Tucked within an ancient ironwood forest on the Dummiya mountain range in Kurunegala District, Na Uyana Aranya is one of Sri Lanka's most significant forest monasteries. Affiliated with the Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha — an organisation dedicated to reviving the Buddhist forest-dwelling tradition — Na Uyana spans more than 5,000 acres and is home to around 150 monks, including roughly 25 practitioners from overseas. It is a living, working monastery: not a museum or tourist site, but a place of serious meditation practice that opens cautiously to sincere visitors and retreatants.
How old is Na Uyana Monastery?
Archaeological evidence places Na Uyana among the oldest monastic sites in Sri Lanka. Ancient cave dwellings bearing Brahmi inscriptions, along with the ruins of a small stupa complex, have been dated to the 3rd century BCE. One inscription records that King Uttiya — successor to King Devanampiya Tissa, during whose reign Buddhism was first introduced to the island — donated his royal pleasure grove to the Sangha. If that attribution is accurate, Na Uyana was established just a generation after Buddhism arrived in Sri Lanka, making it one of the earliest monasteries founded outside Polonnaruwa's ancient capital region of Anuradhapura.
The new stupa at the monastery is built directly over the ruins of that ancient complex, creating a physical and spiritual continuity between the 3rd century BCE and the present day.
What is the modern history of Na Uyana?
After centuries of dormancy, the ancient site was rediscovered in 1954 by Venerable Wigoda Bodhirakkhita Thera. Two years later, senior Burmese disciples of the renowned meditation master Mahasi Sayadaw — Sayadaw U Nandavamsa and Sayadaw U Javana — visited, drawing Na Uyana into a broader network of Theravada meditation revival across South and Southeast Asia.
The decisive turning point came in 1997, when Angulgamuwe Ariyananda Thera relocated to Na Uyana with a group of monks and initiated a sustained revival. Under his leadership, the monastery grew into the largest in the Yogasrama Samstha. Venerable Nauyane Ariyadhamma Mahathera, the late Spiritual Director of the Samstha, also resided here for many years. In 2007, the Most Venerable Bhaddanta Acinna — the current Pa-Auk Sayadaw — undertook a long personal retreat at Na Uyana, staying in seclusion and suspending his regular teaching schedule for the duration.
What are the different sections of Na Uyana?
The monastery is organised into four distinct sections, each roughly 30 minutes on foot from the next. Together they illustrate the range of practice environments Na Uyana offers, from communal to deeply solitary.
- Pansiyagama (Kurunegala) Section — The heart of the ancient monastery, set within a dense ironwood forest. This section contains the uposatha hall (a ceremonial chapter hall), meditation hall, refectory, library, and administrative offices, along with approximately 80 individual kutis (monks' residences). It retains the most forest cover of any section.
- Mountain Section — A more recently developed area on the main hill, with around 80 kutis and the principal meditation hall. Reforestation is ongoing here, and the elevated terrain offers a somewhat different character from the lowland sections.
- Matale Section — Situated among grassy hills with lighter forest cover, this section has around 20 kutis and a smaller meditation hall. Its more open setting suits monks who prefer a quieter, less enclosed environment.
- Aandagala Section — A remote, densely forested enclave reserved strictly for the most austere dhutanga practitioners. Aandagala has only four mud huts and operates in near-total isolation from the other sections. Monks residing here must walk to nearby villages for alms, maintaining one of the most ancient forms of monastic life.
Meals are provided separately for the first three sections, though some monks in those areas also choose to go on almsround. The stupa at the Pansiyagama section stands as a centrepiece of daily religious life and communal observance.
What meditation tradition is practised at Na Uyana?
Na Uyana is one of the two principal meditation monasteries of the Yogasrama Samstha, the other being Nissarana Vanaya. The primary method taught is Pa-Auk Samatha-Vipassana, a rigorous systematic approach to concentration and insight meditation developed and popularised by the Pa-Auk Sayadaw tradition of Myanmar. The senior meditation teacher is Venerable Ariyananda Thera.
Practitioners at Na Uyana may join group sittings held in the two main meditation halls or practise independently within their kutis. The monastery's deep forest environment — quiet, shaded, and largely free from urban distraction — is considered integral to the quality of practice it supports. This alignment of place and method is part of what draws serious meditators from across Asia and beyond.
Can lay visitors and foreign meditators visit Na Uyana?
Na Uyana is primarily a monastic residence and is not a general tourist destination. Lay visitors are welcome to pay their respects at the stupa and walking paths, but the monastery's main purpose is the training and residence of monks. Foreign nationals who wish to ordain or undertake a retreat here are advised to make contact well in advance through the Sri Kalyani Yogasrama Samstha, as accommodation for lay meditators is limited and subject to the community's guidelines.
Those visiting the broader Kurunegala region will find Na Uyana most rewarding as a site of quiet contemplation rather than active sightseeing. The surrounding ironwood forest — dominated by Na trees (Mesua ferrea), from which the monastery takes its name — provides a natural setting of considerable calm. The Dhamma school tradition in Sri Lanka means that lay Buddhist families are already familiar with the Samstha's work, and many make pilgrimages to Na Uyana on poya (full moon) days.
How do I get to Na Uyana from Colombo?
Na Uyana lies roughly 130 kilometres northeast of Colombo, in the hills between Kurunegala and Matale. The most practical route by road follows the A6 highway toward Kurunegala, then continues through Ibbagamuwa and into the hills toward Pansiyagama. The drive typically takes between three and four hours depending on traffic, and the final approach along rural roads requires care, particularly in wet weather.
There is no regular public transport that goes directly to the monastery entrance. Most visitors arrange a private vehicle from Colombo or Kurunegala town. If you are planning a journey that combines Na Uyana with other sites in the North Western and Central provinces, a private driver is the most flexible option.
What is the best time to visit Na Uyana?
The monastery can be visited year-round. The Kurunegala region receives rainfall from both monsoons, so there is rarely a prolonged dry period. The ironwood forest is particularly atmospheric during and after the rains, when mist settles in the valleys between the hills. The driest and most comfortable months for travel to the area are generally January through March and July through September. Poya days see higher volumes of lay visitors; those seeking a quieter experience may prefer weekday visits.
