The Oldest Buddhist Monastery Still in Use

On a small hill in Southern Sri Lanka lies the painted caves of Mulgirigala.

The oldest, seen here, were painted by the Kandyan Kingdom at roughly the same time as the Mughals were establishing themselves over North India, and as European trading companies were beginning to encroach upon the Sri Lankan coastline.

Picture 2 shows my favourite of the murals - a troup of female musicians and dancers

But the monastery itself is much older than that, and the oldest inscriptions date from the 2nd century BC, where we are told that this cave has been donated to the Buddhist Sangha

What's extraordinary about Mulgirigala is that, unlike the great monasteries of Nalanda, Anuradhapura and Taxila, Mulgirigala has remained a centre for Buddhist learning since its founding. This makes it a contender for the oldest Buddhist monastery in continous use anywhere in the world

Fascinatingly, 18th century Dutch travellers believed that this hill was the resting place of Adam and Eve - possibly confusing the hill with nearby Adam's peak

It was in a chest in this very room that the greatest chronicle of Ancient Sri Lanka - the Mahavamsa - was first discovered in a chest. To read a post on this extraordinary discovery, hop on over to my subscription-only page!