Cave visit @
Diggalge,Ratganga.
Date: 27th
October 2012.
Participants:
Dr.Weli,Dana,Prageeth,Nayomi,Mahesh and Saman
Monday, August 5, 2013
Status of Speleology in Sri Lanka; from 4th Century AD to 21st Century
Status of Speleology in Sri Lanka; from 4th Century AD
to 21st Century
Weliange
W.S1, Armstrong Osborne2, Pathmakumara Jayasingha3,
Dandeniya R.S4 & Prageeth Algiriya1
1Postgraduate
Institute of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya
2The
University of Sydney, NSW 2006
3Research Laboratory, Central Cultural Fund, No 11, Colombo 07, Sri
Lanka
4 BGJF Consultancy Services, 35A ½, Sunethradewi
Road Kohuwala, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka is an island characterized by mostly
Precambrian metamorphic and Miocene limestone rocks and has a very high density
of caves. Speleology, the scientific study of caves, has been
identified as an important discipline that should be done parallel to the other
archaeological research. The
earliest written records on caves are evidenced by cave inscriptions date back
to the 3rd century BC and also found in historical books such as
Deepawamsa (4th Century AD), Mahawamsa - the Great Chronicle (5th
Century AD) and in the Vamsatthapakasini which is an elaboration of the
Mahawamsa. Since then various historical legends have mentioned about caves. It
is recorded that foreign scholars had made expeditions to caves from the early
19th century. Explorations and excavations done in the middle 20th
century have added more information to the cave literature. In the late 20th
century several international expeditions took place for exploring Sri Lankan
caves. In 2009 the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, University of
Kelaniya (PGIAR), started researching Sri Lankan caves with the collaboration
of the University of Sydney, Australia. So far we have investigated around 20 caves located in wet, intermediate and dry
zones. It was well noticed that geology and climatic factors prevailing on a
particular area affect the formation of caves of Sri Lanka. The common formation
processes identified are weathering and erosion of bed rocks and amalgamation
of boulders on the gneissic terrain. We introduced the first ever
classification for caves in the country based on lithology, morphology and genesis.
Speleotherms in gneissic caves which
are mostly siliceous were found to be very unique. Also it was recorded that
the cave fauna consisted of mainly insects, but mammals such as
michrochiropterans, amphibians and reptiles were also found. Sri Lankan cave sediments
have played a major role in the reconstruction of paleo-environmental changes
and in the context of prehistory of the country. Speleological research is
going to be a part of studies of biodiversity and geology. Therefore, several
new fields such as cave mapping, cave ecology, cave geology and cave tourism
are branching off as cave research is progressing.
Key
words: cave fauna, cave geology, speleology, Sri Lanka
Friday, August 2, 2013
Space management in caves; an architectural perspective
Space management in caves; an architectural perspective
Dandeniya A.S1,
Dinesh D.Dewage2 & W.S. Weliange3
1BGJF Consultancy Services, 35A ½, Sunethradewi Road,
Kohuwala, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
2Departement of Archaeology, University of Kelaniya, Sri
Lanka
3Postgraduate Institute
of Archaeology, 407, Bauddhaloka
Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka
Corresponding Author; wasanthaweliange@yahoo.co.uk
Abstract
Caves and cave shelters were the
initial home for prehistoric people. Caves
and cave shelters have one uninterrupted space defined by rock walls but
spatial segregation would have occurred for catering variety of activities
which could be ranging from highly personal to very social. During the ongoing
Speleology project carried out by the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology of
the University of Kelaniya, space management in caves by prehistoric people
were imagined based on the basic behavior such as cooking, eating, chatting,
playing, love making and kindergarten of the prehistoric people. Five caves
among the 10 studied namely Sthreepura Lena Cave (06°49' 54.6'' N; 80°22'
27.8''E) and Divaguhawa Lena Cave in Kuruvita (06°49' 50.1'' N; 80°22' 23.8''
E), Vavul Guhava Cave in Kosgala (06°43' 31.5'' N; 80°20' 34.6'' E), Hakurugala
Raja Mahawiharaya Cave (07°01'. 54.6'' N, 080°14' 36.0'' E) and Keragoda Galge
Cave in Mahiyanganaya (07°26'. 43.53'' N, 081°05' 31.5'' E) shows the basic and
vital spaces needed for the optimum benefit of each individual as well as the
groups. Spatial distribution among individuals and groups would have occurred I
these caves particularly among various groups such as kids, teens, matured,
eldest, strongest, and weakest and the leader and his closest followers. The
spaces in those caves would have provided facilities for spatial segregation
among entire age and size structures. Caves such as Batadomba Lena Cave in Kuruwita,
Beli Lena Cave in Kithulgala, Pothgul Lena Cave in Alawala and Fahiyan Lena
Cave in Bulathsinhala show a model of the living space used by the prehistoric
man. Archaeological evidence has proved that those caves were successful
settlements during the prehistoric times. It can be concluded that continuous
space in the cave interior would have catered for variety of human behaviors of
different individuals and groups. Political hierarchy would have been another
invisible dimension in cave dwelling human society. The success and the failure
of the prehistoric human society would have influenced by the availability of
space. The factors that divide the space of the cave for various activities
would have been the spaces and shapes with different amounts of volumes, light,
humidity and the surface rhythm of each defined space.
Key words; cave dwelling society,
cave space, physical structures and human behavior
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