Salgala - genuine Sri Lankan cave temple of reclusive monks
Salgala is an ancient cave monastery consisting of 18 rock shelters. It is believed to have been the main refuge of King Walagamba during his years in exile. In contrast to many other cave temples, it was not transformed into a place of image worship during the Kandyan period. Since the monastery, neglected for centuries, was revived in 1930, the remote Salgala Aranya Senasayana has become a perfect example of the genuine spirit of a small congregations of hermits who inhabited such groups of natural rock shelters already in the early Buddhist period of Sri Lanka. It houses selected forest monks and serves ad a meditation center of guests monks periodically. In order to prevent the hermits from being disturbed, visitors are permitted only during morning. After 1 pm, the forest is not open to the public and reserved for the monks.
Location
Salgala is a forest monastery just about 10km south of Dedigama. The beautiful and pleasant drive there leads through rubber plantations. The nearest town is Galapitamada, four kilometers away. The site of the Salgala Monastery is located in a nature reserve measuring around two and a half square kilometers (1 square mile).
Name of Salgala
The name Salgala is derived from "shila guha", which means nothing other than "rock cave". The name is telling. Salgala is a classic forest retreat for Buddhist monks. There are 18 natural rock caves, each of them named with Sanskrit or Pali terms. Centuries ago, monks used these lonely protective caves in the forest as an ideal retreat for a life of contemplation.
Salgala Forest Monastery
The special thing about Salgala is that it is still used as a forest monastery today by around half a dozen monks. The caves have been partially inhabited again since 1930. At that time, the monk Sri Nissanka reactivated this place as a monastic abode, with the help of the later first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka, D.S. Senanayake, who remained the lay sponsor of this monastery until his death and declared the forest protected area. There is an abundance of various precious woods and medicinal plant species here.
A special code of conduct was introduced for the monks of Salgala, which is more strictly ascetic than the common Buddhist Vinaya rule. In Salgala, vegetarianism is compulsory and any kind of fighting is strictly forbidden. The monks who want to be accepted here have to undergo an intensive test to find out if they will be able to live a life of pure contemplation, far away from the usual tasks of a village priest. The local monks have also set up a meditation center that monks from the urban centers can use for seminars or times of retreat.
A special code of conduct was introduced for the monks of Salgala, which is more strictly ascetic than the common Buddhist Vinaya rule. In Salgala, vegetarianism is compulsory and any kind of fighting is strictly forbidden. The monks who want to be accepted here have to undergo an intensive test to find out if they will be able to live a life of pure contemplation, far away from the usual tasks of a village priest. The local monks have also set up a meditation center that monks from the urban centers can use for seminars or times of retreat.
Walagamba alias Vattagamani Abhaya Legend & Salgala
A pre-Christian Brahmi inscription was found in Salgala, which indicates a connection with King Vattagamani Abhaya, called Valagamba or Valagambahu in Sinhala. Vattagamani was the fourth son of Sadhatissa, Dutthagmanani's brother. After the murder of the third son Khallatanaga by a coup of an army general, Vattagamani first had to fight for the throne. He killed the usurper. But after just a few months of reign, he was forced to flee Anuradhapura when the country was invaded by a marauding army from India. The legendary stops of his escape later became famous monasteries, Abhayagiri, Rasvehera and Dambulla. After fourteen years, Vattagamani Abhaya was able to regain control of Anuradhapura. In order to restore royal authority he used religion. This included donating the cave settlements that had given him shelter during his escape to important monks and consecrating them into monasteries. Salgala is said to have been dedicated to a holy monk, the Arahant Bhathru Dharmagupta.
for more information more about the story of Salgala click here...
Salgala was not only secluded, but it was also far enough from Anuradhapura to actually have been the final refuge of Vattagamani Abhaya indeed. In chapter 33 of the Mahavansa, the place where the king is said to have hidden for fourteen years under the protection of a local chief is called "Samagalla". )The commentary on the Mahavansa called Mahavansa-Tika calls the same place Moragalla a few centuries later. But the refuge in the mountains certainly does not mean the current town of the same name on the southwest coast.) That is why local tradition identifies this place with Salgala. Curiously, in the first Mahavansa translation into English by George Turnour, "Samagalla" is rendered as "Salagalla", at least in the reprint of the Asian Educational Services, New Delhi 2000.
