Buduruwagala

Buduruwagala tickets and tours: which one to book

Buduruwagala has no online ticket. Foreign visitors pay a modest fee at a small hut by the entrance to the site, and Sri Lankans enter free. Shoes are left at the edge of the sacred area, and a tip for the man who minds them is appreciated. Most travellers reach the carvings on a day trip by tuk-tuk or car from Ella, the hill town 30 to 40 minutes' drive to the north. A typical outing combines Buduruwagala with Diyaluma Falls, the second highest waterfall in the country, where you can swim in the upper pools, and sometimes Rawana Falls, a tea estate or the Nine Arch Bridge on the way back.

Such trips usually include the driver and vehicle for the day and pick-up from your guesthouse; entrance fees, lunch and a local guide at the falls are paid separately. The sensible choice is to hire a tuk-tuk driver in Ella for a half or full day and agree the route in advance, which is cheaper than most packaged excursions and lets you linger. A car with driver is more comfortable on the winding road down to Wellawaya. Travellers moving on towards the south coast or Yala can also break the journey here, since the site lies just off the main road. A guide adds little at the rock itself, where the information panels cover the essentials.

Visiting Buduruwagala: what to see and how to behave

Buduruwagala, the rock of Buddhist images, lies a few kilometres south of the market town of Wellawaya, reached by a narrow road through paddy fields and past a small reservoir. A short path through the trees ends at a bare granite cliff into which seven figures were carved, probably in the 9th or 10th century, when Mahayana Buddhism had a following in this part of the island. Little is known about who made them; the site is thought to have been a hermitage for monks. In the centre stands a Buddha about 16 m tall, the tallest standing Buddha in Sri Lanka, still showing traces of the stucco that once covered the robe and a streak of orange from the paint that decorated it.

To his right are three figures: the white-washed Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, with a female figure beside him in a graceful bent pose, usually taken to be Tara, and a third attendant. The group to the left is thought to include Maitreya, the Buddha to come. Look also for the flame-shaped hollow carved into the rock, which is always slick with an oily seep that local people say smells of mustard oil. Remove your shoes and hat, keep voices down and never pose for a photograph with your back to the Buddha, which is considered disrespectful in Sri Lanka. Monkeys frequent the area, so keep food out of sight. From Ella, take the road south through the Ella gap to Wellawaya, then the signposted turning towards the site.

Buduruwagala: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The site is open during daylight hours, roughly from early morning until late afternoon, with no fixed timetable posted. The best time is early morning, when the sun lights the face of the rock, the air is still cool in the lowlands and the paddy fields are quiet; the carvings are also well lit in the late afternoon. The dry season in this part of Sri Lanka runs roughly from May to September, though showers are possible at any time, and the heavier rains of the northeast monsoon fall between November and February.

Full moon days, called poya, bring local pilgrims dressed in white and offerings of flowers at the foot of the statues; they are public holidays, so expect more people. Allow 45 minutes to an hour at the site. It combines easily with Diyaluma Falls, the Ella Rock and Little Adam's Peak hikes, and onward travel towards Tissamaharama and Yala National Park.