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Take a road less travelled,

to this secret Buddhist Stupa.

One of the oldest Buddhist Stupas in the world is little-known and hard to find. It sits atop an outcrop just a short drive inland from the North-East Coast of Sri Lanka.

From May to September the road north of Trincomalee is usually hot and dry. There is less shade here than most of Sri Lanka. But driving time is short, as the road is newly-covered, straight and flat, from Trincomalee all the way past Kuchaveli. This land is sparsely populated, with the occasional newly-fenced plot. Some with a house, and the few there are, being small and plain.

The nearest comfortable accommodation is at Jungle Beach, Kuchaveli, where the beach huts rest scattered beneath shade-providing trees. The beach is long and wind exposed. A tropical version of the East Coast of England.

Once you cross the Kunchikumban Aru River Estuary at Pudawaikattu New Bridge (opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 27th April 2010), look for an inland turning (on the left). Three & a half kilometres down the lane is another on the right, leading to the ancient Buddhist temple (indicated by a brown & white road-sign – Thiriyaya Buddhist Shrine 01 km>).

At the temple’s entrance is a small ticket office, manned by a monk in Saffron robes collecting donations for its upkeep.

A poster on the building opposite describes the temple’s 2,661 year-old history. From there it is a short walk along a path through a pleasant wooded area to steps leading up to the ancient temple, where the Stupa covers a sacred relic of the Lord Buddha.

On the right before the climb, is a small and ancient Wewa (man-made reservoir, often known locally as a tank).

For this is the Dry Zone, where Buddhist rulers have been building these essential water-saving and life-sustaining marvels from hundreds of years before the birth of Christ.

Across the dam (or bund) some 200 or more steps take you to the top of the outcrop. Here rests the oldest Stupa. Not grand, but magnificent in form and location. And uniquely in Sri Lanka,  encasing a hair relic of the Lord Buddha.

During our visit, there was little life to be seen, except a small dozing dog at the top of the stairs and a garden lizard catching the rays from the rising sun while resting on the head of one of the four Buddha statues guarding the Stupa (check the photo above again).

Overnight rain had made for a cool climb, but with the sun growing higher, our descent was becoming uncomfortable, until another unseasonal shower provided welcome relief.

At the foot of the hill, we were rewarded with the sight of a pair of Kingfishers catching small fish from the Wewa for their brood. Click on the picture and it will expand.

Sri Lanka.

So much more than you can see in a lifetime.

Bird References
1. Harrison J. A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011.
2. Henry G.M. A Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka, 3rd edn. Colombo: Oxford University Press; 1998.