buddhangala Temple of Ampara.

As per the historical evidence this area is one of the oldest human settlements in Sri Lanka which dates back to pre 6th century BC. Also it is mentioned in many historical chronicles as a pivotal place all throughout the history.

The Bo tree here is said to be at least 2300 years old. It is a direct sapling of the famous Sri Maha Bodhi of Anuradhapura.

I’m not going to give detailed explanation about this place as Harumi has done a few wonderful narratives about this place. You can see those posts here, here and here.

The view from this wonderful hermitage is stunning. The above picture shows the granite Buddha statue which dates back to 8th century AD. I have uploaded more pictures of this wonderful place here.

Arankele Monastery

There are hundreds of monasteries all over the country where buddhist monks live closer to the nature practising meditation.

Anyone can visit such places, but you have to observe extreme silence.

One such attractive place is situated about 20km from Kurunegala town in Arankele close to Hiripitiya. There are long and straight walking paths and terraces through the forest. This place has lots of ruins of ancient buddhist temples as well.

Can there be a better place for meditation than closer to the nature?