In addition to those mentioned, many other places in Sri Lanka claim to have been Valagamba's place of exile, especially in the province of Uva, which borders the mountains to the southeast.
The story told in chapter 33 of the Mahavansa about the end of the fourteen-year exile seems rather strange, neither like a historical report nor like a heroic legend: Already on the first stop of his escape, the monk Mahatissa from the Kupikkala monastery looked after the king by giving him food. Afterwards, the king also meets the same monk at the third and final place of his escape, in Samagalla or Salagalla. The monk assigns one of his servants, a chief or a gamekeeper named Tanasiva, to look after the king in his own house. But after fourteen years, one day Vattagamani's wife, Queen Anuladevi, went as usual to Tanasiva’s wife to receive her food ration. But this time, the latter kicked the basket away with her feet. Angry and crying, Anuladevi ran to her husband, the king. Tanasiva saw this and, fearing the king's revenge, took his bow and went to his abode. When Vattagamani learned from his wife what had happened, he immediately took her and the children to escape. As they left the house, Tanasiva approached with a drawn bow. But Vattagamani was faster and shot him. Then Vattagamani identified himself as king and gathered the people around him and chose eight ministers. Before his campaign against Anuradhapura, he went to the monk Kupikkala Mahatissa, who had supported him, to celebrate a big festival for the Buddha.
After regaining the throne in Anuradhapura, Mahatissa came and went as the king's advisor and guest. But his order considered this a violation of the rules governing dealings with laypeople and therefore excluded him from the Sangha. King Vattagamani Abhaya then established a new monastery in Anuradhapura for Kupikkala Mahatissa, the Abhayagiri.
The story is typically Asian in that there are no clear good and evil parties. Neither the king, nor the monk Mahatissa, nor the hunter Tanasiva appear as clearly good or evil heroes. Tanasiva looks after the king, is uninvolved in the women's dispute and only arms himself out of fear of the king's revenge. But indeed, Tanasiva wants to shoot Vattagamani. The king is pious and listens to the monk's advice, but he commits teh sacriledge of a schism of the Buddhist order for Mahatissa's sake. Although Mahatissa himself is guilty of violating the order's rule and of the even greater crime of the said schism, he is not a negative figure, but the organizer of the reconquest of the country and the rescuer of Buddhism from the clutches of South Indian foreign rulers.
The Mahavansa was written by monks of the Mahavihara, with a consciously polemical aim against the now larger and more influential Abhayagiri monastery, whose founding fathers were King Vattagamani and Kupikkala Mahatissa. It is all the more remarkable that the two breakers of the Mahavihara’s spiritual supremacy are not subjected to opprobrium and disgrace, but are portrayed as meritorious heroes who happen to commit grave sins. And however rustic and ahistorical the scenes of the king's fourteen-year exile in the forest of Salgala may seem, they are free from the supernatural explanations that abound elsewhere in the Mahavansa, and free from moral praise or accusation. In this respect, this Salgala episode represents a very unconventional genre of historical fiction.
The local tradition, of course, has even more details to tell about King Vattagamani's 14 years in exile than is recorded Mahavansa. The cave called Batha Dama Guna was his abode, named after the Arahant to whom he later donated it. A colossal rock is believed to be the spot where the king tied his elephant. The Belumgala rock on the top of the mountain was the vantage point from which the king kept an eye on the country. There was also said to be a secret tunnel to the neighbouring monastery area of Lenagala, which the king used as an escape route.
In addition to those mentioned, many other places in Sri Lanka claim to have been Valagamba's place of exile, especially in the province of Uva, which borders the mountains to the southeast.
