At tha time that King Kashypa selected Sigiriya as his capital the rock fortress was amonastery As such prior to building his palace and securing the fortress the King first developed the adjoining cave complex at pidurangala that is situated to the North of Sigiriya withall the required facilities. Upon completion the King gifted the cave monastery to the Bikkhu. The natural caves and flat terrain spread across acres ad provided all the required elements of a monastery complex...
There are two entrances to the Pidurangala viharaya. The first takes you though amore recently bulit temple with apure whit sthupa and large statue of Lord Buddha being sheltered by the King Cobra 'Muchalinda Naga Rajaya'. Tracing the well worn path the climb ascends through the shades of the trees and stone boulders,wich provide the natural steps. The climb is arduous but gets your adrenaline pumping as each step takes you further up. you soon reach aseries of caves that were used by the bikkhu for meditation.Though the walls have been reconstructed the tell tale signs of early civilizaton are evident. The face of the rock is carved to form grooves to prevent rain water form directly falling onto the caves.
Furthermor,a rock inscription written in early Brahmi script links the cave to Lord Pussa and has been dated to 3 BC to 1 BC.. this proves that the caves at Pidurangala were inhabited prior to King Kashypa's era.There are nooks and crevices that lead in various directions. Maybe at one time these were paths but today not all are such, thus one eeds to follow the brick or stone steps that are in place. At one point a turn leads to the old image house that is said to have been built during a later period. This is actually at the base of the rock and the cave is shared with the Vishnu Devalaya but separated by wall. The roof of the cave is adorned with lotus flowers and the image house accimmodates reclining Buddha statue caved out of stone and to standing statues, which have been made of limestine. it is said that the paintings of the deities in the Devalaya belong to an era after KingKashypa.The inscriptions on the cave ledge confirm that the caves were donated by chieftains and dignitaries to the Bikkhu. As the Sangha inhabited Pidurangala during various eras of the country's history there is a plethora of archaeological finds belonging to the different periods. the second entrance to Pidurangala at the base of the rock leads to this old temple. A climb on an alternative route takes you to a landing with rock boulders and trees that provide shade from the hot sun. The environment is such that it is ideal for meditation and reflection. It is notdifficult to imagine saffron robed Bhikkus in deep meditation or chanting pirith. Afew steps father, there is a Samadhi Buddha statue that has been built recently. The view from this sub level is magnificent and urged us to resume our climb...
Furthermor,a rock inscription written in early Brahmi script links the cave to Lord Pussa and has been dated to 3 BC to 1 BC.. this proves that the caves at Pidurangala were inhabited prior to King Kashypa's era.There are nooks and crevices that lead in various directions. Maybe at one time these were paths but today not all are such, thus one eeds to follow the brick or stone steps that are in place. At one point a turn leads to the old image house that is said to have been built during a later period. This is actually at the base of the rock and the cave is shared with the Vishnu Devalaya but separated by wall. The roof of the cave is adorned with lotus flowers and the image house accimmodates reclining Buddha statue caved out of stone and to standing statues, which have been made of limestine. it is said that the paintings of the deities in the Devalaya belong to an era after KingKashypa.The inscriptions on the cave ledge confirm that the caves were donated by chieftains and dignitaries to the Bikkhu. As the Sangha inhabited Pidurangala during various eras of the country's history there is a plethora of archaeological finds belonging to the different periods. the second entrance to Pidurangala at the base of the rock leads to this old temple. A climb on an alternative route takes you to a landing with rock boulders and trees that provide shade from the hot sun. The environment is such that it is ideal for meditation and reflection. It is notdifficult to imagine saffron robed Bhikkus in deep meditation or chanting pirith. Afew steps father, there is a Samadhi Buddha statue that has been built recently. The view from this sub level is magnificent and urged us to resume our climb...
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