Rock steady

The 45 feet long reclining Buddha statue carved on the nothern slope of the rock in Tantirimale

Tantirimale dagaba

The Pothgula or the monastery library

One of the meditating caves inside the deep forest

Eight feet high Samadhi Buddha statue

2300 year old Bodhi tree on top of the rock

The rainwater pool

The Bodhisatva head at the museum

Having weathered the ravages of time every stone at Tantirimale tells a story

by Mahil Wijesinghe

Passing Wilachchiya junction on the Anuradhapura Tantirimale gravel road, one can spot chena farmers cleaning forests for cultivation and small children with their mothers bathing in village tanks that are covered with lotus flowers.

Forty five kilometres away from Anuradhapura, this ancient Buddhist site in Tantirimale lies on a large rock boulder on the boundary of the Wilpattu National Park. Tantirimale formerly known as 'Tiwakka Bamunugama' was built during the Anuradhapura period in the 3rd century BC.

Legend has it that Sangamitta Thera rested at Tantirimale when she brought the sacred Bo Sapling to Anuradhapura. The craftsmen of the Anuradhapura period have carved out two beautiful Buddha Statues on separate rocks in Tantirimale.

These two statues, one reclining and the other seated cross-legged, are carved at the centre of the rock which is almost eight feet in height. Besides the statue there are unfinished images of deities which can be dimly viewed on the surface of the rock.

There are numerous ruins scattered around the place and most important is the museum which houses ruins found at the site. The natural pond in Tantirimale has not dried out even during the biggest droughts that have hit this country.

The water in the pool is used by Buddhist monks and villagers in Tantirimale. When you go further down to the forest canopy in Tantirimale, you can have a glimpse of rock caves, stone structures and a library which was built on a rock and was used by meditating monks in the past.