ALU LENA, Attanagoda

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A large cave or rock shelter with an entrance some 15 m across and extending for 7 or 8 m into the hillside would appear to have been formed by mind-boggling solutional erosion of a mineral filled cavity / pocket in the gneiss (Brooks 1995 Mss: no. 2). ETYMOLOGY: The singhala alu lena means ash cave and has been called Alulena, near Kegalla (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 254; 1983: 256) and Alu-lena at Attanagoda near Kegalle (DERANIYAGALA, S U 1998, 2001b). SITUATION: In the lowland wet zone (DERANIYAGALA, S U 1990, 1992) by a stream at the village of Attanagoda (note 1) near Kegalla (note 2). CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: Investigated by W.H. Wijayapala for archaeological remains (Brooks 1995 Mss: no. 2). DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987: 101) notes a radiocarbon date of 9700 BP (uncalibrated?) and DERANIYAGALA, S U (1998, 2001b; 2002: 5) a mesolithic radicarbon date on charcoal of 10,500 BP calibrated by Beta Analytic Inc. using data base of INTCAL 98 calibrations.A large cave or rock shelter with an entrance some 15 m across and extending for 7 or 8 m into the hillside would appear to have been formed by mind-boggling solutional erosion of a mineral filled cavity / pocket in the gneiss (Brooks 1995 Mss: no. 2). ETYMOLOGY: The singhala alu lena means ash cave and has been called Alulena, near Kegalla (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: 254; 1983: 256) and Alu-lena at Attanagoda near Kegalle (DERANIYAGALA, S U 1998, 2001b). SITUATION: In the lowland wet zone (DERANIYAGALA, S U 1990, 1992) by a stream at the village of Attanagoda (note 1) near Kegalla (note 2). CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: Investigated by W.H. Wijayapala for archaeological remains (Brooks 1995 Mss: no. 2). DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987: 101) notes a radiocarbon date of 9700 BP (uncalibrated?) and DERANIYAGALA, S U (1998, 2001b; 2002: 5) a mesolithic radicarbon date on charcoal of 10,500 BP calibrated by Beta Analytic Inc. using data base of INTCAL 98 calibrations.