Subashitharamaya

(specially for the ladies)

Location:- This buddhist nunnery is situated in a village called thalangalla which belongs to thawalama secretarial division in galle disdrict in the southern province of sri lanka.it is an impressive,calm and quiet religious site surrounded by the paddy fields and when seen form a distance it looks like an island.
Commencement:- When it was started on 23rd of june in 1993 the area was covered whith a thick jungle. At the beginning there was only one hut or a dwelling place there. Two feminine bhikkhus lived there at that time. Today it has become an attractive place because of the effort and the dedication of the feminine bhikkus(nuns) living there and the villages. The patronage for this nunnery is given by sumanasara thero who is living in the hermitage rajawangala in Halgahawala Opatha.
Today we can see a Buddha image house (shrine room) bodhi terrace,dolos maha pahana and a dharma sala which can be seated more than 300 derotees. The speciality of this manas tery is banyan tree called nuga bodhi  kashyapa Buddha sat under. It is belived that this bodhi gives a great power for the well-being of the plasce.
A sil campaing is conducted in every full moon poya day here. Also many other different kinds of religious activities like “Bodhi Puja” “Nethra Pinkama” etc are taken place an the other days. Many devotees form far away yillages come to this place to participate in these meritorious acyivititiees. At the same time a meditation progromme is conducted once a month and many devotees participate in this. Different kinds of meditations are taught here. The origin is “sathara sathipattana” (meditation on mindfulness) next “samatha” (meditation on tranquility) and later comes to practice “Vidarshana” (meditation on insight). These meditations help followers to leave off their defilements and to have an advanced concentration of mind. On Poya days both men and women engage in these religious programmes while the other days only the women participate. There feminine Bhikkus are living here permanently and there are eight external feminine bhikkus too. They get invitations from schools for Preaching “Dhamma” and conducting meditation Programme on poya days.
Young feminine bhikkus get their education from Privena. Girls under eleven and women over sixty are not accepted for ordination. “Neluwe dhammachari sil matha” is the eldest feminine bhikku. Panangala sella Visuddhi sil matha Mabotuwanna Dhammaseela Sil Matha and kevum kumbura Lelwala sil matha also live there.

Time table on Poya days.
6.00 AM –6.30 AM        - Observing Sil (precepts)
6.30 AM –7.00 AM        - Buddha Puja
7.00 AM – 8.00 AM        - Breakfast
8.00 AM –9.30 AM        - Meditation Programme
9.30 AM  –10.30 AM       -  Tea
10.30 AM  – 11.00 AM -    Buddha Puja
11.00 AM  – 12.00 PM -    lunch
12.0 AM   – 1.00 PM   -    Interval
1.00 PM   – 2.00 PM    -   Dhamma discussion
2.00 PM   –2.30 PM    -   Tea
2.30 PM    –4.30 PM   –   Meditation Programme
4.30 PM    –5.00 PM    –  Transferring of Nerits (Punyanumodana)