The Batatotalena Cave, also known as the Diva Guhava in
Buddhist literature
Buddhist texts are those religious texts which belong to the Buddhist tradition. The earliest Buddhist texts were not committed to writing until some centuries after the death of Gautama Buddha. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts a ...
, is a
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
system in Sudagala, away from the town of
Kuruwita
Kuruwita is a town in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is 87 km from Colombo. It used to be served by the narrow gauge Sabaragamuwa Railway, a branch of the national railway system. And known for the nearb ...
, in the
Sabaragamuwa Province of
Sri Lanka.
The cave measures approximately high, wide, and in length, totalling the internal cave area to . Accessing the cave involves a
hike from Sudagala, and an additional
climb to reach the cave entrance. Approximately from the cave is another partially submerged cave, which is accessible after a
swim.
In
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, it is believed to be the cave in which the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
spent the day after placing his footprint on
Adam's Peak
Adam's Peak is a tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada ( si, ශ්රී පාද), i.e., "sacred footprint", a rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be ...
, from where he supposedly proceeded to
Dighavapi
Deeghawapi (Pali, "long reservoir") is a Buddhist sacred shrine and an archaeological site in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, boasting of historical records dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Water reservoirs, called "tanks", were an important ...
.
See also
*
Batadombalena
References
{{Reflist
Caves of Sri Lanka
Prehistoric Sri Lanka
Buddhist caves in Sri Lanka
Landforms of Ratnapura District
Archaeological protected monuments in Ratnapura District