Ritigala

Ritigala rises to 766 metres, some six hundred above the dry plain - the highest mountain in the north of Sri Lanka, named in the Mahavamsa as Arittha Pabbata - high enough to catch its own weather and grow plants found nowhere else in the region, and on its lower slopes are the ruins of a monastery of the pamsukulika, ascetic monks who rejected ornament entirely. What survives reflects that: broad stone paths, roundabouts, double-platform meditation structures and stone bridges, all completely plain, with no carving, no statues and no stupas; the ruins and rock inscriptions go back to the first century BC.

What to look for

• The stone paths - broad paved ways running up through the forest.
• The double platforms - paired meditation structures unique to this monastic tradition.
• The absence of ornament - no carving or images anywhere in the complex.
• The mountain - a wet forested peak rising out of the dry-zone plain.

When to go

January to April is the driest. The forest is cool even in the hot months. Mornings are best for the walk up.

Before you go

The upper mountain is a strict nature reserve and closed to visitors; only the monastery area is open. There is little interpretation and the plainness confuses visitors expecting temples. Leeches appear after rain.

Nearby

Anuradhapura is northwest, and Habarana is southeast.