4/5 Kumara L. 1 year ago on Google
Vessagiriya
Vessagiriya
is
an
ancient
Buddhist
monastery
situated
in
Anuradhapura
District
in
Sri
Lanka.
It
is
by
the
side
of
Anuradhapura
Kurunegala
road
in
the
proximity
of
famous
Isurumuniya
temple.
It
is
said
that
this
is
a
cave
temple
that
was
offered
to
Arahath
Mihindu
thero,
who
officially
introduced
Buddhism
to
Sri
Lanka.
Under
the
guidance
of
Mihindu
thero,
five
hundred
princes
were
ordained
as
the
Buddhist
monks
here,
so
the
king
Devanampiyathissa
named
this
monastery
as
“Waisyagiriya”.
According
to
the
chronicles,
during
the
reign
of
king
Vashambha
in
65-109
AD
and
king
Voharikathissa
in
214-236
AD,
this
place
was
renovated.
In
the
course
of
time,
it
was
abandoned.
During
the
period
of
king
Kashapa,
this
abandoned
monastery
was
renovated
again
and
renamed
it
as
“Bo
Upulwan
Kashapagiri
Viharaya”
using
the
parts
of
his
two
daughters’
names
and
his
name.
At
present
a
foundation
at
the
entrance
to
Vessagiriya
which
is
said
to
have
been
“Bodigaraya”
at
that
time
can
be
seen.
The
most
breathtaking
sight
of
this
premises
is
the
unbelievable
rock
formation.
Stepping
up
the
stone
flight
of
steps,
you
can
see
the
stone
caves,
some
of
which
are
believed
to
have
been
used
by
the
Buddhist
monks.
The
well-chiseled
drip
edges
around
the
rock
can
be
seen.
In
addition,
we
can
see
some
inscriptions
on
the
rock
surface
below
the
drip
edges.
The
gigantic
trees
around
provide
the
shelter
for
the
visitors
and
create
a
pleasant
atmosphere
for
them,
so
most
of
the
pilgrims
take
this
place
of
worship
as
a
resting
place.
The
most
suitable
time
to
visit
this
place
is
the
early
hours
in
the
morning
or
the
late
hours
in
the
evening
as
the
rocks
get
heated
at
noon.
It’s
worth
visiting
this
historical
place,
but
don’t
forget
to
keep
this
place
clean.