BATATOTA LENA VIHARA

One of the better-known temples in the country, this cave temple is situated in a small village called Batatota in the Kuruwita area in the Ratnapura District. It can be reached by travelling on the Erathna-Kuruwita Road (leading to Sri Pada) till one reaches the Batatota School. It is another half kilometre away from the Batatota junction. This route leads to the foot of the Batatota mountain. A steep flight of carved stone steps will take the visitor to the top of the cave. Once inside the cave, one is struck by its enormity and brightness. The view of surrounding jungles and the distant horizon, including that of Sri Pada, is inspiring.

At the entrance to the cave is a pond filled with fish, locally known as Manduka Vila. The cave is also home to a stunning phenomenon. Lush, dark green ferns cascading down from the rock ceiling give the cave a truly lost and mysterious atmosphere. These ferns are watered throughout the year by incessant drops of water that keeps seeping down through the cave roof.

The cave became home to the temple during the Polonnaruwa period. The temple proper was constructed during the reign of King Nissanka Malla (1178 — 1207) after he stumbled upon it on his way back from a pilgrimage to Sri Pada.

Some historians are of the view that Batatota Lena cave is, in fact, the highly disputed Diwaguhawa where the Buddha, along with five hundred disciples, is said to have rested on his way back from Sri Pada after leaving his footprint there.

Walking towards the back of the massive cave, one can see a shrine room, a dagaba, and Devalaya. The cave walls inside the shrine room are covered with well-restored paintings. One whole side depicts arahants amongst the clouds, with their eyes trained towards a reclining Buddha image, a depiction it would seem, of the Buddha’s parinirvana. The statue is almost 20 feet long and is in a fairly good state of preservation. Several other statues have either been repaired or lie around in a state of decay.

The temple is remarkable for a beautiful Makara thorana belonging to the Anuradhapura period, seen at the entrance to the shrine room. The sculpture is carved with two Makaras, face-to-face, with tongue-like projections joining into a keertimukha (face of glory) at the centre. Although broken and repaired in some places, it still retains a beauty that can only be attributed to the skill of the artists of that period.

A mere 200 meters away is the ancient Streepura cave, which is, unfortunately, very difficult to reach. It is of some historical significance, being the cave where the queens of King Walagamba are said to have lived for some time.

The Batatota cave has been held in high esteem by Buddhists throughout the ages. After its restoration recently, many pilgrims have begun making the arduous trek to see this beautiful temple inside a cave.

(A Short Guide to Some less-visited Temples in Sri Lanka by Malika Jayasinghe 2015. P38 )

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Batathota Lena Cave Temple

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