Not to be confused with Batadombalena Cave
Batatotalena Cave (Sinhala: Batathota-lena) is a Buddhist cave temple situated in Kuruwita in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka.
History
The history of this site is linked by locals to the Lord Buddha. Some believe that Diwa Guhawa or Bhagawalena associated with the Buddha's third visit to Sri Lanka is identical to this site (Abeyawardana, 2002).
The cave is about 20 ft tall (Gnanawimala Thera, 1967). Within the cave, a small Stupa, an image house, and a Vishnu Devalaya shrine can be seen. The image house is the main shrine and has been erected between the Vishnu Devalaya and the Stupa. The front wall of the image house is decorated with a Makara Thorana (a dragon arch) and other murals. The entrance door is guarded by two statues of door-keepers. Inside the image house is a reclining Buddha statue of about 21 cubits long. This statue is believed to be a construction belongs to the reign of King Nissankamalla [(1187-1196 A.D.) Abeyawardana, 2002]. However, some of these constructions show artistic features belonging to the early Kandyan Period (Abeyawardana, 2002). Some work of repairs on the present shrine has been done in 1908 (Gnanawimala Thera, 1967).
A small pond created by the water that drips through the inner cavities of the cave roof is also found at the entrance of the cave.
A small pond created by the water that drips through the inner cavities of the cave roof is also found at the entrance of the cave.
A protected site
The Batathota Lena cave situated in Batathota village in Kuruwita Divisional Secretariat Division is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 27 July 2001.
References
1) Abeyawardana, H.A.P., 2002. Heritage of Sabaragamuwa: Major natural, cultural and historic sites. Sabaragamuwa Development Bank and The Central Bank of Sri Lanka. ISBN: 955-575-077-7. pp.10-11.
2) Gnanawimala Thera, K., 1967. Saparagamu Darshana (In Sinhala). S. Godage Saha Sahodarayo. p.15.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1195. 27 July 2001.
2) Gnanawimala Thera, K., 1967. Saparagamu Darshana (In Sinhala). S. Godage Saha Sahodarayo. p.15.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1195. 27 July 2001.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 9 June 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
