Settlements of ancient Sri Lanka

Kamalika Pieris

Sri Lanka had a long history of settlement. The wet zone was the first to be inhabited. That is because Sri Lanka originally consisted of the south, southwest and central areas. There are irrigation works and caves of the early period in the Bintnne division of Uva and around Mahiyangana, Uraniya, and Dambane. Dams to several streams on the Hambantota- Wellawaya and Moneragala-Pottuvil roads indicate cultivation.

Kuttampokuna in Anuradhapura

Gampola, Kandy and Teldeniya area was populated in pre Christian times. Inscriptions have been found in Bambaragala, Gonawatta, Haragama, Dulvala, Vegiriya and Molagoda. But thereafter there are no inscriptions in the regions up to about the 11th Century. Hindagala temple, near Peradeniya, Kandy has frescoes dated to sixth and seventh Century AD.

There was a widespread distribution of population in Kegalle district in pre-Christian times. Inscriptions are abundant in at least 16 places within this district. But very few for the period between the first and eigth centuries. The region from Kalu Ganga to Nilvala Ganga, which includes the present Galle and Ratnapura districts, were devoid of settlements in ancient times. The earliest epigraphically and archaeological evidence of a settle population in this region comes form the 10th Century AD.

It has been noted that inscriptions of the early settlers are quite numerous in the wet zone until the first Century BC. Then there is a gap and the inscriptions begin again in 10th Century. This suggests that the wet zone areas remained relatively unopened till the 10th Century. The early Sinhala settlers after an initial attempt to settle down in the wet zone abandoned the area, except for the coastal areas and concentrated on the dry zone. The inscriptions are unbroken from pre-Christian to medieval times in the Dry Zone. The Dry Zone had a greater extent of flat land and a more regular weather pattern. Certain good grains could be cultivated only in dry zone.

There fore it was better for food production, leaving grain surplus for other activities. It is probable that the wet zone was thinly populated and that there was a remarkable demographic concentration in the dry zone from about the first Century.

In the Dry Zone, Brohier noted that Vilachchiya, Anuradhapura had been irrigated and lived in long ago. It had remnants of ancient tanks and rudimentary ponds. At Talawe, to augment the water supply the ancients tapped the Jaya Ganga, and established a feeder channel known as the Talawe ela that started form Tirippane.

This led to a large tank at Talawa. From there water was conducted along the natural stream called Talawa oya and was diverted by anicuts to the reservoirs on the right and left bank in the lower reaches of the valley. There are large abandoned tanks in this area. There wee no settlements near villus. Villus are natural sink holes. They cannot be used for irrigation.

Anuradhapura had villages of about three hectares each, from about 1100 BC. By 10th Century BC these settlements were using iron implements and manufacturing copper alloy artifacts. Rice was grown and there was breeding of cattle and horses. There is evidence of high quality pottery, notably black and red ware.

Anuradhapura excavations indicate that there were domestic chicken probably the extinct Ruhunu kikiliya which was noted for its egg laying capacity and was similar to the modern Sinhala (‘gamey’) varieties. The 1984 excavations showed glass beads dated to seven-eight Century BC as well as black Ganges Valley pottery, the dates of which match Gautama Buddha’s time

Mantota was first occupied in the Stone Age, (late Mesolithic period.) The food refuse indicated that the diet included marine resources; there were shells of molluscs, nails, fish, crabs, turtles. Recent excavations at Pilapitiya on the Kelani river showed that it had been a developed settlement by fourth or third Century BC. Pilapitiya is in western west zone away from the capitals of the Sinhalese kings. Excavations of 1972, found undisturbed evidence of human habitats of at least a 100, 000 sites specially in Wilpattu in the area from Puttalam district up to Mullaitivu district, excluding Jaffna.

There have been many settlements in the south of Sri Lanka. Various persons have spotted evidence of these. Paranavitane stated that brown and red earth ware had been unearthed at the estuaries of Walawe, Kirindi oya, and Kumbukkan oya. Some of the items were engraved with megalithic symbols. They have been dated to fourth and third centuries. Brahmi inscriptions were found in more than 10 villages in the south east showing that the region was well populated.

Nicholas stated that there appears to have been a dynasty settled in Kajaragama (present Kataragama,) who appear to have cultivated an area between Kajaragama, Panama and Pottuvil. This constitutes a part of present Batticaloa district as well as Yala. Mahavamsa says the brother in law of Panduvasudeva founded a settlement named Rohana in 5 Century BC.

The younger brother of Devanampiyatissa also came to Mahagama. The Mahagama family cultivated areas in the lower Uva and Magam pattu. There was a ‘district of 1200 villages’ to the east of Valve ganga.

Lyn de Alwis noted that the remains of stupas in jungle belt, between the Menik ganga and Kumbukkan oya indicate a flourishing civilization. At Yala there is Lunu atu galge, a cave on a rock 400 feet above. It was approx 200 feet long and as much as 30 feet broad and had evidently housed many families in ancient times. It had been partitioned with brick walls to form about a dozen rooms. The carving on the drip ledge must have been a stupendous feat, since the cave is at top of the arc at a height of some 100 feet above ground. Raj Somadeva says the present excavations at Tissamaharama indicate settlements from 9th to 7th Century BC, continuing on to 1400 AD.

When Veheragala reservoir was to be constructed by damming the Menik Ganga, Central Cultural Fund looked at the archaeological remains of the area. The study showed that the upper and lower reigns of Menik Ganga would have had a developed civilization.

There is evidence of a tank based agricultural community. Pottery dated to the seventh and eighth Century was found. Bundala region between Hambantota and Tissa and the perimeter of the Yala sanctuary in Minihagalkanda, showed the occurrence of pre-historic humans 125,000 years ago. Proto historic settlements have been discovered in Allengala, Tambarava and Akurugoda. Burial grounds pertaining to protohistoric period were discovered at Kataragama, Mahapalassa, Mahagal vava, Habarantava, Tambarava, Bambava and Rancamadama.

The writings of O Bopearachchi, R L Brohier, Lyn de Alwis, S Deraniyagala, P A T Gunasinghe, D K Jayaratne, C W Nicholas, C R Panabokke, S Paranavitane, M Prickett-Fernando, R Somadeva, W I Siriweera, and T W Wikramanayake were used for this essay.