What is Ritigala famous for?

What is Ritigala famous for?

Ritigala is an world famous ancient Buddhist monastery and mountain range in Sri Lanka . The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to 1st century BC. It is located 43 km away from the ancient city of Anuradhapura and also 40Km from Dambulla.

Where is Ritigala located?

central Sri Lanka
Ritigala is a mountain in central Sri Lanka which is home to an ancient Buddhist monastery. The ruins and rock inscriptions of the monastery date back to 1st century BCE. It is located 43 km (27 mi) away from the ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura.

How long does it take to climb Ritigala?

about one and a half hours
It’ll take you about one and a half hours at most to traverse through the given path: but keep an eye out for little side paths which would lead you to the hospices, fancy rock urinals (yes) and lots more wildlife.

Who built Ritigala monastery?

King Sena I
By the 10th-12th century AD, however, Ritigala seems to have been abandoned by the hermit monks, taken over by the jungle, and forgotten by the populace. It is the ruins of this monastery that King Sena I (846-866 AD) built for the Pansakulika monks that the modern pilgrims see today.

Where is Ritigala mountain in Sri Lanka?

It is located 43 km (27 mi) away from the ancient monastic city of Anuradhapura. Ritigala mountain consists of four peaks which rise steeply from the surrounding plain. The mountain is 6.5 km in length, and divided into northern and southern blocks by Maha-Degala Gorge. The highest peak is Ritigala Kanda in the southern block.

Where is Ritigala reserve located?

Ritigala reserve is in the Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests ecoregion, and is home to five plant communities. Dry mixed evergreen forest covers 844.7 ha, or 64.9% of the reserve’s area.

Where are the ruins of Ritigala monastery?

The ruins of Ritigala monastery are located on the eastern side of the mountain at the foot of the gorge which separates the main peak from the northern ridge of the range. The ruins cover an area of 24 hectares (59 acres).

Why did Hanuman use Ritigala Kanda as a launching pad?

Having found the location where Sita was held, Hanuman made use of Ritigala Kanda as a launching pad to take a leap across to South India. Incidentally, Ritigala is the highest prominence between the central plains of Sri Lanka and the coast of southern India .