Heritage Article

Archaeological Ruins Inside Yala and Kumana National Parks

54 years ago1 week ago02 mins

RATE THIS LOCATION : 1 Star

(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

Yala National Park, including 5 blocks and the adjoining Kumana National Park consist of one of the largest land areas of Sri Lanka which wildlife roam free. Although a wildlife park now, many centauries ago, This area was covered in thriving cities of the Ruhuna Magama kingdom.

With the arrival of Buddhism to the country in 250 BC, Rohana sub kingdom too experienced a massive rising of large monastic complexes which could support thousands of bhikkhus. According to ancient text (Sammoha Vinodani Atuwawa) Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya is said to have had 12,000 Arhaths during the great famine of Beminitiyasaya in the 1st century BC.

The golden era of this region however, came to an end due to wars among petty kings, drought, famine, disease and the destruction of irrigation infrastructure due to non maintenance. The Jungles had crept over this once populous area by the time Europeans arrived in Sri Lanka. However remnants of this forgotten kingdom is still found on almost every rock outcrop inside Yala and Kumana.

List of Archaeological Sites inside Yala and Kumana National Parks

Akasa Chethiya
Athurumithurugala (see map below)
Athurumituruwewa
Bambaragastalawa
Bembawa
Bowattegala
Brahmanatota
Dematagala
Dikkandanegala
Divulanagoda (Veheradivulana)
Gonagala
Goyankola Mayagala
Handuneruwa
Iriyapola
Kanabiso Galge
Katupila (see map below)
Katupila Mankada (see map below)
Kiripokunahela
Mahakiriwedumagala
Kongala

Also See

Travel Directions to Yala National Park

The park can be reached through Southern Highway. It is 275 kilometres away (the shortest path through Ratnapura avoiding the Highway but travel time is longer) from Colombo.

Route from Colombo to Yala National Park (Ruhuna) Entrance	Route from Kataragama to Yala National Park (Ruhuna) Entrance
Through : Southern Highway – Mattala – Tissamaharama – Kirinda Distance : 275 km Travel time : 4.30 hours Driving directions : see on Google map	Through Tissamaharama – Kirinda Distance : 40 km Travel time : 45 minutes. Driving directions : see on Google map

Travel Directions to Kumana National Park

Entrance to Kumana is from Okanda. Although the fastest route is through the Southern Expressway, The route through Balangoda – Beragala is very scenic.

Route I from Colombo to Kumana Park Entrance at Okanda	Route II from Colombo to Kumana Park Entrance at Okanda
Through : Southern Highway – Mattala – Thanamalwila – Wellawaya – Monaragala – Potuvil – Panama – Okanda Distance :420 km Travel time : 7.30 hours. Driving directions : see on Google map	Through : Balangoda – Beragala – Wellawaya – Monaragala – Potuvil – Panama – Okanda Distance :345 km Travel time : 9.30 hours. Driving directions : see on Google map
Route from Potuvil to Kumana Park Entrance at Okanda
Through : Potuvil – Panama – Okanda Distance :32 km Travel time : 1 hours. Driving directions : see on Google map

