Western Monasteries (Anuradhapura) Batahirarama (lit: Western Monasteries ; Sinhala: බටහිරාරාම) or Tapovana monasteries is a cluster of monastic buildings known as Padhanaghara mainly situated on the western sector of the outer city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Padhanaghara Padhanaghara , also known as Patanagala or Piyangala, is a special type of monastery built for the Bhikkhus (Buddhist monks) who devoted themselves to meditation involving minimum comforts. They are usually constructed in places situated outside the main areas of monastic and secular buildings (Bandaranayake, 1974). During the latter part of the Anuradhapura Period , Padhanagharas became popular and developed into large-scale complexes. Examples of this type of monasteries are also found at Arankele , Ritigala , Nuvaragalkanda, Veherabendigala, Manakanda , etc. (Bandaranayake, 1990).
A Padhanaghara is often built at a site with bedrock almost at the surface or at a shallow depth. The monastery design usually follows a typical plan with a twin structure (tw…
