Nathagane Aranniya Senasanaya

Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya

Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya is situated in Kurunegala in Sri Lanka. It is situated in a village named Nathagane which is at the bottom of a 350-meter high mountain range.  It is also known as the Mundakundapola Nuwara and has a history that goes back to the 2^nd-3^rd century BC. 

About the destination

Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya is an ancient cave temple that is believed to have been a fort, an Aramaic complex, a palace, and a temple at different times in the past. It is believed that King Vattagamini Abhaya after being defeated by the Indian Tamil invaders has stayed in here and later he has gone making caves having natural defenses. After his victory over Indian invaders, all these caves had been converted to cave temples thus the same happened with Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya.

Structure of Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya

Nathagane Aranya Senasanaya has a very unique structure. It was a very neglected site on the mountain which was revived during the Kandyan era. The architectural features of one of the image houses show styles that are popular during the Kandyan Era. The other image house and other cave buildings are very old and are believed to have been built in the Anuradhapura kingdom.

Reaching the destination

From Colombo

Go on McCallum Road and turn right onto Sri Sangaraja Mawatha.  Continue onto Colombo – Katunayake Expressway and take the Katunayake exit.  Turn left onto Divulapitiya Road and turn onto Kurunegala Road.

Turn left onto Kalugamuwa-Wariyapola Road and turn left onto Katugastota-Kurunegala-Puttalam Highway. Then turn left onto Aranya Senasana Road to reach your destination.

From Kurunegala

Go on Bauddhaloka Road and turn left onto Katugastota-Kurunegala-Puttalam Highway. Turn left onto Aranya Senasana Road to reach your destination

Images courtesy of : Onal Karunaratne