YAKGIRI LENA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The Yak giri lena (DERANIYAGALA 1965), Yak giri lena rock shelter (Brooks 1995 Mss, no. 23), or Matugama cave (DERANIYAGALA 1965: 144 figure 21) yielded the first recognised stone tool (stone celt, adze) of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). ETYMOLOGY: -Yak- is a demon, -giri- a hill, -lena- means cave, and -galge- (rock home) tends to mean a rock shelter. SITUATION: In the Western Province (DERANIYAGALA 1953: 127) and in the lowland wet zone (DERANIYAGALA 1990, 1992) somewhere in the vicinity of of one of the places called Matugama (note 1). CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: DERANIYAGALA (1953: 127) reports from Yak giri lena rock shelter pebbles (stone tools), which are usually larger than elswhere and pitted on one side only.The Yak giri lena (DERANIYAGALA 1965), Yak giri lena rock shelter (Brooks 1995 Mss, no. 23), or Matugama cave (DERANIYAGALA 1965: 144 figure 21) yielded the first recognised stone tool (stone celt, adze) of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). ETYMOLOGY: -Yak- is a demon, -giri- a hill, -lena- means cave, and -galge- (rock home) tends to mean a rock shelter. SITUATION: In the Western Province (DERANIYAGALA 1953: 127) and in the lowland wet zone (DERANIYAGALA 1990, 1992) somewhere in the vicinity of of one of the places called Matugama (note 1). CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: DERANIYAGALA (1953: 127) reports from Yak giri lena rock shelter pebbles (stone tools), which are usually larger than elswhere and pitted on one side only.