Once a great monastery of Bikkhunis, The Batuwawu Kanda monastery stands abandoned, destroyed and desecrated amidst the jungles that covers the ruins today. 

Situated miles away from Deegawapiya the Batuwawu Kanda or Mullikulamalai is an unassuming rocky mountain the tallest middle of a three peak mountain range. Yet the climb upwards amidst towering rock boulders reveals a stone stairway leading upwards towards the stone foundation of a building, which stands no more. 

On the second peak is a stupa, destroyed by treasure hunters and another stone stairway leads to two large drip ledged caves and a meditation pavilion. The inscription near the stairway records that it was built by a minister called ‘Sidham’ while the caves carry no inscription. 

On Eastern face of the mountain are more drip edged caves, which are been destroyed with dynamite. The inscriptions within these caves speaks of no other than Viharamaha Devi, the legendary queen of King Kawanthissa and the mother of Great King DutuGamunu and his brother King Saddatissa .

The inscriptions found within the  cave at the Batuwawu Kanda speaks of a cave built for a person known as ‘Shavera’, similar to the Madanakanda inscriptions,  yet at this stage she is identified as a ‘Shamaniya’ or a Bikkhuni, who is also the mother of the Eastern province ruler and the daughter of Maha-Tissa. Thus the inscription at this drip ledged cave, which is being destroyed by religious extremists, is the only clue to the last years of a great Queen of Sri Lankan history.

Things To Do: photography, archeology, hiking and investigation