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Matikumbura Kalawana Sri Sugatharamaya Tampita Viharaya (මැටිකුඹුර කලවාන ශ්‍රී සුගතාරාමය ටැම්පිට විහාරය)
Matikumbura Kalawana Sri Sugatharamaya Tampita Viharaya in Kurunegala District was declared a protected Archaeological Monument by the gazette dated 7th December 2001. […]
Ruins of Allirani Fort in Arasapuram, Kilinochchi (අරිසපුරම් අල්ලිරානි කොටුව නටබුන්)
Ruins found at Arasapuram are believed to be ruins of a fort of Queen Allirani by the locals. However, no formal archaeological excavation has been done on this site. These ruins most probably belonged to an ancient monastery built millennia ago. […]
A Ride Through the Historic Hamilton Canal (Dutch Canal)
The Hamilton Canal also known as the Dutch Canal and Paru Ela in Sinhalese, connecting Puttalam and Colombo, has a rich history dating back to the colonial era. It was first started by the Portuguese (1505–1656) who started cutting the waterway from the Kelani Ganga River. They built the canal to redirect river floods and protect fertile paddy land. […]
Negombo Lellama Fish Market : An Explosion of Colours
The Negombo Fish Market is a bustling hub of activity located in the coastal city of Negombo, Sri Lanka. It is renowned for its vibrant atmosphere and the wide variety of fresh seafood available for sale. Fishermen bring in their catches from the Indian Ocean, and the market comes alive with the sights, sounds, and smells of the sea. […]
Dutugemunu Pillar at Ruwanweli Seya (දුටුගැමුණු ශිලා ස්ථම්භය)
Many do not pay special attention to this pillar which is generally called "Dutugenumu Pillar" but the story behind this pillar is interesting as the construction of the Ruwanweli Seya itself. This pillar was installed by King Devanampiyatissa (250-210 BCE) on the advice of Mihindu Maha Thero. […]
Dalada Maligawa of Kurunegala Kingdom (කුරුණෑගල රාජධානියේ දළදා මාලිගාව)
The old city of Kurunegala Kingdom was spread between Kuruminigala and Ibbagala, bounded by Athugala. Even today ruins of the palace complex, the Temple of Tooth (Dalada Maligawa) and other buildings inside a semi-circular are found on this strip of land between Athugala and Kuruminigala. […]
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (පින්නවල අලි අනථාගාරය)
The Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka was established in 1975 on a land area of nine hectares, a prime land of coconut plantation. At the inception there were only seven orphans. Some members of this generation now given birth to the second and third generation and the story continues. […]
Mihintale – The Cradle of Buddhism (මිහින්තලාව)
In the 3rd century BC, area of Mihintale (mihinthalaya) was a thick jungleand was a hunting ground reserved for the royals. All this changed in 250 BC when the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka, Mahinda Maha Thero arrived at the Mihintale (mihinthalaya) rock to meet king Devamnampiyatissa. […]
Kotte Kingdom (කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය)
Kotte Kingdom was the capital of our island from 1415-1565 AD predominated by the long reign of Parakrama Bahu VI, the last Sinhala king who ruled a unified L anka. […]
Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription (කෝට්ටපිටිය පුවරු ලිපිය)
The Kotttapitiya Slab Inscription is considered one of the 14 valuable inscriptions of the Anuradhapura Era. The pillar inscription is believed to have been placed by King Mahinda IV (956-972) and is 6 feet in height and 1.5 feet wide. 45 lines of text have been inscribed on this pillar. […]
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Burial Grounds
Gurugalhinna Megalithic Cemetery was initially uncovered and examined in 1896 by R. W. Levers. Subsequently, in the 1970s, Raja De Silva from the Department of Archaeology led excavations at Gurugalhinna. However, the burials at the site have not been scientifically dated. […]
Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Burial Site in Maduru Oya Valley
In this Wadamunai (Wadamune) Megalithic Cemetery, scattered across the landscape, lie between 15 to 20 graves. Unfortunately, the peaceful serenity of these resting places has been disrupted by thorn bushes, which have taken root amidst many of the tombs. Adding to the desecration, some graves have fallen victim to the destructive hands of treasure hunters, who have ransacked them in search of valuables. […]
Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription (රණව ආඬියාගල ටැම් ලිපිය)
Placed by King Dappula IV in the early part of the 10th century, this Ranawa Andiyagala Pillar Inscription declares a sanctuary for Animal, Plants as well as Humans in the Namal Uyana area. Even royal guards were prohibited from entering this area to apprehend criminals. […]
Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila (දඹේගොඩ ටැම් ලිපිය)
Established by King Mahinda IV (956-972) Dambegoda Pillar Inscription in Maligawila narrates the religious acts of the king and lays down rules for the administration of certain religious establishments. […]
Mihintale Slab Inscriptions and the Relic House (4වන මිහිඳු රජුගේ මිහින්තලේ පුවරු ලිපි)
The inscription of King Mahinda IV belonging to the tenth century is installed on the two sides of the entrance to this Vihara. The relic house is a square building. […]
King Agbo’s Kantale Wewa Reservoir
The picturesque Kantale Wewa ( tank) is the largest contribution of King Agbo II (608-618) who ruled only for 10 years. Renovation of the Kantale Wewa was carried out by Parakramabahu the Great (1153 - 1186) and has been not short of attention from the colonial times. […]
Ampara Nuwaragala Kanda Ruins
Nuwaragala, once the kingdom of Saddatissa, brother of King Dutugemunu, still boasts of ruins of an old castle and a rock pool built on top of the mountain. […]
Deanston Mini World’s End Drop (දුම්බර කඳුවැටියේ ඩීන්ස්ටන් කුඩා ලෝකාන්තය)
An 1.2 km trail from Deanston will take you the Mini World's End of Deanston, one of the two Mini World's End of knuckles Range. There are two view points where one provides a panoramic view of the Ududumbara town, Kandy-Mahiyangana road, Kalugala area and the other the knuckles range. […]