Not enough publicity for historic cemetery

Text and pictures M.A.R. Manukulasooriya, Hiriyala group correspondent

There are several places of historical importance in Sri Lanka that are still not so well-known among foreigners and locals.

The Ibbankatuwa historic Cemetery that belongs to the Megalithic pre-historic era is one such place. This historical site is located from 500 meters on the Kurunegala-Dambulla main road, 500. This site is coming under the purview of Galewela Divisional Secretariat.

Ibbankatuwa site covers an area of about one square kilometre and have 48 clusters of cist tombs with a rough average of about ten tombs per cluster.

The centuries old cemetery shows that even in ancient times the dead were respected. The structures here are similar to the ones we use in today's cemeteries. These graves are enclosed with stone slabs and covered over with another slab.

According to the archaeologists, besides the burial place human bones and other paraphernalia such as equipment used by them have been found from this site. Dr. Senerath Paranavithana who had examined the inscriptions appeared on the clay pots found from this site has said that they are similar to the inscriptions that appeared in the clay pots from the Mohendajaro-Harappa civilization.

The excavations in this site were carried out by the Cultural Triangle.

Although thousands of tourists are going pass this historical place almost everyday, no one is interested in visiting this site as sufficient publicity about it has not been given by the authorities.

Several families have been living in this site for the last 40 years. They have settled there without knowing that it was a historical place.

Action should be taken to provide them with alternative lands and settle them elsewhere.

No officer has been appointed there to look after this site.