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Archaeological Ruins in the Headquarters of 9th Gajaba Regiment at Nelumwewa, Welioya

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නෙළුම්වැව 9වන ගජබා රෙජිමේන්තු මූලස්ථානයේ පුරාවිද්‍යා නටබුන් - Archaeological Ruins in the 9th Gajaba Regiment Head Quarters at Nelumwewa, Welioya — Archaeological Ruins in the 9th Gajaba Regiment Head Quarters at Nelumwewa, Welioya
photo credits: පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක – මුලතිව් දිස්ත්‍රික්කය – පුරාවිද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව

The headquarters of the 9th Gajaba Regiment is situated in the Kiriibbanwewa area of Welioya, directly facing the ancient irrigation reservoir known as Nelumwewa.

Within the camp, several ancient stone pillars, believed to be part of a Bodhigara (a shrine built around a Bodhi tree), can be seen encircling a Bodhi tree. While it is noted that some of these pillars may have been brought in from another site, the original location remains unidentified. Outside the Bodhigara, a number of stone pillars partially buried under roots and soil, a korawakgala (balustrade stone), and indications of a stone staircase are visible. Based on the style and craftsmanship, these architectural elements are characteristic of the Anuradhapura period.

At the center of the Bodhigara stands a stone Buddha statue in the Samadhi posture. This statue is said to have been brought from Akkarawalli, a site recognized as an ancient monastic complex from the Anuradhapura era. When it was discovered, the statue had been broken into several pieces and has since been reassembled using cement.

Not far from this location, evidence of an ancient stone quarry can be found on a nearby rock outcrop. The cutting marks on the stone strongly suggest that the quarry was in use during the Anuradhapura period.

References

Asanga, M. V. P. K., & Nishantha, I. P. S. (2018). පෞරාණික ස්ථාන හා ස්මාරක – මුලතිව් දිස්ත්‍රික්කය (1st ed.). Department of Archaeology, Sri Lanka.
Archaeologysl.maps.arcgis.com. 2020. Web GIS Portal – Web GIS Unit. [online] Available at: <https://archaeologysl.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html> [Accessed 30 September 2020].

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