4/5 Waruna V. 3 years ago on Google
Diva
Guhawa
(Batathotalena)
he
arch
cave
or
lena
of
Batatota,
in
Sri
Lanka's
Ratnapura
District,
is
a
mystery
waiting
to
be
solved.
Naturally
carved
into
a
cliff
of
Proterozoic
gneiss,
it
is
triangular
in
both
plan
and
cross-section-
a
characteristic
of
arch
caves.
The
area
is
famous
for
its
caves
and
history,
the
latter
both
natural
and
religious.
The
Batadombalena
cave,
some
kilometres
south,
was
once
home
to
Balangoda
Man,
a
prehistoric
hominid,
whose
skeletal
remains,
discovered
in
the
cave,
date
to
14,000BC.
The
local
aboriginal
Veddhas
claim
Batatotalena
and
the
other
nearby
caves
as
both
worship
and
habitation
sites
that
predate
the
arrival
of
Buddhism
in
306BC.
The
mystery
of
Batatotalena,
however,
is
a
more
Buddhist
one.
During
his
lifetime,
the
Buddha
is
said
to
have
made
three
visits
to
Sri
Lanka,
visiting
16
places
across
the
country.
Known
as
the
Solosmasthana,
15
of
them
have
been
definitively
identified.
On
his
third
visit
to
the
island,
from
519
to
520BC,
the
Buddha
climbed
Sumanakuta,
also
known
as
Adam's
Peak
today,
and
left
his
footprint
on
its
summit.
Thus,
the
mountain
came
to
be
commonly
known
as
Siri
Pada,
or
the
Sacred
Foot.
Ancient
scripts
go
on
to
say
that
after
descending
the
mountain,
the
Buddha
and
500
of
his
disciples
then
rested
at
a
nearby
cave.
This
is
the
sixteenth
site
in
the
Solosmasthana,
and
was
named
the
Divaguhawa,
or
Daylight
Cave;
its
location
remains
in
dispute.
Current
belief
is
that
Batatotalena
is
the
Divaguhawa
of
legend,
though
the
argument
on
its
authenticity
goes
on.
Centuries
after
the
Buddha's
visits,
King
Nissankamalla
of
Polonnaruwa,
who
reigned
from
1187
to
1196AD,
discovered
the
cave
while
visiting
Adam's
Peak,
and
instructed
one
of
his
ministers
to
build
a
temple
inside
it.
This
is
likely
the
beginning
of
the
legend
of
Batatotalena
being
the
Divaguhawa.
Fading
into
obscurity,
the
area
around
the
Batatotalena
was
reclaimed
by
the
jungle,
and
the
ancient
temple
stood
neglected
and
unknown
until
it
was
rediscovered
by
chance
in
1908,
by
a
passing
monk
named
Sri
Subethi.
Renovating
the
interior,
Sri
Subethi
added
a
shrine
to
the
existing
temple,
and
maintained
it
until
his
death.
The
temple
was
then
abandoned
once
more
until,
in
1995,
it
was
declared
the
site
of
the
legendary
Divaguhawa.
Restored
once
more,
the
cave
is
now
a
site
of
regular
pilgrimage
by
thousands
of
Buddhists.
Kuruwita
is
a
two
hour
drive
from
Colombo,
and
Batatotalena
is
seven
km
north
of
Kuruwita,
on
the
road
to
Erathna
and
Adam's
Peak.
Regular
signs
point
the
way,
but
visitors
should
be
aware
that
these
signs
often
refer
to
the
site
simply
as
the
Divaguhawa,
and
not
Batatotalena.
Beyond
a
large
car
park,
the
walkway
to
the
temple
gets
gradually
steeper,
the
last
part
being
up
a
covered
series
of
stairs.
The
climb,
however,
shouldn't
take
more
than
half
an
hour.
Batatotalena
attracts
the
most
devotees
between
March
and
November,
and
during
these
months
the
cave,
as
well
as
the
access
route,
can
become
quite
crowded.
For
a
more
relaxed
experience,
visit
in
December
or
January,
when
the
temperature
is
also
markedly
cooler.
The
climb,
as
well
as
the
cave
mouth,
offer
spectacular
views
of
the
valley
below,
with
the
shape
of
Adam's
Peak
towering
in
the
distance.
This
view,
however,
is
not
guaranteed,
and
depends
on
the
weather.
On
the
day
I
visited,
Adam's
Peak
was
visible
throughout
the
climb
and
for
much
of
the
time
spent
in
the
cave,
but
had
completely
disappeared
at
the
time
of
descent,
a
couple
of
hours
later.
The
cave
entrance
is
the
largest
part
of
the
recess,
as
with
most
arch
caves:
15m
high,
and
18m
wide,
with
a
small
shrine
built
onto
a
rocky
outcrop
outside.
A
platform
encircles
the
shrine,
and
this
is
the
best
spot
for
views
of
the
valley
and
the
surrounding
mountains;
prominent
among
the
latter
is
the
steep
square-shaped
Kunudiyaparwathaya,
halfway
between
Batatotalena
and
Adam's
Peak.
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