KUDIMBI GALA ROCK SHELTER

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Apparently several modified natural rock shelters, which are considered to represent a number of caves that are used for religious purposes, are not only inhabited by a sect of hermit monks but also contain inscriptions (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: ?; 1983: 171) and paintings together with engraved Brahmic script (DERANIYAGALA 1965: 146). ETYMOLOGY: So far, I saw Kudimbi Gala called, spelled, transcribed or edited as Kudimbe Gala (?) Kudimbegala HUSSEIN, Asif (a.i. after RUMBUKWELLA 1963) Kudimbi Gala DERANIYAGALA (1965: 146) Kudimbigala CEYLON TRAVELLER (1983: 171) Kudumbi gala (crack) DERANIYAGALA (1965: 144 figure 21)SITUATION: At the base of the Kudimbigala (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1974: ?; 1983: 171). DERANIYAGALA (1965a: 146) places Kudimbi gala crag (note 1) somewhere in the Eastern Province but CEYLON TRAVELLER (1983: 171) has Kudimbigala dominating the north-eastern entrance to the Yala National Park, where the lofty and impressive rock lies on the right (about north-west) and a mile (on or two kilometres) before (approximately north or north-east) reaching Okanda (note 2) from the town of Panama (note 3). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art (DERANIYAGALA 1965: 146): In some caves (or rock shelters) on the island of Sri Lanka, … the stone age paintings on the bare rock are overlain by three phases of Vädda [Vedda, Veddah, Wedda, etc.] painting, whereas in others there are Sinhala fresco paintings upon plaster together with Brahmic script which has been engraved in the rock. The earliest of the latter [note 4] appear to be in rock shelters at Kudimbi gala crag and in the Gal Oya valley in the Eastern province. HUSSEIN, Asif (a.i. after RUMBUKWELLA 1963): Capt. Rambukwella, who led an expedition to the Mahalenama area [note 5] in search of the Nittevo in May 1963 has recorded that during the course of the expedition, an excavation of a cave at Kudimbegala revealed at a depth of eight to ten inches [20 or 25 cm], the vertebrae of a talagoya [monitor lizard, Varanus dracaena] an a segment of a carapace of a star tortoise. This is an interesting discovery since according to tradition, these creatures constituted part of the Nittevo diet (note 6). a segment of a carapace of a star tortoise. This is an interesting discovery since according to tradition, these creatures constituted part of the Nittevo diet (note 6).