GANGODEDENIYA GALGE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A huge, gravitationally dislocated gneiss boulder forms a spacious rock shelter, complete with a nearby spring, which lies at the base of the Bulupitiyahela, a -rock-hill- (note 1) adjacent north of the Nilgala, a gneiss dome near the village of Nilgala. It was here that the Sarasin brothers eventually proved the presence of the Stone Age in Sri Lanka. RÜTIMEYER (1903: 203 Abbildung 2) gives a photograph showing a entrance, titled Früher bewohnte Weddahöhle in Nilgala (Sarasin, Atlas, Taf XXVI, Abb. 48). ETYMOLOGY: So far, I found this rock shelter called, spelled, transcribed, or edited as Gangodadeniya Galge (Brooks 1995 Mss: no 11) Gangodedeniya Galgè (SARASIN 1939: 164) Gangodeniyagalge (SARASIN & SARASIN 1908) Nilgala Cave (DERANIYAGALA, S U passim) Weddahöhle in Nilgala (RÜTIMEYER 1903: 203 Abbildung 2). SITUATION 0: In the Nilgala range east of Bibile (N07°10': E081°13'), at a walking distance of about an hour approximately south of the village of Nilgala (note 2), half an our beyond the stream Patipal, and in a little grove at the foot of the gneiss hill Bulupitiyahela or Bulupitiya Hela (note 3). SITUATION 1903: In der prächtigen Fluh des Gneisdomes des Nilgala (RÜTIMEYER 1903: 201). SITUATION 1907b: In the eastern low-country of Ceylon … near the village Nilgala (SARASIN & SARASIN (1907b: 189 edited from 1907a). SITUATION 1907c, ): In Nilgala, dem Zentrum des Weddalandes (SARASIN & SARASIN 1907c: 255). SITUATION 1908: At the foot of Bulupitiyahela Rock (SARASIN & SARASIN (1908). SITUATION 1931: Höhle (SARASIN 1931: 48) or -cave- (no name mentioned) lies at a walking distance of almost an hour (unidentified direction) from the village (note 4). SITUATION 1939, SARASIN (1939: 164) locates the rock shelter called Gangodedeniya - Galgè at a walking distance of half an hour beyond the stream Patipal (note 5) in the south of the village (note 6). SITUATION 1980: Not seen (DERANIYAGALA (1980: 155). SITUATION 1985: In the Dry Zone intermediate lowlands (DERAIYAGALA 1985 edited 1987: 105). SITUATION 1992: In ecozone C, the intermediate dry lowlands (DERANIYAGALA (1992 chapter 5.3.5; 2002: 31-32). SITUATION 9: Gangodedeniya-Galge / Nilgala Cave lies at an unspecified distance of one hour on foot, horse-back or flying carpet south of the village of Nilgala, which is said to lie east of a so-called Bibi (Brooks 1995 Mss item 11) which is commonly known as the town of Bibile (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION (SARASIN 1939: 164): A huge, fallen boulder forms a spacious Halbhöhle or -half-cave- (rock shelter) near a small spring of water and, deducting from the tracks, play ground of numerous animals. Fresh fire-brand traces on the walls indicated that the shelter is till today (circa 1900 AD) occasionally used as night quarters (note 8). Brooks (1995 Mss item 11 after DERANIYAGALA 1980: 155) had not seen the Gangodadeniya (sic!) Galge also called Nilgala Cave and decided it is an undecided cave / rock shelter formed between [one?] boulder to create asingle chamber some 5 m by 8 m in size. CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: SARASIN & SARASIN (1907a, 1907b: 189, 1907c: 255) found … a cave, near the village of Nilgala, till a short time ago still inhabited by Veddas, the soil of which … contained in great abundance stone implements of a very rough kind. SARASIN (1931: 48-49; 1939: 163-166, plates XIX, XX, XXI) recalls the excavation of a dry rock shelter and SARASIN (1931: 48, 1939: 164) interpreted this as the Stone Age of Ceylon first discovered. DERANIYAGALA (1985 edited 1987: 105): The human remains excavated from the Nilgala Cave were too fragmented for proper analysis but … skeletal remains of a canid bring up the possibility that domestic dogs were used by Mesolithic man … DERANIYAGALA (2002: 31-32): Nilgala cave yielded faunal remains with a preponderance of spotted deer (Cervus axis), sambhur (sambar, Cervus unicolor) taking second place, within a mixed assemblage of miscellaneous vertebrates.IYAGALA 1985 edited 1987: 105). SITUATION 1992: In ecozone C, the intermediate dry lowlands (DERANIYAGALA (1992 chapter 5.3.5; 2002: 31-32). SITUATION 9: Gangodedeniya-Galge / Nilgala Cave lies at an unspecified distance of one hour on foot, horse-back or flying carpet south of the village of Nilgala, which is said to lie east of a so-called Bibi (Brooks 1995 Mss item 11) which is commonly known as the town of Bibile (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION (SARASIN 1939: 164): A huge, fallen boulder forms a spacious Halbhöhle or -half-cave- (rock shelter) near a small spring of water and, deducting from the tracks, play ground of numerous animals. Fresh fire-brand traces on the walls indicated that the shelter is till today (circa 1900 AD) occasionally used as night quarters (note 8). Brooks (1995 Mss item 11 after DERANIYAGALA 1980: 155) had not seen the Gangodadeniya (sic!) Galge also called Nilgala Cave and decided it is an undecided cave / rock shelter formed between [one?] boulder to create aIYAGALA 1985 edited 1987: 105). SITUATION 1992: In ecozone C, the intermediate dry lowlands (DERANIYAGALA (1992 chapter 5.3.5; 2002: 31-32). SITUATION 9: Gangodedeniya-Galge / Nilgala Cave lies at an unspecified distance of one hour on foot, horse-back or flying carpet south of the village of Nilgala, which is said to lie east of a so-called Bibi (Brooks 1995 Mss item 11) which is commonly known as the town of Bibile (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION (SARASIN 1939: 164): A huge, fallen boulder forms a spacious Halbhöhle or -half-cave- (rock shelter) near a small spring of water and, deducting from the tracks, play ground of numerous animals. Fresh fire-brand traces on the walls indicated that the shelter is till today (circa 1900 AD) occasionally used as night quarters (note 8). Brooks (1995 Mss item 11 after DERANIYAGALA 1980: 155) had not seen the Gangodadeniya (sic!) Galge also called Nilgala Cave and decided it is an undecided cave / rock shelter formed between [one?] boulder to create asingle chamber some 5 m by 8 m in size. CULTURAL HISTORY - archaeology: SARASIN & SARASIN (1907a, 1907b: 189, 1907c: 255) found … a cave, near the village of Nilgala, till a short time ago still inhabited by Veddas, the soil of which … contained in great abundance stone implements of a very rough kind. SARASIN (1931: 48-49; 1939: 163-166, plates XIX, XX, XXI) recalls the excavation of a dry rock shelter and SARASIN (1931: 48, 1939: 164) interpreted this as the Stone Age of Ceylon first discovered. DERANIYAGALA (1985 edited 1987: 105): The human remains excavated from the Nilgala Cave were too fragmented for proper analysis but … skeletal remains of a canid bring up the possibility that domestic dogs were used by Mesolithic man … DERANIYAGALA (2002: 31-32): Nilgala cave yielded faunal remains with a preponderance of spotted deer (Cervus axis), sambhur (sambar, Cervus unicolor) taking second place, within a mixed assemblage of miscellaneous vertebrates.