BATADOMBA LENA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An about 12 m wide and 8.5 m high cave entrance, which opens at the side of an about 60 or 90 m long rock shelter above a ledge, gives access to a solitary cave chamber (15 m wide, 12 m high, 24 m long) in gneiss (Brooks 1995.04 Mss no 5) and dark in the end. ETYMOLOGY: So far, I saw Batadomba Lena spelled as Bata domba lena DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 129)Batadomba cave DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1965: 144 fig. 21); DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987: 100, 102); POSSEHL (1988: 172) Batadomba lena DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 130, 131); KENNEDY et al. (1987, 1988) Batadomba-Lena near Kuruvita DERANIYAGALA, S U (1998) Batatomba-Lena Cave BROOKS (1995: 22) Batatomba-Lena Cave / Caves Brooks (1995.04 Mss no 5) Batadombalena CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974, 1983: 154) Eratna / Batatota cave CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241; 1983: 243) Additionally, Batadomba Lena is perhaps identical with AA Cave (SIFFRE 1975: 12) SIFFRE (1975: 12 photograph: Grotte près d'Adam's Peak avec habitations troglodytiques) and Kuruwita, grote près de SIFFRE (1975: 21). SITUATION 1943 (DERANIYAGALA, P E P 1943: 102-103): The cave is reached by ascending to about 1,000 metres from the village of Valanduré or Walandure (note 1) along the stream bed of the Vitané Kandé Äla (unidentified), a tributary to the Kuru Ganga (note 2): The cave opening looms suddenly out of the mountain face above the trees on the left bank of the stream (plate VI, fig. 1). A kilometre north-east is the peak Sudagala Kanda. The cave opening looms suddenly out of the mountain face above the trees on the left bank of the stream (plate VI, fig. 1). A kilometre to its north east is the peak of Sudagala Kanda. The approach is steep and water drips from the overhanging ledge of rock into the valley, generally without falling upon the ledge itself, which widens after a distance of about 60 m, to form the platform at the cave entrance. SITUATION 1953 (DERANIYAGALA 1953: 129) locates Batadomba Lena not only in the vicinity of Kuruwita (note 3) and in the montains of the Sri Padhe (Adam's Peak) massif (note 4) but also, and erroneously, near N06° 46': E080°23' and this is the position of Batatota on the way to –>Batatotalena. SITUATION 1961: Compare grotte près de –>Kuruwita (SIFFRE 1975). SITUATION 1974: CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241; 1983: 243): Batadombalena lies at the foot of a large rock of the same name and is reached by travelling from Kuruwita (T-junction near N06°46'30”: E080°21'50” Everest 1830) for 2.2 km generally NNE along the road towards Eratne (note 5) up to the T-junction of Ekneligoda Walauwa (note 6), where a motorable road turns off to the right [east to south-east]. This road ends [note 7] after about a mile; beyond is a footpath [note 8]. The cave is situated at the crest of a rocky overhang about three miles [some 5 km without direction] along the footpath.SITUATION 1984: Michael Eckrich (München: Zoologisches Institut, 1984 personal communication) indicated the approximate location of Batadombalena betwee N06°47'15”: E080°23'15” and N06°47'45”: E080°24'15” (Everest 1830) in an area where the Survey of Sri Lanka sheet -Ratnapura- (One Inch Series, a.i. before 1984) shows the names Sudagala (N06°47'25”: E080°23'40”) and Gulunewattekanda (N06°47'25”: E080°24'10”). SITUATION 1995: BROOKS (1995: 22) has Batatomba [sic!] Lena at a very impressive location on the mountainside above Kuruvita (Kuruwita). Brooks (1995 Mss, item no. 5) explains that the entrance lies at an imposing position at the base of a large cliff on the south flanks of Adam's Peak and some 5 km [without direction] from Batatota Lena. The entrance to this cave is said to lie about 5 km without direction from Kuruwita and near the small village of Batadomba (note 9), from where a footpath is followed up the through the forest to an open glade. Here, the cave entrance lies at the base of a large cliff, some 20 walking minutes from Batadomba CAVE DESCRIPTION 1943 (DERANIYAGALA 1943: 103): In the back of a plaform at the far end of a 60 m long ledge, the … entrance is about 12 m wide and faces south while the cave itself runs northward under the rock for a distance of about 20 m. Both ledge and platform are exposed to sunlight during part of the day, but are more or less free from the influence of water. As is to be expected however the termination of the cave is comparatively dark (plate VI figure 2). Fine dust produced mainly from bat guano covers the ledge and cave floor and in it are shells of snails, bones and artifacts; below the dust is a