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You can reach Ritigala Kanda which is of much historical value, 11 km from the Habarana Maradankadawala road. The mountain itself has a long history which dates back to 177 BC around the time Buddhism was established in Sri Lanka. Ritigala-Kanda is the highest mountain in the North Central Province (2,51411) and the archaeological findings here give an insight into the early history of Sri Lanka. Ruins of an underground tunnel which led to Anuradhapura can be seen next to the palace. There are a number of caves with broken granite Buddha statues and ancient inscriptions.
The "Bandha Pokuna", built by King Pandukabhaya in 307 BC. lies at the entrance foot of the mountain. It is said that the king had been hiding from his uncles, who were trying to kill him. During this period of time he built his palace here and carried the battle against his seven uncles. The king donated the palace to the early Buddhist monks to be used as a monastery after he won the battle.
The monastery at Ritigala was known as Aritha Vihara and had been functioning during the period of 2 to 9th century B.C. There are 32 caves with drip ledges in this site and a large number of inscriptions have been discovered there.
Ritigala is an archaeological reserve, and had been a forest hermitage of monks for a long time.
There had been promenades created for the monks for meditation in all postures. Promenades were essential features for meditating monks. Seated position and meditating while walking were the two popular modes.
Ritigala reserve is a significant site accommodating rare flora. The range of mountains here have different environmental conditions due to its varying heights and therefore varying climate conditions from dry to wet weather. Hence the fauna and flora bear very special characteristics. It has been recorded with over 400 species of plants.
There is a large number of species of wild animals, among which, elephants, leopards, spotted deer, elk, and amphibians are prominent.
