Kurullangala Prehistoric Cave Art Site at Karandagolla (ප්‍රාග් ඓතිහාසික කුරුල්ලන්ගල ලෙන් චිත්‍ර)

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Kurullangala is a rocky outcrop in the Karandagolla area belonging to the Ella Divisional Secretariat.  At the seemingly difficult to reach top of this rocky mountain consists a wall of cave art in a style never observed anywhere in the country. Almost perfectly proportioned line drawings of huge birds, peacocks, humans and other unidentifiable rock art which some believe to be over 5000 years old.

The drawings have been spread over a large area of the rock surface and some drawings are drawn so high up on the rock they are almost impossible to reach. But most of the drawings have faded due to being directly exposed to elements of nature for thousands of years. In some areas, the painted layer of rock seems to have broken away at some time in the past.

Almost 100 meters above these paintings are two bird paintings on a rock call called Pettigala which is impossible to reach. All the drawings use red ink for lines. The artist’s handprint is visible in a few areas.

The caves were discovered about 20 years ago by a villager named Meththananda while searching for bee hives in the jungle. He is today the primary guide to those who hike to the rocks. In 2013, Derana TV channel published a video clip of the site and brought the site to the public. The exact location was not disclosed by the channel but in the same year, Dr. Ashan Geeganage and a team reached the site and published photos and documented the journey. Then in 2015, Sri Abeywickrama and a team again visited this site and published a video documentary of 23 parts presenting the level of difficulty of reaching this site.

The hike would take about 5-6 six hours and is gruesome in some sections which are almost vertical climbs. Plenty of water,  food and a medical kit are compulsory for the hike. A guide from the village ( Meththananda seems to be the only person so far) is a must if you don’t wish to get lost.

Why would anybody create this wall of painting at a place which is almost impossible to reach is unimaginable. Was this area used as a refuge by some ancient cavemen who were in hiding? Why would they spend such an effort to paint these rocks even above the the normal reach of a person? We would never know.

Also See

Map of Kurullangala Prehistoric Cave Art Site at Karandagolla

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)
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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 Kurullangala Prehistoric Cave Art Site at Karandagolla

Route from Bandarawela to Kurullangala Prehistoric Cave Art Site at Karandagolla
Distance :26 km
Travel time :  45 minutes
Driving directions : see on google map

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