Vessagiriya
A cluster of huge boulders that sheltered an early forest monastery, with cave dwellings, drip-ledges and inscriptions tucked among the rocks and trees.
Near Isurumuniya and Ranmasu Uyana, a cluster of natural rock caves forms one of Anuradhapura's oldest forest monastery complexes, established by King Devanampiya Tissa in the 3rd century BCE and closely tied, both by name and location, to the site's confused historical identity alongside Isurumuniya itself. Some historians believe Vessagiriya actually represents the true original Isurumuni Viharaya mentioned in ancient chronicles, its name likely derived from a combination of Vaishya, one of the principal castes in Indian society associated with merchants and traders, and Giri, the Sinhalese word for hill or mountain, together suggesting a monastic settlement historically connected to a merchant caste community.
Chronicle records indicate that one of the original eight saplings taken from the sacred Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura was planted here, a detail underscoring the site's early religious significance, and subsequent kings continued developing the complex across the centuries, King Vasabha built a chapter house at the site during his reign between 65 and 100 CE, while King Voharika Tissa added a surrounding wall to the monastery in the early 3rd century. The complex was later renamed by King Kashyapa I in honor of his two daughters, Bo and Upulvan, a detail confirmed by a 6th century inscription discovered at the site.
Today, twenty three separate rock caves survive within the complex, though legend suggests it was originally considerably larger, stone from the site reportedly quarried for use in later construction projects elsewhere in Anuradhapura over the centuries. Quiet, rarely crowded, and easy to combine with a visit to neighboring Isurumuniya and Ranmasu Uyana, Vessagiriya offers travelers a genuinely tactile connection to the earliest, most ascetic strand of Sri Lankan Buddhist monasticism, forest dwelling monks living among bare rock rather than within grand architectural monuments.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Covered by the Anuradhapura sacred city ticket, around USD 25
- Opening hours: Daylight hours
- Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes
- Best time: Late afternoon
Getting there
Just south of Isurumuniya on the edge of the sacred city.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Vessagiriya?
- Covered by the Anuradhapura sacred city ticket, around USD 25.
- What are the opening hours at Vessagiriya?
- Daylight hours.
- How long should I spend at Vessagiriya?
- Plan for 30 to 45 minutes.
- When is the best time to visit Vessagiriya?
- Late afternoon.
- How do I get to Vessagiriya?
- Just south of Isurumuniya on the edge of the sacred city.