Arankele Archaeological Site (Kurunegala) Arankele (Sinhala: අරංකැලේ/අරන්කැලේ පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථානය) is a ruined forest monastery located in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. Presently, the site is a declared archaeological reserve. History
The exact history of Arankele is not known yet as there are no written sources that reveal the establishment of this monastery. However, the origin of this monastery is thought to belong to the early Anuradhapura Period . The architecture of the remaining buildings and structures indicates that they belong to a period between 8-10 centuries A.D.
The history of this place, according to some, is connected with King Mahasena who reigned in Anuradhapura during the period of 275-301 A.D. The chronicle Mahawamsa states that King Mahasena who once came to see the construction works of Kimbulvana Oya had seen a picturesque site near the Dolukanda area and had ordered his men to construct a new Buddhist monastery there (Anulawathi, 2015). Some believe that the monastery which is mentioned in the Mahawa…