nitre layer laying above a further thickness of dust and brown earth covering the large fragments of angular rock that have broken off the sides and roof. A considerable part of the floor had been disturbed by many generations of villagers who used the quantities of bones that once lay in the guano dust and nitre, for manuring their fields. Sufficient however was left intact to ascertain the sequence of the beds which is as follows: 8 inches (20.3 m) fine guano dust with animal remains, pottery and artifacts, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) dirty white crust of crystalline nitre containing bones and artifacts, 4 feet (121 cm) fine guano dust, brown sand with bones and artifacts thereafter close-set, heavy, angular blocks of rocks derived from the sides and roof.CAVE DESCRIPTION 1953: DERANIYAGALA (1953: 129): A spacious cave with a long overhang to the left / west of its entrance forming a shelter about 100 yards (90 m) long. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1961 (SIFFRE 1975): See grotte près de –>Kuruwita. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1974: One of the two highly impressive caves (CEYLON TRAVELLER 1983: 154) in the vicinity of the Ratnapura R.H. (rest house) is the one at Eratna / Batatota (the other is –>Kosgalla cave). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1995: BROOKS (1995: 22): … an important Archaeological cave called Batadomba-Lena cave … consisting of one large entrance chamber some 15 m wide by 24 m long and 12 m high … is very interesting as it is formed in Gneiss … (not 10). Brooks (1995.04 Mss no 5): The Batatomba-Lena Cave / Caves (note 11) is a … large cave / rock shelter that occupies an imposing position at the base of a large cliff on the south flanks of Sri Pada. The impressive entrance measuring 12 m by 8.5 m opens into a chamber that runs into the hill for 24 m. The cave would appear to be formed by solutional erosion of a mineral filled cavity / pocket in the Gneiss … A 7 m by 7 m archaeological test pit is to be found in the floor of the chamber. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use, troglodyte dwelling: The only structural features found in prehistoric context in Sri Lanka are the rubble footing of a wall at –>Beli Lena (Kitulgala), dated to circa 16,000 BP, and a rubble terrace wall at Batadomba Lena in an undated horizon which might correlate with Stratum 7b dated to circa 26,000 BP. The latter, situated at the rear end of one of the subsidiary shelters attached to the main cave, and it appears to have been a retaining wall (of at least two corses) which served to support an earth terrace abutting against the back of the cave for levelling off an occupation floor: The terrace at Batadomba-lena has a direct parallel in the manner in which the present floor of the main cave has been levelled by a Buddhist monk who was resident at the site until 1968 (DERANIYAGALA 2002: 28-29). ARCHAEOLOGY (note 12): Batadomba Lena is of the important archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 102-110) reports early archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1953) and the CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241, 1983: 245-246) note human skeletons of the prehistoric Udupiyan tribe (Homo Sapiens Balangodensis), pitted stones, bones, bone implements and remains of extinct animals. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987) reports geometric microliths definitely older than 12,000 years [note 13]. This was corroborated … in Batadomba cave at Kuruvita [which yielded] excellent and numerous microliths –lunates, triangles and trapezoidals– from well defied stratigraphic contexts which have provided a very consistent series of radiocarbon dates on charcoal … ranging from 28,500 to 11,500 BP. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987: 105) notes the human remains [note 14] excavated from Batadomba were too fragmented for proper analysis. POSSEHL (1988: 172) lists five uncalibrated radiocarbon datings 27,700 ±2090 BP, 15,390 ±610 BP, 12,770 ±470 BP, 11,200 ±330 BP. 12,500 to 10,500 BP. KAJALE (1989) undertook an archaeobotanical study of mesolithic plant exploitation. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1998; 2001b) notes the early evidence of anatomically modern man in –>Fa Hien-lena (ca. 37,000 BP) is followed by –>Batadomba- lena 31,000 and 18,000, –>Beli- lena 16,000, Fa Hien- lena 6'900, the open-air site Bellan- bandi Palassa 6,500 and Fa Hien- lena again 4,800 BP.rses) which served to support an earth terrace abutting against the back of the cave for levelling off an occupation floor: The terrace at Batadomba-lena has a direct parallel in the manner in which the present floor of the main cave has been levelled by a Buddhist monk who was resident at the site until 1968 (DERANIYAGALA 2002: 28-29). ARCHAEOLOGY (note 12): Batadomba Lena is of the important archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 102-110) reports early archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1953) and the CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241, 1983: 245-246) note human skeletons of the prehistoric Udupiyan tribe (Homo Sapiens Balangodensis), pitted stones, bones, bone implements and remains of extinct animals. