UDUPIYAN GALGE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A so-called cave (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 99; 1953: 125) or rock shelter (DERANIYAGALA 1953: 126), which consists of a small rock shelter, is the type location (note 1) of the Balangoda culture (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 99 1953: 125, 126; Brooks 1995 Mss, item no. 19). The archaeologically relevant site is one of a series in the Balangoda area: –>Bambaragala Shelter, –>Budugala Caves, –>Diyavinna Cave, –>Kurugala Cave and –>Lunu Galge. SITUATION: Along the escarpment between the villages Diyavinna (note 2) and the Ukgal Kaltota escarpment (DERANIYAGALA 1953: 125) or Uggalkaltota (Survey Department 1977: Road map of SriLanka), which lie about 10 or 15 km south-south-west of Haputale (N06°46': E080°58') and some 20 to 25 km east-south-east of Balangoda (N06°38'57”: E080°40'20” WGS84). APPROACH: The cave [sic!] is reached by ascending halfway up the Balangoda escarpment from the village Diyavinna and is in the fork of two tributaries to the stream Piyan äle [Piyan ella]. As the observer facs the rock, the tributary on the left is fordable but the one on the right forms a steep waterfall dropping sheer for about 300 m (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 99). POSITIONS: N06°31': E080°50' (DERANIYAGALA, P E P 1953: 125; DERANIYAGALA, S U 1980: 172) appears to replace the earlier position N06°35': E080°50' (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 99) where DERANIYAGALA (1943: 97 figure 2) indicates the village of Diyavinna. CAVE DESCRIPTION: … the cave proper is small [note 3]. Excavation of its floor was fruitless, but the dry dust under the long, overhanging ledge of rock to its right yielded interesting material. Here the usual large angular masses of rock obstructed excavation and after reaching a depth of two metres in some places it was evident that further progress would ultimately lead into a smaller cave at a lower level in the escarpment (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 99). CULTURAL HISTORY - Archaeology: DERANIYAGALA (1943: 99-101) reviews results of archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA (1953: 126) rports from Udupiyan galgé rock shelter (type station) pebbles (usually pitted on two surfaces) and pitted anvil - cum - grindstones.ports from Udupiyan galgé rock shelter (type station) pebbles (usually pitted on two surfaces) and pitted anvil - cum - grindstones.