WAULA KANDA (Cave on)

(Ratnapura District - LK)
6.850000,80.200000
Grottocenter / carte

Description

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).

Documents

Bibliography 06/01/2018

History

EXPLORATION HISTORY: circa 1981 or 1982: Sometime before October 1982, Peter KELLER (1982: 22) was guided by members, relatives and friends of the Weligama family (equipped with an electric torch) from the village of Kalatuwawa to a cave (no name mentioned) on the hill called Waula Kanda: Die am Bergfuss wohnende Familie Dedigama führte mich zu dieser Höhle. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
5.5PAL HORA GALGE
7.8URUWELA CAVE DWELLING
10.0BELI LENA, Athula
11.6SITA GALGE, Avissawella
14.9AA CAVE (Eckrich 1984)
18.5BATATOTA DAHAYYA LENA
19.1BATATOTA LENA 2
19.3BATATOTA LENA
19.6Wavul Lena