Rajagiri Lena
Rajagirilena Kanda is a remote cultural site that is situated 50 meters above the ground, below a large boulder. Even though the brick building dates from a much later era, Sri Lankan Buddhism had been practiced there long before.
A better hermitage for Buddhist monks could hardly be chosen than these airy caverns, according to C. P. Bell who examined these caves. The monasteries at Mihintale and Anai-kutti kanda, which are both nearby but completely separate from each other and located within 8 miles of the Anuradhapura shrines, command from their serene, isolated elevation an unobstructed restful view across many miles of dark green forest and silvery tanks, providing every amenity for a quiet retreat.
Here, a number of cave inscriptions written in very primitive Brahmi script have been discovered. Rajagirilena, like the main monastery of Mihintale, allegedly came under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in the late Anuradhapura period, according to one of them.
A better hermitage for Buddhist monks could hardly be chosen than these airy caverns, according to C. P. Bell who examined these caves. The monasteries at Mihintale and Anai-kutti kanda, which are both nearby but completely separate from each other and located within 8 miles of the Anuradhapura shrines, command from their serene, isolated elevation an unobstructed restful view across many miles of dark green forest and silvery tanks, providing every amenity for a quiet retreat.
Here, a number of cave inscriptions written in very primitive Brahmi script have been discovered. Rajagirilena, like the main monastery of Mihintale, allegedly came under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in the late Anuradhapura period, according to one of them.
