The archaeological findings of Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala, at the excavation site, in the 'Batadomba-Lena' in Kuruwita, in the Sabaragamua Province have placed before the world, historical information about the earliest settlement, inhabited by the earliest-man, in Sri Lanka, some years ago. Those findings were later confirmed, by tests carried out by Prof. Kennedy of the Cornell University of USA, as specimen-bones belonging to a woman later named by the Sri Lankan archaeologists, as 'Nimali', 29,000 years old.

This scientific confirmation not only did proud to Sinhala civilization but also put her on the map, as a civilization of a higher order, with a superior cultural background, when her great neighbour India, did not even go beyond 10,000 years, in existence, according to archaeological evidence unearthed in that country.

Fig, Image of the cave with the remains of the ancient settlements.

The findings of Dr. Deraniyagala in recent times in the 'Fa-hien-cave' in Pasdun Korale, has gone, beyond those of the Batadomba Lena to upgrade Sri Lanka's civilization as 37,000 years old, according to available archaeological evidence tested and certified by the Cornell-University, in U.S.A.

A skull discovered at the Fa-hien cave excavations, has been tested and certified by the same university, as belonging to the carbon 14 class, thus confirming, the cave-site, as one of the earliest settlements, inhabited by the earliest-man, known to history in the South East Asia, 'with the possible exception' of South Africa, where a 'skull' half a million years old had been unearthed, according to reports.

These scientific investigations of the findings of the two cave-sites conclusively proved that Sri Lanka had her own stock of people, with her own cultural heritage, when even the whole of South East Asia, including India, was a mere-mass of life-less rock and earth. This, indeed, has exploded the theory that the civilization flowed from India to Sri Lanka, as the less-informed held, in their ignorance, over the centuries.

The evidence of the skull discovered by Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala, in that cave-site, confirmed by Scientific-investigation, under the carbon 14 test, conclusively proved that the oldest man, known to archaeology as the 'Balangoda-man' had lived in the 'Fa-hien' cave 37,000 years ago, under a civilization peculiar to its own, 8,000 years before his counterpart of the Batadomba-Lena settlement.

The discovery of the 'Fa-hien cave by Bikkhu-Fahien, during the reign of King Mahanama, before the recorded history, as mentioned in Chulavamsa in the 5th century (412-414) is the largest cave of its kind, in Sri Lanka, situated in Pasdun Korale, 400 ft above sea level, with the cave arch, at the entrance, measuring over 70ft in height, and 150 ft. in breadth (the measurements) may be a little less or more) inside a massive rock 468 ft high.

Thus the two cave sites, Batadomba Lena and Fahien cave have already produced concrete evidence of a proud civilization, parts of the same civilization flourishing in different parts of Sri Lanka 29,000 and 37,000 years ago, respectively.

These archaeological sites, instrumental in establishing, an independent origin and identity of Sinhala cultural heritage, are of great significance and should not only be preserved and protected but also should be given wide publicity through the Ministry of Tourism and other media, educating the people and encouraging them to visit the places, to enable them to build up a 'superior image' of their motherland, especially when that civilization is in imminent danger of extinction, under the power politics of the world.

Apart from the historical value of the Fahien cave, in doing the Sinhala culture proud, and exploding the false and mythical theories that Sri Lankan culture migrated from India', it also could be converted into a source of income to both the Government and the rural folk, in the surrounding villages, as a tourist paradise, for the visitors from home and abroad, Asitha Indika Weerawardena, an amateur explorer of ancient historical places, in Sabaragamuwa told the Daily News.

The 'Len Viharaya' of the Cave is also of great importance to the Buddhists, as an ancient place of Buddhist worship, with a sleeping statue of Lord Buddha, 40 ft in length, in the Vihara section of the cave. The cave itself is 282 ft long, and more than three times the breadth of the Dambulla 'Rock Cave', hitherto considered as the largest 'Rock Cave' in Sri Lanka, with the panoramic wild life around.

from P.D.A.S. Gunasekera, Ratnapura group correspondent