Hulan Nuge, Tharu lengala temple is famous for two reasons. This temple
has one of the oldest reclining Buddha statue made with clay.
The other reason is that the Hulannuge cave is
considered as the longest natural cave in Asia.
This village got its name because of the large
Nuga tree, which generate noise when the wind blows.
Hulan Nuge temple is located in Lahugala (A4 road), between Siyabalanduawa and Potuwil.
If you are coming from Siyabalanduwa, you need to take a by road towards to your left hand side.
This temple is believed to be built by king Kavanthissa and in this cave
you can see many drawings done by Vaddhas, Sri Lanka's aboriginal
inhabitants. This Buddha statue is one of the oldest remaining clay statue in Sri Lanka.
Once you are entered to the temple, you can see main temple cave where
the reclining Buddha statue is located. This was made out of clay and
bricks. Some parts of the statue was destroyed
when for searching for treasure.
You need to walk walk 700 meters along the foot path to reach the caves.
Path is not so clear and flat as always and you need to hang on trees
to
cross some areas. Fortunately we didn't see any
leeches, but some areas of the path occupied by jungle ants. Anyway at
the end, your effort will be compensated with what you see there.
You will be in the longest cave in South Asia and
it's truly lengthy.
To reach the caves, you need to climb up. The path is marked with the
arrows painted on trees and rocks. At the initial stage, you will get a
steep climbing and
Cables are there to hang and get supported. You
will find a Buddha statue and a pagoda on your way.
You also can see remaining basements of some constructions along this 700 feet long cave.
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