It is said that the present is a reflection of the past. The trail followed by News 1st in search of historic ancestral settlements in Sri Lanka, leads us to newer, and dangerous locations.

Diyawinna located in Kaltota is another stop in the journey in search of Sri Lankan evolution. Sri Lankan pre-history dates back to more than 125,000 years and findings in excavations in places like Delft in Jaffna, Pompirippu, Dambulla, Ibbankatuwa have proven to be of key importance to understand what took place in the past.

The Balangoda Man is one of the primary natives in Sri Lanka.Based in the Central Hills of Sri Lanka, the pre-historic man moved to the plains in the east, the trail now followed by News 1st in search of more clues.The hunter-gatherer moved from Rassagala to Illukkumbura and  down to Kaltota. Travelling on the road along the Samanalawewa Tank, we were enthralled by the beauty of this area.

A vehicle can move only up to a certain place and from there, we move i to the wilderness of the Samanalawewa Forest Reserve from its eastern end.

The excavation site is located around two kilometres into the wilderness.

Today’s excavation site is located 240 metres above sea level, a cave known as Udu-Piyan-Gal-ge which is 22 metres in length and 12 metres in height. Professor Raj Somadeva who is at the site explained that during the historic period, construction of tanks and pagoda’s did not take place at once.

Therefore, what led to the pre-historic man to engage in such activity and even adapt to such a situation?.

Professor Raj Somadeva notes that the objective of his expedition is to investigate the migration from the hills to the plains of the pre-historic man in Sri Lanka. Rassagala and Illukumbubura in which excavations were conducted in the year 2015 belong to the wet-zone, however Udupiyangalge is based in the Dry-Zone of Sri Lanka.

The Udupiyangala Falls located right next to the excavation site adds more beauty to this rarely visited environment.

There is a small opening right next to the falls and it has been turned it to a muddy area due to the actions of persons who search for a quick flow of money, by engaging in the gem trade.

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