The story told in chapter 33 of the Mahavansa about the end of the fourteen-year exile seems rather strange, neither like a historical report nor like a heroic legend: Already on the first stop of his escape, the monk Mahatissa from the Kupikkala monastery looked after the king by giving him food. Afterwards, the king also meets the same monk at the third and final place of his escape, in Samagalla or Salagalla. The monk assigns one of his servants, a chief or a gamekeeper named Tanasiva, to look after the king in his own house. But after fourteen years, one day Vattagamani's wife, Queen Anuladevi, went as usual to Tanasiva’s wife to receive her food ration. But this time, the latter kicked the basket away with her feet. Angry and crying, Anuladevi ran to her husband, the king. Tanasiva saw this and, fearing the king's revenge, took his bow and went to his abode. When Vattagamani learned from his wife what had happened, he immediately took her and the children to escape. As they left the house, Tanasiva approached with a drawn bow. But Vattagamani was faster and shot him. Then Vattagamani identified himself as king and gathered the people around him and chose eight ministers. Before his campaign against Anuradhapura, he went to the monk Kupikkala Mahatissa, who had supported him, to celebrate a big festival for the Buddha.
After regaining the throne in Anuradhapura, Mahatissa came and went as the king's advisor and guest. But his order considered this a violation of the rules governing dealings with laypeople and therefore excluded him from the Sangha. King Vattagamani Abhaya then established a new monastery in Anuradhapura for Kupikkala Mahatissa, the Abhayagiri.
The story is typically Asian in that there are no clear good and evil parties. Neither the king, nor the monk Mahatissa, nor the hunter Tanasiva appear as clearly good or evil heroes. Tanasiva looks after the king, is uninvolved in the women's dispute and only arms himself out of fear of the king's revenge. But indeed, Tanasiva wants to shoot Vattagamani. The king is pious and listens to the monk's advice, but he commits teh sacriledge of a schism of the Buddhist order for Mahatissa's sake. Although Mahatissa himself is guilty of violating the order's rule and of the even greater crime of the said schism, he is not a negative figure, but the organizer of the reconquest of the country and the rescuer of Buddhism from the clutches of South Indian foreign rulers.
The Mahavansa was written by monks of the Mahavihara, with a consciously polemical aim against the now larger and more influential Abhayagiri monastery, whose founding fathers were King Vattagamani and Kupikkala Mahatissa. It is all the more remarkable that the two breakers of the Mahavihara’s spiritual supremacy are not subjected to opprobrium and disgrace, but are portrayed as meritorious heroes who happen to commit grave sins. And however rustic and ahistorical the scenes of the king's fourteen-year exile in the forest of Salgala may seem, they are free from the supernatural explanations that abound elsewhere in the Mahavansa, and free from moral praise or accusation. In this respect, this Salgala episode represents a very unconventional genre of historical fiction.
The local tradition, of course, has even more details to tell about King Vattagamani's 14 years in exile than is recorded Mahavansa. The cave called Batha Dama Guna was his abode, named after the Arahant to whom he later donated it. A colossal rock is believed to be the spot where the king tied his elephant. The Belumgala rock on the top of the mountain was the vantage point from which the king kept an eye on the country. There was also said to be a secret tunnel to the neighbouring monastery area of Lenagala, which the king used as an escape route.
Salgala Sightseeing
Foreign travellers are allowed to visit the Salgala Hermitage, probably because only very few holidaymakers venture into this remote area. However, there are a few rules you have to follow: You should keep quiet. You shouldn't get too close to the cave hermitages that are still inhabited. And you have to leave the area by one o'clock at lunchtime so that the monks can remain completely undisturbed after their lunch. But the monks are friendly and open to foreigners and don't chase you away if you stay a little too long.
But be aware: The monks used to be bothered too much by two types of visitors who commited acts that are difficult to reconcile with respect for a Buddhist hermitage: thieves of medicinal plants from the nature reserve and lovers who wanted to go on a romantic trip. Another problem was the film crews who used to shoot scenes for their soap operas here. Because of the fatal effects of the spotlights on the local insect world, film productions in Salgala are now strictly prohibited.
