Dambulla City
Journey into the heart of cultural splendor in Dambulla, where ancient history meets modern exploration. Uncover the marvels of the UNESCO-listed Dambulla Cave Temple, meander through vibrant markets, and savor the unique fusion of tradition and innovation in this enchanting Sri Lankan town.
Bankatuwa
Ibbankatuwa megalüütilised hauakambrid on iidne matmispaik, mis asub Ibbankatuwa Wewa lähedal Galewela DS-is, Sri Lankal. Arvatakse, et see paik kuulub Sri Lanka megalüütilisse eelajaloolisse ja protoajaloolisse perioodi ning seda peetakse üheks mitmest riigis leitud iidsest matmispaigast. Paik asub Kurunegala – Dambulla maanteel, umbes viis kilomeetrit edelas Dambulla linnast. Praegu on see matmispaik määratud arheoloogiliselt kaitstud alaks Sri Lankal.
Ibbankatuwa matmispaik, mis ulatub 13 hektari suurusele alale, koosneb megalüütilise traditsiooni kivikirst-tüüpi haudadest. Dr. Raja de Silva, endine arheoloogiakomissar, viis 1970. aastal läbi esimesed väljakaevamised Ibbankatuwa matmispaigas. Hiljem, 1980. aastate lõpus, viisid kohalikud ja rahvusvahelised asutused, sealhulgas Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, Central Cultural Fund ja Saksamaa KAVA (Kommission für Allgemeine und Vergleichende Archäologie), läbi kaks väljakaevamist 1988. ja 1990. aastal. Nende käigus avastati 21 hauakambrist koosnev rühm ning leitud söe radiokarbonanalüüs näitas, et paik pärineb umbes aastast 600 eKr.
2015. aastal viis Central Cultural Fund läbi uue uuringu Ibbankatuwa matmispaigas. Uuring hõlmas 10 m × 10 m suuruse ala väljakaevamist vahetult 21 hauakambri rühma lääneküljel. Pinnase eemaldamisel avastati veel 47 matust, millest 26 olid kivist urnid, mis sisaldasid surnute tuhka ning mida tuntakse kivist urnimatustena.
Need matused koosnesid kambritest, millest mõned olid ümmargused ja teised ristkülikukujulised, valmistatud lihtsatest graniitplaatidest. Mõned kambrid olid kaetud katusekividega ning sisaldasid erineva suurusega savinõusid, nii suuri kui väikeseid, koguses 2 kuni 10, mis sisaldasid surnute tuhka. Need savinõud, erineva kuju ja suurusega, olid kahte tüüpi – valmistatud punasest või mustast savist. Lisaks leiti nende seest vasest ja rauast valmistatud metallesemeid ning erineva kuju ja materjaliga helmeid.
47 avastatud matmisest olid 21 savist urnid, mis sisaldasid surnute tuhka. Neid nimetatakse urnimatusteks. Urnid olid kas suured või väikesed ning valmistatud savist, mõnel neist oli kaanena kasutatav kausikujuline kate. Mõnest neist anumast leiti ka väiksemaid mahuteid.
Ibbankatuwa paik on seni suurim Sri Lankal avastatud matmispaik. Kivikirst-haudade leviku põhjal ulatub ala ligikaudu 700 m × 400 m suurusele. Polwattas avastatud inimeste asula, mis asub matmispaiga lähedal, on esimene selline näide riigis, kus on leitud varase rauaaja inimeste asula koos sellele vastava matmispaigaga.
About Matale District
Matale is a town in the hill country of Sri Lanka. The Knuckles Mountain Range is a special landmark of Matale.The Matale administrative district also contains the historic Sigiriya rock castle, Aluvihare Temple and Dambulla Cave Temple . Surrounding the town are the Knuckles foothills called Wiltshire. It is a mainly agricultural area, where tea, rubber, vegetable and spice cultivation dominate.
The Aluvihare Temple, on the North side of the town, is the historic location where the Pali Canon was first written down completely in text on ola (palm) leaves. Situated near Aluvihare are numerous monastery caves, some of which exhibit fine frescoes.
About Central Province
The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.
Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.
The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.