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.Collectif Asie, tome 2, Aménager l'espace, vol. 2, Presses de l'Université Paris-Sorbonne, 1994, 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.
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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
Sigiriya at seelanka.net Tourist Map of Sigiriya Rock and its Surrounding Area, www.jica.go.jp Pidurangala Temple Archaeological Site , srilankatravelnotes.com Pidurangala in the shadow of Sigiriya, in Daily News (Sri Lanka), 17 October 2008 Archived Pidurangala Rock at tripadvisor.com