Salgala Aranya senasanaya is a Buddhist temple Which is situated close to galapitamada village in the sbaragamuwa province.Salgala is located in the Kegalle district. It is near the town warakapola. You can reach this place by bus from Warakapola to karawanella road. In that way, you will meet the Galapitamada junction. Then turn salgala road. It takes 4 kilometres from Galapitamada Junction to this place. Salgala Arnya Senasanaya has 600 acres land. It is a natural forest. Salgala is located in a very calm environment surrounded by the forest.
According to the ancient chronicle Mahavamsa, Salgala as known as Welthalla or Ketagilla. The name salgala is derivatives of ‘ Shila Guha’ or Shilla Gul. Its meaning is rock caves. Salgala was an ancient Buddhist monastery. Now it is known as Aranya Senasanaya. A lot of Buddhist monks stay here to get meditating.
There are weather-beaten stone steps that lead to the mountain. Visitors are permitted to enter this place from 9.00 am to 1.00pm. You can see monks seated in deep meditation in this place. The devotees pay silent on their journey to this rock place. Salgala is a house for forest monks and serves as a meditation centre.
This place has a long history. The ancient king Walagamba has lived in this place after his living place Wessagiriya. There was a cave named Ethubedi Lena. At that time, it was an elephant house of king Walagamba. Now it is a temple of Buddhist monks.
There are 18 rock caves in this place for Buddhist monks. The caves have been built for the Buddhist monks to live. When you are climbing the mountain, you will meet a lot of caves. Some of them are named. They are Vehera cave, Pippali cave and wepulla cave. After passing this cave you can go to the top of the rock. It is named the Belum gala. King Walagamba’s Army has situated this place to protect the king. It is a good place to watching the surrounding areas.
Salgala site is rich in medicinal plants. Sanda raja, Ira raja and kuduhediya can found in this forest area. There are many valuable herbal plants and trees in this forest. The trees are over a hundred feet tall and have thick undergrowth. The valuable trees such as Kaluwara, Pihimbiya, Hall Godapara, Milla, Nedun, and sall are found aplenty. There are more than 25 varieties of Butterflies that can see here.
Climbing Salgala is a very interesting journey. When you are climbing this rock temple you may think that you are walking through the forest. The chatters of birds will give you a gentle reminder that you are walking in the wild. You will meet monkeys also. It will be a fantastic tour.