Seethala Wanniya and the Pihilegoda Cave Art

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Pihilegoda Vedda Cave in Seethala Wanniya

Seethala Wanniya (also spelled Seethala Vanniya, Seetala Wanniya, Sitala Wanniya, or Sithala Wanniya) is a traditional Vedda village, documented by authors like C.G. and B.Z. Seligmann (1911) and R.L. Spittle, a surgeon who dedicated his life to studying the Vedda people. This village’s surrounding jungles contain caves with notable Vedda artwork.

Tennent (1860) broadly categorized Veddas into three groups: Rock Veddas, Village Veddas, and Coastal Veddas (also known as Sea Veddas). The Sea Veddas, inhabiting the eastern coast, primarily fished and, having intermingled with local Tamil populations, largely adopted Tamil language and culture. Village Veddas practiced agriculture and lived in huts constructed from mud and bark. Rock Veddas, living a more secluded life in caves or under rock overhangs, subsisted on roots, fish, honey, and hunted animals.

The Seligmanns considered the Rock Veddas residing in the jungles of Bingoda, Galmede, and Seethala Wanniya—areas bordering the Uva and Eastern Provinces, largely within ancient Bintanne—to be the “purest” Veddas. The Veddas of Seethala Wanniya, in particular, were regarded as “uncontaminated” Veddas.

How “Seethala Wanniya” Got Its Name

Seethala Wanniya is one of the rocky hills that surround the newly constructed Rambakan Oya Reservoir. According to local legend, a Vedda named Sita and his wife once lived nearby. One day, the wife went to a water hole called Kakuranpola Wala to fetch water. While there, she noticed a swarm of giant honey bees (Bambara) and followed them through the jungle, eventually discovering a massive hive in Seethala Wanniya. She remembered the location, returned to the water hole, and carried the water home.

When the wife arrived late, Sita grew angry, suspecting her of meeting another man. She explained that she had found a hive of giant honey bees, but Sita doubted her story and demanded proof.

The following day, the wife led Sita through the jungle to the hive, which was plastered to a rock wall. The couple decided to collect the honey and climbed to the top of the rock. To reach the hive, they needed vines to descend the steep rock face and the two went separate ways to gather vines.

When Sita returned to the top with his vines, he was astonished to see that his wife had already built a ladder, climbed down to the hive, and taken the honeycomb. Overcome with shame at being outdone by a woman, Sita leapt from the cliff to his death. From that day, the hill became known as Seethala Wanniya, meaning “Spirit of Sita” (Spittel, 1950, p. 138).

Map of the Vedda country. Note that the new Rambakan Oya Reservoir is not in this map.
source : Vanished Trails

Pihilegoda Galge Cave

Map of Pihilegoda Cave where the four families lived
Source : The Veddas (1911) — Map of Pihilegoda Cave where the four families lived Source : The Veddas (1911)

The Pihilegoda Galge (Pihilagoda Galge) Cave is one of the largest caves in Seethala Wanniya. It extends about 30 feet in length and is approximately 10 feet tall at the front, with its height gradually decreasing toward the back, making it too low to stand upright on top. The area in front of the cave is flat and scattered with aerial roots of a large Nuga tree, which are strong enough to be used for climbing (Meewaddana, 2018).

The cave was first documented and photographed by the Seligmanns in 1911. It holds historical importance due to the Vedda art found on its walls.

Seligmanns noted that typically a single Vedda family would occupy a cave, but the large Pihilegoda Cave was shared by four Vedda families, with each family having its own section.

The cave’s walls are ideal for drawings, as rainwater never reaches them. These drawings, primarily created by women, served as a pastime while they waited for their husbands to return from hunting. The depictions commonly include men, women, and various animals. The art was created by mixing ashes with saliva in the palm and painting with the forefinger. Leopard spots, for example, were made using charcoal mixed with salvia paint in the same way.

Among the artwork in one corner of the cave is a depiction of men on two animals surrounded by onlookers. This piece was created by the grandfather of the community’s leader Handuna at the time. He had traveled to Batticaloa, the administrative center of the province, for reasons unclear but seemingly related to a murder case. Upon returning, he painted what had left the strongest impression on him: “the white man on horseback.” Two representations of this scene are visible. On the right is a group of men and women surrounding a figure holding a bow above his head. The lower horizontal line represents the bow, the upper line the string, and the vertical line the arrow, while scattered dots symbolize the feathers of the arrow (Seligmann et al., 1911, pp. 319–320).

Access to Pihilegoda Galge Cave

A gravel road along the left bank of the Rambakan Oya Reservoir leads to Seethawanniya, situated on the left-hand side. Seethawanniya’s two peaks offer stunning panoramic views of the Rambakan Oya Reservoir and dam. Beyond the reservoir, the vista encompasses Madiyagala, Kokagala, the Viyana Hela area, Oyabodahela (adjacent to Seetha Wanniya), Walimbe Hela, Wadinagala, and Govinda Hela.

The route to the documented cave art is known exclusively to the Vedda community of Pollebedda, who live near the Rambaken Oya Reservoir. Other caves in the area contain similar artwork, and some feature petroglyphs, but these remain largely undocumented.

Note that the Google Map marker below indicates the peak of the Seethala Wanniya Hills, not the precise location of the cave itself.

Veddas Inside Pihilegoda Cave
Source : The Veddas (1911)

Vedda Cave Art inside Pihilegoda Cave
Source : The Veddas (1911)

References

Meewaddana, C. (2018, October 18). ස්පිට්ල්ගේ වැද්දන් සිටි ගල්ගේ සොයාගිය ගමන. lankadeepa.lk. Retrieved February 16, 2025, from https://www.lankadeepa.lk/Rasawitha/සපටලග-වදදන-සට-ගලග-සයගය-ගමන/57-538722
Seligmann, C. G., Seligmann, B. Z., Myers, C. S., & Gunasekara, A. M. (1911). The Veddas. Cambridge University Press.
Spittel, R. L. (1950). Vanished Trails: The Last of the Veddas. Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press.
Tennent, J. (1860). Ceylon: An Account of the Island, Physical, Historical, and Topographical, With Notices of Its Natural History, Antiquities and Productions (4th ed., Vol. 2). Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts.

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