Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial and Grounds & Archaeological Site

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Drip Ledge Caves - Cogent evidence of a ancient Buddhist Monastery at the Kathiraveli Pre-Historic Burial Grounds — Drip Ledge Caves – Cogent evidence of a ancient Buddhist Monastery at the Kathiraveli Pre-Historic Burial Grounds
Image courtesy of Dr. Ashan Geeganage

Traveling from Batticaloa towards Seruwila Temple, you can reach Kathiraveli after passing pasikudha and Vakare. Kathiraveli is a small insignificant town of farmers and fisherman. But for history, this area is known for the Pre-Historic Burial Grounds and the small but unique Vedda Community.

Vedda’s of Sri Lanka as segmented in to 3 sections. Veddas, the original, who live in the jungles, live by hunting; Gam Veddas (Village Veddas), Veddas who has given up the nomadic life settling down forming villages and taking up farming and animal husbandry in addition to hunting; The Sea Veddas (Coastal Veddas), who had settled down in on the beaches and mixed with the local languages and traditions. Small coastal vedda communities can still be found in Vakare, Kalkuda, Vakaneri and Kathiraveli. Kathiraveli coast is home to about 20 Vedda Families belonging to the Coastal Veddhas.

Passing Kathiraweli town and traveling towards Verugal for about 1 km, you will come across recently built wall with a gate which surrounds the Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial Grounds. Megalithic urn burials have been excavated at this site. This included black and red ware pottery tentatively dated to the 3rd century BCE and iron tools (Sudarshan Senivaratne, The Archeology of the Megalithic Black and Red Ware Complex in Sri Lanka, Ancient Ceylon, 1984).

The steps cut in to these rocks and caves with drip ledges are indications that this site has been part of a ancient Buddhist Monastery in the ancient past.

Cogent evidence of a ancient Buddhist Monastery at the Kathiraveli Pre-Historic Burial Grounds

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Map of the Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial and Grounds & Archaeological Site

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Traveling Directions to the Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial and Grounds & Archaeological Site

Route from Trincomalee to Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial and Grounds & Archaeological Site	Route from Batticaloa to Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial and Grounds & Archaeological Site
Through : Kinniya – Mutur – Serunuwara – Verugal Distance : 63 km Travel time : 1.45 hours Driving directions : see on google maps	Through : Chenkaladi – Kalkuda – Vakare – Kathiraveli Distance : 75 km Travel time : 2 hours Driving directions : see on google maps