Kirimakulgolla Caves in Kaltota

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Kirimakulgolla Cave No 1 — Kirimakulgolla Cave No 2

Kirimakulgolla is a village situated between Diyawinna and Kalupedigama in Kalthota, bordered by a mountain range to the north. The southern slopes of this range contain numerous natural caves, some of which have been inhabited since ancient times.

Inscriptions discovered in many of these caves suggest that Buddhist monks resided there from the late first century BCE. The first archaeological investigation of Kirimakulgolla and its surroundings took place in 1939, alongside the excavations of the Diyawinna Udupiyan Caves by P.E.P. Deraniyagala, which revealed evidence of prehistoric occupation (Deraniyagala, 1939). That same year, Collins conducted research in the Kalthota area and reported on the inscriptions at Kirimakulgolla (Collins, 1939). In 1952, the Department of Archaeology further examined the inscriptions. Two of these inscriptions were later published by Paranavitana in 1970. (Somadeva et al., 2015)

Cave 1 (6°35’19.3″N 80°50’24.2″E)

This is a cave with a drip ledge. There is an inscription carved under the drip ledge. Part of the dripledge has been The cave has been extensively modified and is currently inhabited by monks in a hut built inside (Somadeva et al., 2015).

Transliteration: Upas[o]na-api Aya-Keraha puta Aya-Mahasivaha lene Manapadasane catu-disa-sagasa-
dine
Translation : The cave named Manapadassana of prince Mahasiva, son of prince Kera, of Upasonavapi, is given to the Sangha of the four quarters.
source : Inscriptions of Ceylon : Volume I (768)

Cave 2 (6°35’13.7″N 80°50’28.0″E)

This cave is located 200 meters from Cave 1 and features a drip ledge, though no inscriptions are found.

Over time, natural erosion has significantly weakened both the drip ledge and the cave’s wall edges. Unlike other caves, which typically have a smooth surface below the gully, this cave presents a different scenario. The extent of erosion, along with the structured form of the drip ledge, suggests that it may have been among the earliest spaces used for residential purposes by Buddhist monks in the area (Somadeva et al., 2015).

The absence of inscriptions further supports this idea. Given that the practice of inscribing cave donations became widespread around 250 BCE in Sri Lanka, the lack of such markings here could indicate an even earlier period of occupation (Somadeva et al., 2015).

Cave 3 (6°35’06.5″N 80°51’02.6″E)

This cave is situated within the grounds of Sri Sudarshanaramaya Viharaya, accessible via a small by-road branching off to the right from the Puhulyaya village road, which connects Kaltota to Balangoda via Rajawaka.

The cave’s entrance, facing south, retains its original drip ledge. Beneath this ledge, a Brahmi inscription is present, though its initial letters are now partially obscured by the roof of a recently constructed temple over the cave. This modern construction has significantly altered the cave’s original appearance.

Cave 4 (6°35’06.5″N 80°51’02.6″E)

This is another one of the caves situated at a lower contour level in the Puhulyaya village with a temple built into the cave. Facing south, this cave has a drip ledge carved into the roof, and below that, an inscription is engraved (Somadeva et al., 2015).

Evidence suggests that this cave was used during later periods as well. Due to rainwater flowing through the cave, its floor has been severely eroded. According to villagers, a forest-dwelling monk resided here a few years ago (Somadeva et al., 2015).

Transliteration: Tisarakita-teraha Mahalene a.parimita . . . . ka . . . . agata-anagata-katu- disa-sagasa
Translation : The great cave of the elder Tissarakkhita . . . . boundless . . . . is given to the Sangha of the four quarters, present and absent.
source : Inscriptions of Ceylon : Volume I (769)

References

De Silva, R. H. (1977). Administration Report of the Archaeological Commissioner for the years 1970-77. Department of Archaeology.
Paranavitana, S. (1953). Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon for 1952. Government Publications Bureau (Ceylon).
Paranavitana, S. (1970). Inscriptions of Ceylon : Volume I Containing Cave Inscriptions From 3rd Century B.C. To 1st Century A.C. and Other Inscriptions in the Early Brahmi Script: Vol. I. Department of Archaeology Ceylon.
Somadeva, R., Wanninayake, A., & Devage, D. (2015). කූරගල ගවේෂණය 2014 – අදියර 1. In පුරාවිද් යා පස්චාත් උපාධි ආයතනයේ මතක සටහන්. Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology.

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