Bambaragasthalawa Nagapabbatha monastery, (near) Panama, Eastern Province, SL

Raw data

"Hidden amidst the Kudumbigala Wildlife Sanctuary and few miles away from the Kudumbigala Forest Hermitage are the remains of an ancient monastery […] scattered over nearly 60 acres of jungle. […] the 36 feet reclining Buddha statue of Bambaragasthalawa […. is built] inside a cave, […], the giant statue made out of a mixture of clay and lime […]"

The drip ledged cave, which house the statue of Buddha and Buddha statue itself is believed to have been built between fourth and eighth century yet the history of the monastery starts in the regime of King Gotabhaya who ruled the country in the years of 249-262 A.D. Prominent Archaeologist C.W.Nicholas believes the monastery to be the famed Nagapabbatha monastery of the Southern Kingdom built by King Gotabhaya. This assumption is backed by a stone inscription found at the 200 feet long drip ledged cave found in the monastery. The cave with partitioned interiors and plastered walls carries the inscription, which states that it is named ‘nagapawatha senasana ‘ and was built by a donor called ‘Mithra’. […]. According to the ancient dhamma cannon ‘Rasavahini’ the cave had been donated to Thissa Maha Naga Thera and had gradually grown into a monastery of grander scale by eighth century.

Almost all the caves found in the vicinity had been drip ledged, partitioned and decorated into abodes of meditating monks, Some caves running around the rock cliffs and as large as 260 square feet. Walls in the large caves depict brick work decorated with swans while some carpentry work still remains after nearly 1000 years. […]."
http://damithah.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/nagapabbatha-monastery-in-bambaragasthalawa/

Input by: GitaG, May 21, 2013

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 15 Mar 2013

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Bambaragasthalawa Nagapabbatha monastery, SL.

General location of the Bambaragasthalawa Nagapabbatha monastery, SL.
Lat 6.6460 Long 81.7211
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2013.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6.6460+81.7211+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Bambaragasthalawa%20Nagapabbatha%20monastery,%20SL)&ll=6.6460,81.7211&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Nagapabbatha monastery

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Sri Lanka: Eastern Province

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names


4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx. Lat 6.6460 Long 81.7211 - based on visual identification of the Bambaragasthalawa site in maps/satellite imagery, maps.google.com - tmciolek, 31 May 2013.

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries


6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names


8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • Theravada

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • History of the monastery starts in the regime of King Gotabhaya who ruled the country in the years of 249-262 A.D. Prominent Archaeologist C.W.Nicholas believes the monastery to be the famed Nagapabbatha monastery of the Southern Kingdom built by King Gotabhaya.
  • MBM chrono-tag: 0233-66c - GitaG 21 May 2013
  • 0233-66c 0267-99c 0300-32c 0333-66c 0367-99c 0400-32c 0433-66c 0467-99c 0500-32c 0433-66c 0467-99c 0500-32c 0533-66c 0567-99c 0600-32c 0633-66c 0667-99c 0700-32p 0733-66p 0767-99p dated-ex

12. Date-intermediate

  • According to the ancient dhamma cannon ‘Rasavahini’ the cave had been donated to Thissa Maha Naga Thera and had gradually grown into a monastery of grander scale by eigth century.
  • MBM chrono-tag: 0700-32p 0733-66p 0767-99p - tmciolek 15 Sep 2013

13. Date-late

  • [missing data]

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • [missing data]

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

18. Known monks and nuns associated with this monastery


19. Available Printed Literature

  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 1]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]

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