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Chaitiya National Park and Minneriya
National Park. Just 6km off the Habarana–
Trincomalee road at Gal Oya junction, it is
also a popular safari tour from Polonnaruwa
and Habarana because of the good chance of
getting up close and personal with elephants.
In October there can be up to 250 elephants
in the park, including herds of juvenile males.
There are also leopards, fishing cats, sambar
deer, endangered rusty-spotted cats and sloth
bears. The best months for a visit are October
to March.
Ritigala Ruins
Deep inside the Ritigala Strict Nature
Reserve are the sprawling, jungle-covered
ruins of an extensive monastic and cave com-
plex. The broken stone structures, fallen carv-
ings and once-sacred caves lie on a 766m hill,
a striking feature that looms above the dry
central flatlands.
Ritigala was probably a place of refuge
(as long ago as the 4th century BC) and also
has mythological status. It’s claimed to be
the spot from which Hanuman (the monkey
god) leapt to India to tell Rama that he had
discovered where Sita was being held by the
king of Lanka.
Monks found Ritigala’s caves ideal for an
ascetic existence, and more than 70 have
been discovered. Royals proved generous
patrons, especially King Sena I, who in the
9th century made an endowment of a monas-
tery to the pamsukulika (rag robes) monks.
Ritigala was abandoned following
the Chola invasions in the 10th and 11thcenturies, after which it lay deserted and
largely forgotten until it was rediscovered by
British surveyors in the 19th century.1 Sights
The ruined structures that remain are not
that visually impressive to the casual observ-
er and there are none of the usual icons: no
bodhi tree, no relic house and no Buddha
images. The only embellishments are on the
urinals at the forest monastery – it’s been
conjectured that by urinating on the fine
stone carving the monks were demonstrating
their contempt for worldly things.
Near the Archaeology Department bunga-
low are the remains of a banda pokuna (arti-
ficial pond), which apparently fills with water
during the rainy season. It’s an evocative loca-
tion, with the steep green mountain providing
a backdrop like a verdant amphitheatre. From
here it’s a scramble along a forest path via a
donations hall to a ruined palace and the
monastery hospital, where you can still see
the grinding stones and huge stone baths. A
flagstone path leads upwards; a short detour
takes you to what is often described as a stone
fort – or, more accurately, a lookout.
The next group of ruins of note are the
double-platform structures so characteristic
of forest monasteries. Here you can see the
urinal stones. Scholars think they were used
for meditation, teaching and ceremony.8 Information
Few people make it to ritigala; it’s a steep, pun-
ishing climb through the forest (allow at least
three hours to see the site). Individual tickets cost
US$10/5 per adult/child.THE GATHERING
One of Asia’s great wildlife spectacles occurs at Minneriya National Park in August and Sep-
tember. Known as ‘the Gathering’, 200 or more elephants gather for several weeks in one
concentrated spot. Long thought to be driven by thirst during the dry season, only recently
has it been learned that the natural factors behind the Gathering are much more complex.
The elephants surround the Minneriya Tank, the huge reservoir first built in the 3rd cen-
tury AD. It was assumed that they were there for the water, as it remains wet even when
smaller water holes dry up. However, biologists have discovered that the water’s retreat
from the land is what really lures the elephants. As the tank shrinks, it leaves behind vast
swaths of muddy earth that are soon covered in rich, tender grass. It’s a tasty feast for the
elephants and they come in droves.
Unfortunately, recent actions by the water authority (which manages irrigation for local
farmers) have threatened the Gathering in recent years. When the tank is full, new grasses
won’t emerge. The result can be a lot of elephants standing around looking for their food.
Other pressing issues include illegal encroachment inside the park and the poaching of
wildlife.