Sithulpawwa Rock Temple
Sithulpavwa or Chittala Pabbata Vihara was located in Magampattu in the direction of Hambantota in the present Southern Province, belonging to the old Rohana kingdom, included in Kirinda Gramaseva domain. It corresponds to zone number 01 of the Yala sanctuary. K from Kataragama. m. 16 km from Tissamaharama via Yodhakandiya. m. 25 must be paid to reach this sacred ground.As Yala belongs to the Piyasa Forest, the Situlpavwa area and its trails are rich in wild animals. Situl Pavwa Puda, which was a prime result of the ancient Pabbata monastery system, consists of several mountains that have fallen from a group of rock slabs of different sizes. Centered around the mountain with the majestic big rock known as Maha Situlpavwa, this mountain ring looks like a fortress protected by the small Situlpavwa located in the east, the Dekundara mountain located in the south, and the Koravaggala mountain located a short distance in the west. Maha Situlpavwa mountain is 413 feet high. Little Situlpava is 450 feet high. Between these two mountains there was a long flat strip of land. There is a large pond or a small lake in one part of this, which takes the form of a denikadaka. The rain water that falls on the eastern and western slopes of the two mountain ranges flows into this lake. The way from near Maha Situlpavva cave temple to small Situlpavva falls on the sluice north of this lake. And the part between Maha Situlpavwa mountain and Dekundara mountain also belongs to the same land. The present entry way is from the culvert through this land. Here, too, there is a small pond or lake that is closer to the main mountain. The lowland areas of these lakes are rich in water-mixed soil, so they are similar to Kanduru. Since it starts near the two lakes and there are mountains all around, it can be considered that the mountain there was two-sided and two-sided. Made up of a huge rock, Maha Situlpava has terrible slopes in the east, north and south. Although the southern and western
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slopes of a section are not so steep, the eastern slopes are steeper than all sections. At the top of the small Situlpava are several large rock slabs. All over the mountain there are stones of different sizes. Between these rocks there are big and small caves (Durga) to climb to the top. These were the paths of humans as well as animals. This mountain has steep slopes on all sides. The peak of Dekundara mountain on the right is 444 feet high. This is from Situlpavwa where the stones are abundant. m. Two stretches to the right. The stony plain that starts from the western end of Maha Situlpava ends near Koravaggal hill. To the west of this is a rock ring with different sized boulders. The plains to the east are also abundant with stones. It is also rich in large stones. To enter this place with more number of caves, it is from Situlpav Bima. m. You have to go on a difficult path through the forest for about two. There are three kemis located in the rocks on the ground. One of them is so big that it gets the name of Korawak itself. These plots are also a part of the historical imagination. Siri carried a herd of elephants roaming in the stony forests that can be seen from the mountains where lakes are formed in the plains as well as in the rocky areas mentioned above. I think that after climbing to the top of Maha Situlpava or the top of Little Situlpava, the forest patch that cannot be seen until now and the fantastic scene with the remnant mountain ranges rising up from it can attract the attention of even the god-baboons. What do people say? Akasachetiya, Gonagala, where sacred grounds filled with the fragrance of virtues of thousands of great arahants who worked in the past. Seelawakanda, Atulagala, Velmalkema, Patanangala, Mandagala, etc., it is as if the sacred earth has lifted up the sacred land from place to place.