About this experience
Pidurangala Rock Temple Entrance Tickets give you entry to the Pidurangala Viharaya, a Buddhist temple set on the great granite rock of Pidurangala, just north of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka's Matale District. It is a working place of worship and a registered archaeological protected site, and it is also the start of the path that climbs to the top of the rock.
The site has a long religious history. It was used as a Buddhist monastery as far back as the first and second centuries BC, and the monastic complex included an ancient stupa, a chapter house, an image house, a preaching hall, and drip-ledged caves carrying inscriptions. The whitewashed temple building at the foot of the rock is built directly against the face of the stone.
Higher up, beneath a long overhang of rock, lies a monumental reclining Buddha built of brick, its figure resting on a brick platform in the shade of the cave. Beyond it the trail continues over rock and through trees towards the summit, where the view opens across the forest to the column of Sigiriya Lion Rock. Sunrise from the top is a favourite with visitors, and the climb itself is popular with tourists and local people alike.
The entrance charge at Pidurangala forms part of a donation to the temple. Your booking reference is exchanged for a physical ticket, printed for the Pidurangala Cave and Rock Temple, Sigiriya, which you should have with you before entering the sacred grounds. As this is an active Buddhist temple, it is a place to move quietly and with respect.
