ISURUMUNIYA ROCK TEMPLE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

This rock temple, dating from the reign of Devanampiya Tissa (3rd century BC), has some very fine carvings (LONELY PLANET 2003: 246) and represents one of the few rock temples (man-made -cave- temples) of Sri Lanka (note 1). ETYMOLOGY: Isuramuni or Kalugalla wihare FORBES (1840, 1841 vol. 1: 416) Isuruminiya Vihara LONELY PLANET (2003: 242) Isurumuniya Ratamha Vihara BERGER (1992/93: 331) Issurumuniya BERGER (1992/93: 325 location map) Ussurumuniye Eckrich, M. (1984 Mss: Bat cave distribution map) SITUATION: LONELY PLANET (2003: 242 -Anuradhapura- location map) indicates 56 (Isuruminiya Vihara) adjacent south of the Royal Pleasure Garden, above the eastern shore of the Tissa Wewa revoir and west of the Kurunegala Road at a spot that lies at approximate linear distance of 1.5 km south-west from the Anuradhapura Train Station and 1 km approximately north-west of the Anuradhapura New Town Train Station and the New Bus Station (note 2). CAVE DESCRIPTION: FORBES (1840, 1841 vol. 1: 416-417: Between the sitting and standing figures, the Isuramuni or Kalugalla wihare has been cut in the hard rock; and in this cavern-temple part of the stone has heen left, and afterwards shaped into the figure of Buddha seated on a throne: the two pillars in the front of this wihare are also part of the solid rock. These works were completed in the twelfth century, and in the reign of Prakrama Bahoo; yet are not only undecayed, but the most minute ornaments are sharp and undiminished by time or weather … CAVE POTENTIAL: About 500 m in a direct line due south of the Isurumuniya Vihara are extensive remains of the Vessagiriya cave monastery complex. CAVE LIFE: LONELY PLANET (2003: 246) surmises that even You can't miss the resident colony of bats (Chiroptera).: Between the sitting and standing figures, the Isuramuni or Kalugalla wihare has been cut in the hard rock; and in this cavern-temple part of the stone has heen left, and afterwards shaped into the figure of Buddha seated on a throne: the two pillars in the front of this wihare are also part of the solid rock. These works were completed in the twelfth century, and in the reign of Prakrama Bahoo; yet are not only undecayed, but the most minute ornaments are sharp and undiminished by time or weather … CAVE POTENTIAL: About 500 m in a direct line due south of the Isurumuniya Vihara are extensive remains of the Vessagiriya cave monastery complex. CAVE LIFE: LONELY PLANET (2003: 246) surmises that even You can't miss the resident colony of bats (Chiroptera).