Sithulpawwa — meaning "hill of quiet mind" — is one of Sri Lanka's most ancient and revered Buddhist monasteries. Built in the 2nd century BC during the reign of King Kavantissa, it once housed up to 12,000 monks and is regarded as a forest hermitage of great spiritual importance.

Perched on granite outcrops rising from the Yala landscape, the monastery contains a complex of cave temples, stupas, and meditation caves adorned with ancient paintings and inscriptions that date back over two millennia.