Polonnaruwa Weherabendigala Ruins inside Angammedilla National Park (අංගම්මැඩිල්ල තුල පිහිටි වෙහෙරබැඳීගල බොදු නටබුන්)

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Polonnaruwa Veherabendigala Ruins inside Angammedilla National Park - අංගම්මැඩිල්ල තුල පිහිටි වෙහෙරබැඳීගල බොදු නටබුන්
Polonnaruwa Veherabendigala Ruins inside Angammedilla National Park – අංගම්මැඩිල්ල තුල පිහිටි වෙහෙරබැඳීගල බොදු නටබුන්
photo source : Ruins in Central Eastern Area of Sri Lanka

Weherabendigala simply means a “rock where a temple is built”. Due to this reason, there are many places named Weherabendigala since the villagers name any rocky hill with ruins of stupa or ancient temples at the top. Weherabendigala rocky mountain mentioned here lies inside the Angammedilla National Park on the southwestern side of the Parakrama Samudraya where the Angammedilla canal carries water to the Parakrama Samudraya from the Amban Ganga.

The closest village to this hill is the Sinha Udagama where the Angammedilla canal marks the border of the village and the Angammedilla National Park. There is a road from the old town of Polonnaruwa that goes around the south side of the reservoir to the west bank and then you need to cross the Angammedilla canal and hike about half a kilometre in the elephant-infested jungle to reach the hill.

The rock hill has a long gourd shape from east to west, has a peak on the west side, and is slightly flat on the eastern side. There is a kema (a rock pool) which is now filled with mud due to disuse (Photo 8-1). In addition, red and yellow chert (quartzitic sedimentary rocks used for stone blades and arrowheads) were found around the pond, which may have been used during the Stone Age, according to Archaeological Department staff (Photo 8-2)

Building A1 is about 10 square meters and the cornerstones with the traces of postholes are clearly seen. The cornerstone is about 40 cm in diameter, and the posthole is carved in a square with a side of about 15 cm in the centre. (Photo 8-3, 8-4)

A2 is a building located about 30 m north of the A1 building, and the size is about 6 square meters. The pillar foundation stones that remain clearly in the four corners are stones with a diameter of about 50 cm and the centre hole with a side of about 15 cm, but the corners of the holes are slightly rounder than the A1 postholes. The ground is a flat grassland. (Photo 8-5)

Remains of the building B1 is located about 60m west of the site of the A1 building, and it can be estimated that there was a building with a side of about 6m from the buried pillar base stone and the ground plan (Photo 8-6).

Building B2 is located about 27m southwest of the site of the B1 building, with a rock cut staircase leading to the top. The building is about 10 sq. meters in size and three pillar base stones could be seen. The pillar bases are cylindrical with a diameter of about 50 cm on a flat surface and a height of about 40 cm (Photos 8-7 – 8-8).

The steps to the building B2 is carved on the rock bed toward the northwestern summit. There are 11 steps and the riser is not horizontal and it is difficult to tell whether it was due to wear or it has been cut in this way purposely (Photo 8-9).


At the top of the rock hill, there is a rectangular platform built with masonry, and there is a trace of a stupa on the north side of the platform. The platform shows a size of about 12m x 24m, but the stupa has collapsed severely and weathered thus the original size is unclear. In addition, three posthole stones were found buried in a vertical row in the center of the platform on the south side of the pagoda. The pillar hole is about 10 cm on a side, and the stone itself is an unmolded natural stone (Photo 8-10 / 8-11).

References

  • Okamura, T., 2015. RUINS IN CENTRAL EASTERN AREA OF SRI LANKA — at the jungle of Amban Ganga Basin and the outskirts —. Tokyo: South Asian Ruins Exploration and Research Society (SARERS).

Also See

Map of Weherabendigala Ruins inside Angammedilla

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The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

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Travel Directions to Weherabendigala Ruins inside Angammedilla

The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

Route from Colombo to Polonnaruwa Sacred CityRoute from Kandy to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Through : Central Highway – Kurunegala – Dambulla
Distance from Colombo :230 km
Travel Time : 4.45 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Through : Matale – Dambulla – Habarana
Distance : 140 km
Travel Time : 3.5 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google maps
Route from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa Sacred CityRoute from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa Sacred City
Though : Maradankadawala – Habarana
Distance : 103 km
Travel Time : 2 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Though : Chenkaladi – Valachchena
Distance : 97 km
Travel Time : 2 hours
Driving Directions : see on Google map
Route from Polonnaruwa to Weherabendigala Ruins (upto Angammedilla canal edge)
Through : Parakrama Samudraya Bunt Road
Distance : 13 km
Travel time : 25 minutes (up to the Angammedilla canal)
Driving directions : see on google map

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