A remote 3rd-century-BCE cave monastery in the jungle south of Panama, with hundreds of rock shelters and a hilltop stupa offering sweeping views.

Overview

Kudumbigala is an atmospheric forest monastery hidden in the jungle south of Panama, near the border of Kumana National Park. Spread across hundreds of hectares of dense bush, the site preserves more than two hundred rock caves once used by meditating monks, many bearing ancient Brahmi drip-ledge inscriptions. A steep climb up the granite outcrop leads past a distinctive cylindrical stupa, said to be the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka, to a summit with panoramic views over the surrounding wilderness and coast. Its isolation and wildlife make it a memorable half-day excursion from Arugam Bay.

History

The monastery was founded in the 3rd century BCE, traditionally in the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa, and inscriptions show it flourished as a meditation retreat from the 3rd century BCE to around the 7th century CE. Abandoned and swallowed by jungle for centuries, it was revived in the 20th century as a forest hermitage and remains a protected archaeological site.