Introduction
Arankele cave hermitage was the site of an ancient forest monastery. Arankele is
in two parts- The impressive ancient hermitage consists of moats, waterways and
stone walls, a complete ancient hospital with stone herbal bath, herb-grinder, sick
rooms, meditation and preaching halls, a large and beautifully designed bath, a
circular shrine and a faultless drainage and sanitary system and the ancient sakman
maluwa, the remarkable ‘meditation walk’ paved with dressed stone, shaded by hoary
forest trees. Devotees visit the monastery daily to bring the offerings of food,
drink and other necessities to the monks.
The fascinating sixth century Buddhist forest hermitage of Arankele is where the
monk Maliyadeva and other hermits lived in solitude and meditation. The name Arankele
is derived from Aram (hermitages), Kele (forest). Arankele means hermitages in the
forest.Among the ruins are a Bodhigara, Simamalake and well-laid paths used by the
Monks to pace to and from during the course of their meditation. A community of
forest dwelling monks still reside in this temple ith the the cave shelters nestled
deep in the jungle providing them the ideal retreats for meditation. An environmentally
friendly person would find a typical tropical vegetation which includes hardwood
trees.
|