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987) reports geometric microliths definitely older than 12,000 years [note 13]. This was corroborated … in Batadomba cave at Kuruvita [which yielded] excellent and numerous microliths –lunates, triangles and trapezoidals– from well defirses) which served to support an earth terrace abutting against the back of the cave for levelling off an occupation floor: The terrace at Batadomba-lena has a direct parallel in the manner in which the present floor of the main cave has been levelled by a Buddhist monk who was resident at the site until 1968 (DERANIYAGALA 2002: 28-29). ARCHAEOLOGY (note 12): Batadomba Lena is of the important archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 102-110) reports early archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1953) and the CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241, 1983: 245-246) note human skeletons of the prehistoric Udupiyan tribe (Homo Sapiens Balangodensis), pitted stones, bones, bone implements and remains of extinct animals. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987) reports geometric microliths definitely older than 12,000 years [note 13]. This was corroborated … in Batadomba cave at Kuruvita [which yielded] excellent and numerous microliths –lunates, triangles and trapezoidals– from well defirses) which served to support an earth terrace abutting against the back of the cave for levelling off an occupation floor: The terrace at Batadomba-lena has a direct parallel in the manner in which the present floor of the main cave has been levelled by a Buddhist monk who was resident at the site until 1968 (DERANIYAGALA 2002: 28-29). ARCHAEOLOGY (note 12): Batadomba Lena is of the important archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 102-110) reports early archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1953) and the CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241, 1983: 245-246) note human skeletons of the prehistoric Udupiyan tribe (Homo Sapiens Balangodensis), pitted stones, bones, bone implements and remains of extinct animals. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987) reports geometric microliths definitely older than 12,000 years [note 13]. This was corroborated … in Batadomba cave at Kuruvita [which yielded] excellent and numerous microliths –lunates, triangles and trapezoidals– from well defirses) which served to support an earth terrace abutting against the back of the cave for levelling off an occupation floor: The terrace at Batadomba-lena has a direct parallel in the manner in which the present floor of the main cave has been levelled by a Buddhist monk who was resident at the site until 1968 (DERANIYAGALA 2002: 28-29). ARCHAEOLOGY (note 12): Batadomba Lena is of the important archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1943: 102-110) reports early archaeological excavation. DERANIYAGALA, P E P (1953) and the CEYLON TRAVELLER (1974: 241, 1983: 245-246) note human skeletons of the prehistoric Udupiyan tribe (Homo Sapiens Balangodensis), pitted stones, bones, bone implements and remains of extinct animals. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987) reports geometric microliths definitely older than 12,000 years [note 13]. This was corroborated … in Batadomba cave at Kuruvita [which yielded] excellent and numerous microliths –lunates, triangles and trapezoidals– from well defied stratigraphic contexts which have provided a very consistent series of radiocarbon dates on charcoal … ranging from 28,500 to 11,500 BP. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1987: 105) notes the human remains [note 14] excavated from Batadomba were too fragmented for proper analysis. POSSEHL (1988: 172) lists five uncalibrated radiocarbon datings 27,700 ±2090 BP, 15,390 ±610 BP, 12,770 ±470 BP, 11,200 ±330 BP. 12,500 to 10,500 BP. KAJALE (1989) undertook an archaeobotanical study of mesolithic plant exploitation. DERANIYAGALA, S U (1998; 2001b) notes the early evidence of anatomically modern man in –>Fa Hien-lena (ca. 37,000 BP) is followed by –>Batadomba- lena 31,000 and 18,000, –>Beli- lena 16,000, Fa Hien- lena 6'900, the open-air site Bellan- bandi Palassa 6,500 and Fa Hien- lena again 4,800 BP.