කිතුල්ගල බෙලි ලෙන

Belilena Cave

Useful Information

Location:	82 Ginigathhena Rd, Kitulgala 71720. 80 km through the Colombo-Hatton highway. Kegalle Sabaragamuwa. (7.002237, 80.435782)
Open:	no restrictions. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	A=600 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, Siran U. Deraniyagala (1989): Fossil remains of 28,000-year old hominids from Sri Lanka Current Anthropology, Vol. 30, No. 3. (Jun., 1989), pp. 394–399. Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, T. Disotell, W. J. Roertgen, J. Chiment, J. Sherry (): Biological anthropology of upper Pleistocene hominids from Sri Lanka: Batadomba Lena and Beli Lena caves Ancient Ceylon 6: 165-265.
Address:	Belilena Cave, 82 Ginigathhena Rd, Kitulgala 71720.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1978	beginning of archaeological excavations by the Archeological Department of Sri Lanka.
1983	excavations completed.

Description

කිතුල්ගල බෙලි ලෙන (Kitulgala Beli Lena, Belilena Cave, Beli Lena Cave, Kithulgala Belilena) is a huge cave chamber with a 30 m wide and 20 m high portal. The huge chamber has numerous stalactites on the ceiling. The cave is also a famous archaeological site, excavations revealed 12,000-year-old human remains. They were from the Balangoda Man (Homo sapiens balangodensis). Recent archaeological excavations have also unearthed fossils which were dated to be more than 32 thousand years old. Dr Paul E.P. Deraniyagala has the theory that humans came to Sri Lanka during the Pleistocene.

The cave has a huge entrance chamber with a triangular portal. Inside there are some buildings. To reach the cave, visitors have to walk from Kithulgala through the jungle.