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Pidurangala Rock

Pidurangala Rock is a rocky outcrop located in central Sri Lanka, in the Matale District, about north of the more well-known Sigiriya rock.

Geology

These bare peaks rise abruptly from the low-lying plains that extend from the central mountain range of the country. They are inselbergs, hardened granite outcrops deriving from solidified magma plugs of former volcanoes.

History

The rocks form the site of Pidurangala Vihara, a former Buddhist monastery, which is a registered archaeological protected site. Caves house a temple, Sigiri Pidurangala Raja Maha Viharaya, which is believed to have been built by King Kashyapa in the 5th century, and a monumental brick statue of a reclining Buddha. King Kashyapa's stupa is near the entrance to the monastery, and there are remains of another stupa on the top of the outcrop.

Gallery

References

Bibliography

  • Senake Bandaranayake and Mats Mogren (Ed.), Further studies in the settlement archaeology of the Sigiriya-Dambulla region, University of Kelaniya, Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, 1994, 349 p. (numerous references to Pidurangala)
  • Klaus Kilian and Hans-Joachim Weishaar, Excavations at Pidurangala (Sri Lanka): The Upper Rock Shelter, Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein, 1994, 125 p.

External links