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Thursday, 24 September 2026
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Thursday, 24 September 2026
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Thursday, 24 September 2026
Sun FM Gossip
THE ROCKY CLIFF OF THE MULKIRIGALA TEMPLES
Monday, 31 August 2020
Suspended over a rocky cliff 16km northwest of Tangalla and snuggled away among a green forest of coconut trees are the serene rock temples of Mulkirigala. Scaling 500 or so steps and you’ll come across a series of seven cleft-like caves on five different terraced levels. The caves houses a number of large reclining Buddha statues strewed with smaller sitting and standing monuments.
Competing with these for your attention are some intricate wall paintings portraying sinners enjoying themselves with the forbidden fruit on Earth and then paying the consequences for it with an afterlife of eternal torture which was apparently worth it! Further on up, and sitting on top of the rock an estimated 206m from the base, is a small dagoba with spectacular views encompassing the country.
Temples, in some form or another, have been situated here for over 2000 years, but the current incarnations, and their paintings, are dated back all the way from the 18th century. Close to the vicinity of the temples is a Buddhist school for young monks.
Pali manuscripts discovered in the monastic library here by a British official back in 1826 were used for the first translation of the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle), which gave access to Sri Lanka’s early history to the Europeans.
Travelers can visit Mulkirigala by bus from Tangalla via either Beliatta or Wiraketiya.
Competing with these for your attention are some intricate wall paintings portraying sinners enjoying themselves with the forbidden fruit on Earth and then paying the consequences for it with an afterlife of eternal torture which was apparently worth it! Further on up, and sitting on top of the rock an estimated 206m from the base, is a small dagoba with spectacular views encompassing the country.
Temples, in some form or another, have been situated here for over 2000 years, but the current incarnations, and their paintings, are dated back all the way from the 18th century. Close to the vicinity of the temples is a Buddhist school for young monks.
Pali manuscripts discovered in the monastic library here by a British official back in 1826 were used for the first translation of the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle), which gave access to Sri Lanka’s early history to the Europeans.
Travelers can visit Mulkirigala by bus from Tangalla via either Beliatta or Wiraketiya.