Gurulupotha Archaeological Site (Padhanaghara Complex)

Gurulupotha Archaeological Site (Padhanaghara Complex)

G urulupotha Archaeological Site , also known as Gurulupotha Sita Kotuwa or Gurulupotha Padhanaghara Piriven Viharaya (Sinhala: ගුරුළුපොත පුරාවිද්‍යා ස්ථානය/ ගුරුළුපොත සීතා කොටුව/ ගුරුළුපොත පධානඝර පිරිවෙන් විහාරය), is situated on the wayside of the Kandy-Mahiyangana road near the 18 hairpin bend in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. History The site consists of the ruins of the 8-10 centuries A.D. and an ancient Padhanaghara Monastery complex (Senanayaka, 2018). Padhanaghara Monasteries 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. During the latter part of the Anuradhapura Period , Padhanagharas became popular and developed into large-scale complexes. Examples of this type of monasteries are found in the places such as  Arankele ,  Ritigala , Nuvaragalkanda,…