But be aware: The monks used to be bothered too much by two types of visitors who commited acts that are difficult to reconcile with respect for a Buddhist hermitage: thieves of medicinal plants from the nature reserve and lovers who wanted to go on a romantic trip. Another problem was the film crews who used to shoot scenes for their soap operas here. Because of the fatal effects of the spotlights on the local insect world, film productions in Salgala are now strictly prohibited.
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In addition to the caves, some of which have been converted into image houses, Salgala's main architectural attraction is its meditation path, an ancient stone path through the forest that was and is used for walking meditation. This meditation path to the stone gate of the monastic boundary offers today's visitors a contemplative walk in the forest, which you don't have the opportunity to do in many places in Sri Lanka. There is definitely an incline to be covered on the way there, some parts of the path are stone steps. But the difficulty is only about half as demanding as in Sigiriya or Mihintale. The difference in altitude is comparable to that in Dambulla, but in Salgala you can walk comfortably in the shade of the trees and not in the blazing sun. Here and there along the way there are boards with quotes from the Dhammapada, the most popular moral instruction from the Buddhist Tripitaka canon.
Several paths run through the rocky area behind the gate to the various cave dwellings and to the vihara building on the top. It's hard to get lost because you just go back downhill. There are a confusing number of more or less comfortable ways down. But they all lead back to the main entrance at some point, so it's hard to get lost. On the way you will also pass a stupa and a small basin.
Several paths run through the rocky area behind the gate to the various cave dwellings and to the vihara building on the top. It's hard to get lost because you just go back downhill. There are a confusing number of more or less comfortable ways down. But they all lead back to the main entrance at some point, so it's hard to get lost. On the way you will also pass a stupa and a small basin.
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In front of some caves you can see “the path of the transience of everything earthly”, which ends in front of a dark niche in which a skeleton stands. This drastic form of “Memento mori” is not only intended to warn Roman triumphants against megalomania, but also to show every monk and visitor the core Buddhist teaching that any belief in something constant in one's own life is erroneous.
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Salgala Sanctuary
One of the threatened tree species found in the Salgala Nature Reserve is the Nedun tree, Pericopsis mooninana, better known as Nandu wood in other tropical regions of Asia. The tree species of the Salgala forest also include many typical of Sri Lanka's common species. These include the fern leaf tree Felicium decipiens, called Pihimbiya in Sinhala. It is also often found on streets or in front gardens because it is said to bring its owner good luck. That's why in some places there is a custom of inserting a piece of wood from this tree into the roof of the house. The Godapara tree, Dillenia retusa, is also seen in Salgala, which provides good timber. Illegal logging and clearing remain a danger in the protected area of Salgala to this day.
The medicinal plants used in Ayurveda that grow in Salgala include the fern or moss Kuda hedaya, Lycopodium squarrosum, which likes it very warm and humid, its growth requires a humidity of at least 80%. It often hangs from rocks and can grow as long as a tree. Lycopodium squarrosum belongs to the clubmoss family, about which there is still botanical uncertainty, for example whether they should be classified as mosses or ferns. Clubmoss is also known in European folk medicine as mistletoe. In Central Europe, the spores were used primarily against poorly healing wounds, cramps and rheumatic diseases. Clubmosses were once one of the predominant plant species on Earth and formed the organic basis for our current European coal deposits, particularly Lycopodium squarrosum.
The medicinal plants used in Ayurveda that grow in Salgala include the fern or moss Kuda hedaya, Lycopodium squarrosum, which likes it very warm and humid, its growth requires a humidity of at least 80%. It often hangs from rocks and can grow as long as a tree. Lycopodium squarrosum belongs to the clubmoss family, about which there is still botanical uncertainty, for example whether they should be classified as mosses or ferns. Clubmoss is also known in European folk medicine as mistletoe. In Central Europe, the spores were used primarily against poorly healing wounds, cramps and rheumatic diseases. Clubmosses were once one of the predominant plant species on Earth and formed the organic basis for our current European coal deposits, particularly Lycopodium squarrosum.
