The atmospheric ruins of an ancient forest hermitage of meditating monks, set in cool woodland north of Kurunegala.

Overview

Arankele is one of Sri Lanka's finest surviving forest hermitages, a spread of austere stone ruins hidden in shady woodland where ascetic monks once lived in silent meditation. Visitors follow a jungle path past a meditation walkway, ponds, stone-faced platforms and the remains of double-platform buildings and a bathing pool, all built with deliberate plainness. The quiet, tree-shaded setting still carries a strong sense of retreat and calm.

History

The monastery flourished from around the 6th to 8th centuries CE as a community of the pamsukulika (rag-robe) forest monks, who withdrew from the great urban monasteries to pursue meditation in seclusion. It is traditionally associated with the venerated monk Maliyadeva. The precise, understated stonework is characteristic of the island's forest-hermitage architecture.