Sri Lanka is commonly known for its sandy white beaches, the hill country where its world-class tea hails from and national parks full of animals like elephants and leopards but, it also has several archaeological sites that are worth seeing; one of those being the prehistoric Pahiyangala cave. Located in the Kalutara district, not far from the capital Colombo, the caves are famed for the 37,000 year old fossils of prehistoric men that were discovered inside them in 1968.
The cave is also known as the Fa Hsien cave, due to a legend that says the Chinese Buddhist monk Fa-Hsien, took shelter here during his long journey to Adam’s Peak. Whether that’s true or not, a trip down to the caves is definitely worth it and there are plenty of good Hotels in Wadduwa such as the Taprobana Wadduwa, so making it a day trip is the really the best option. At the base of the hill where the cave is located, is an information centre and temple. From this point, no vehicles can go further so it’s an uphill trek.
Excavations in the main cavern unearth prehistoric habitation belonging to the Mesolithic (9000 – 5500 BC) period. There is a deep pit dug by the Archaeological Department in the middle of the cave. During the excavations, five skulls and a complete human skeleton was discovered. Models of these ancient people have been set in certain areas of the cave with details to better educate visitors about these stone-age men and the life they might have lived.
Apart from the human remains, several objects from the period were also discovered. These included stone weapons, grinding stones, scraps of dried food, sea shells, bones of wild animals etc. most of these are contained within illuminated glass cases displayed in the cave for public viewing. Although there are other locations where prehistoric men have been found, the Pahiyangala cave is believed to be the oldest human dwelling in Sri Lanka, thus making the information gathered here significant for the documentation of Sri Lanka’s early beginnings.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, Joanna James ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought. Her interests include Politics, law and Philosophy. Google+
