Forest Hermitages - ancient & modern meditation monasteries
ancient cave temple of Salgala serves as a modern meditation center
As mentioned on our respective other pages, there is not an actually categorical difference between Sri Lankan "rock temples" and "cave temples". We differentiate between them just for a practical reason, viz. to have not too many places within only one category of our sub-menu titles. And on this page we introduce yet another category for the same, namely "hermitage caves". However, our category "hermitage caves" is chosen somewhat less arbitrarily, because under this title we subsume only those ancient cave temples that serve today as monasteries of reclusive monks or sometimes even as hermitages in a strict sense.
As a reminder to our frequent readers - or an overview to new viewers - , let's give some basic information concerning the background of Sri Lankan rock or cave temples. Rock formations are found in abundance in almost all parts of the country. Most of such groups of rocks provide natural rock shelters. And a surprisingly large proportion of such rock shelters was used for monastic purposes, as abodes of Buddhist monks. Already the earliest living quarter of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka were such caves, namely in Mihintale, where Missionary Mahinda used to stay overnight. From the first two or three centuries of the country's Buddhist era (which corresponds the historical period of Sri Lanka), most inscriptions are found at rocks above such shelters that served as early dwellings of monks, more precisely: the most ancient Brahmi inscriptions can usually be seen at artificial drip ledges above the cave, which were carved to protect the interior from moisture, providing some minimum comfort for the monks living below such rocks, which means: in such caves. Using a French term, rock shelters, called caves in Sri Lanka, are known as "abris" to archeologists. Sri Lanka is not extremely rich in rock formations, but also in abris. And as said, in Sri Lanka you find a surprisingly large proportion of abris having been used as dweeling places of monks. You can easily identify such an abri (or such a cave) that was once inhabited by monks by the said drip ledges at the rock surface above the entrance. Not all of them carry inscriptions, but the drip-ledges can easily be recognized as being of human origin. We call such simple dwelling below overhanging rocks "hermitage caves", though strictly speaking the monks living here were not hermits, because they were not living alone, but in small groups forming a monastic congregation for joined ceremonies. However, the term "hermitage" is not completely wrong, as the monks living in such abris had chosen a life of seclusion and austerity, in contrast to monks living in large monasteries in the capital Anuradhapura or other important cities.
In the course of the centuries, there have evolved several reform movements in the Buddhist Sangha. Groups of monks that disagreed with too much secularisation of the monastic life in a large town, left the most populated areas and took new residences in such caves for living a life more strictly according the the monastic rules. However, such monks were highly venerated and therefore attracted pilgrims that brought gifts and expected to find not only the advice of monks but also places of worship. That's why at each group of abris one or more than one became endowed with sculptures or sometimes stupas inside the cave for the rituals of lay visitors. The process of seeking refuge in remote groups of rocks has never ended. Actually, also after Sri Lanka gained independence, some hermit monks rediscovered the ancient practice of living a simple life in abris as a suitable way of practicing meditation. Some ancient places became inhabited again. We already mentioned the Kaludiya Pokuna complex in Mihintale. There are also cave hermitages in a strict sense, this is to say, that a remote rock shelter is inhabited only by one single monk. One example of a monk living as a hermit, but welcoming visitors nonetheless, can be found near Alawwa (Alahuwa). Some cave temples that serve as monasteries again also have larger caves with sculptures and and paintings that attract laypeople. An example of this category is Maligatenna, the neighbouring rock of Pilitkuttuwa. Other ancient cave temples are again inhabited by small groups of monks, for example Pilikuttuwa near Gampaha. Other such cave temples are not only inhabited but also used as meditation centers, offering classes also for monks from the cities. Such a meditation center is Salgala in the western foothills of the highlands, not far from the Kelani Ganga Valley.
As a reminder to our frequent readers - or an overview to new viewers - , let's give some basic information concerning the background of Sri Lankan rock or cave temples. Rock formations are found in abundance in almost all parts of the country. Most of such groups of rocks provide natural rock shelters. And a surprisingly large proportion of such rock shelters was used for monastic purposes, as abodes of Buddhist monks. Already the earliest living quarter of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka were such caves, namely in Mihintale, where Missionary Mahinda used to stay overnight. From the first two or three centuries of the country's Buddhist era (which corresponds the historical period of Sri Lanka), most inscriptions are found at rocks above such shelters that served as early dwellings of monks, more precisely: the most ancient Brahmi inscriptions can usually be seen at artificial drip ledges above the cave, which were carved to protect the interior from moisture, providing some minimum comfort for the monks living below such rocks, which means: in such caves. Using a French term, rock shelters, called caves in Sri Lanka, are known as "abris" to archeologists. Sri Lanka is not extremely rich in rock formations, but also in abris. And as said, in Sri Lanka you find a surprisingly large proportion of abris having been used as dweeling places of monks. You can easily identify such an abri (or such a cave) that was once inhabited by monks by the said drip ledges at the rock surface above the entrance. Not all of them carry inscriptions, but the drip-ledges can easily be recognized as being of human origin. We call such simple dwelling below overhanging rocks "hermitage caves", though strictly speaking the monks living here were not hermits, because they were not living alone, but in small groups forming a monastic congregation for joined ceremonies. However, the term "hermitage" is not completely wrong, as the monks living in such abris had chosen a life of seclusion and austerity, in contrast to monks living in large monasteries in the capital Anuradhapura or other important cities.
In the course of the centuries, there have evolved several reform movements in the Buddhist Sangha. Groups of monks that disagreed with too much secularisation of the monastic life in a large town, left the most populated areas and took new residences in such caves for living a life more strictly according the the monastic rules. However, such monks were highly venerated and therefore attracted pilgrims that brought gifts and expected to find not only the advice of monks but also places of worship. That's why at each group of abris one or more than one became endowed with sculptures or sometimes stupas inside the cave for the rituals of lay visitors. The process of seeking refuge in remote groups of rocks has never ended. Actually, also after Sri Lanka gained independence, some hermit monks rediscovered the ancient practice of living a simple life in abris as a suitable way of practicing meditation. Some ancient places became inhabited again. We already mentioned the Kaludiya Pokuna complex in Mihintale. There are also cave hermitages in a strict sense, this is to say, that a remote rock shelter is inhabited only by one single monk. One example of a monk living as a hermit, but welcoming visitors nonetheless, can be found near Alawwa (Alahuwa). Some cave temples that serve as monasteries again also have larger caves with sculptures and and paintings that attract laypeople. An example of this category is Maligatenna, the neighbouring rock of Pilitkuttuwa. Other ancient cave temples are again inhabited by small groups of monks, for example Pilikuttuwa near Gampaha. Other such cave temples are not only inhabited but also used as meditation centers, offering classes also for monks from the cities. Such a meditation center is Salgala in the western foothills of the highlands, not far from the Kelani Ganga Valley.
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