WAULA KANDA (Cave on)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Out of altogether three cave entrances, an approximately south facing cave entrance takes a seasonal stream and give access to a single chamber cave (up to 6 by 10 m wide) formed in what looks like granite (KELLER 1982: 22-23). The wide, second entrance lies high up on the eastern side of the chamber, and the third entrance (in the north, opposite across the first) is reached by a 3 m long rift passage: A true tunnel cave. ETYMOLOGY: No locally known name has been identified for this cave, which KELLER (1982) called Waula Kanda but this is NOT the name of the cave but that of the cave bearing Bat Hill / Bat Mountain while the cave itself is possibly locally known as Waula Lena, Waula Galge, Waulakanda Lena, Waulakanda Galge, etc. (note 1). SITUATION: KELLER (1982: 22) locates the cave on Waul Kanda (note 2) in one way or another about 35 km approximately east of Colombo (note 3) and on a Granitkuppe (hum or hillock of granite), which rises near one of the villages on the island of SriLanka, which are called Kalatuwawa (note 4). CAVE DESCRIPTION (after KELLER 1982: 22): One entrance lies in a medium-sized, mostly dry streambed leading into the cave. During rains, the cave drains the stream that disappears in a pool and probably resurges from a Spalte (gap, cleft, rift) below the cave. Formerly, the stream probably took the third entrance. The second is a rift (note 5).Out of altogether three cave entrances, an approximately south facing cave entrance takes a seasonal stream and give access to a single chamber cave (up to 6 by 10 m wide) formed in what looks like granite (KELLER 1982: 22-23). The wide, second entrance lies high up on the eastern side of the chamber, and the third entrance (in the north, opposite across the first) is reached by a 3 m long rift passage: A true tunnel cave. ETYMOLOGY: No locally known name has been identified for this cave, which KELLER (1982) called Waula Kanda but this is NOT the name of the cave but that of the cave bearing Bat Hill / Bat Mountain while the cave itself is possibly locally known as Waula Lena, Waula Galge, Waulakanda Lena, Waulakanda Galge, etc. (note 1). SITUATION: KELLER (1982: 22) locates the cave on Waul Kanda (note 2) in one way or another about 35 km approximately east of Colombo (note 3) and on a Granitkuppe (hum or hillock of granite), which rises near one of the villages on the island of SriLanka, which are called Kalatuwawa (note 4). CAVE DESCRIPTION (after KELLER 1982: 22): One entrance lies in a medium-sized, mostly dry streambed leading into the cave. During rains, the cave drains the stream that disappears in a pool and probably resurges from a Spalte (gap, cleft, rift) below the cave. Formerly, the stream probably took the third entrance. The second is a rift (note 5).