Dolmen of Padavigampola

  

A hamlet in the heart of rural Rambukkana, surrounded by paddy fields and huts, flanked by low hills and rivulets, little known to the outside world, and taken for granted by the locals- Padavigampola, at first glance, may seem like an ordinary hamlet, displaying no visible sign of being an important centre on the historical and cultural map of Sri Lanka.

I felt it was worth making the trip to this unusual and obscure place. As we neared Padavigampola, located close to the Padavigampola School which can be reached by travelling approximately 1.5 kms from Dehen Pauwa junction, itself four kms on the Rambukkana-Walgama road, I realized it was not really a road less known or travelled. Padavigampola is famous for its ancient tomb-like rock structure or dolmen, belonging to the Stone Age.

History has always fascinated me, and, therefore, we were game for a little bit of walking to unravel the story that literally dates back to the Stone Age. Eventually, we discovered the place. We walked on till we spotted a stone chamber. Our excitement grew at the thought of coming face to face with history.

Before proceeding to the dolmen we saw a huge signboard erected toward the tar road proclaiming “Purana Sri Maliyadeva Galmessa Viharaya-Padavigampola” flanked by a massive age-old Bo tree. A few yards away from this is a freshly whitewashed temple, an abode to a pious Buddhist Bhikku, Ven. Alapitiye Pannasara Thera (58), who lives in this temple just outside the dolmen.

Almost hidden in the site, if any visitor comes to visit this dolmen, he or she should cross the temple premises to get a better view of this stone marvel and he or she cannot avoid meeting the Bhikku of the temple. We came across a huge dolmen, belonging to the Megalithic Age. Believed to be built by Neolithic tribesmen, this dolmen is called ‘Galmessa’ by the locals.

Made of three vertical stone slabs and covered by a fourth one called the cap stone, this dolmen was probably a burial chamber in ancient times. Among the pre-historic sites identified in the Sathara Korale, Alulena, Dorawaka and Padavigampola are the most prominent.

The historically important Padavigampola dolmen (Galmessa) is believed to be one of the most significant historical monuments among a number of archaeological artifacts scattered over the Kegalle district in the Sabaragamuwa Province. The dolmen is believed to be a construction done prior to the arrival of Prince Vijaya circa 5th century BC.

According to ancient chronicles, this period is known as the early Iron Age. Hunting was an important part of the daily life of the inhabitants, and they lived in the villages. Agriculture also became a major part in the life of the villagers who built small tanks to irrigate their fields. They buried their dead in stone cemeteries.

The dead were interred in pits or urns and stone monuments erected over their remains. Places such as, Ibbankatuwa in Dambulla and Ranchamadama in Embilipitiya are fine examples, where the dead were cremated and their remains placed inside small stone chambers fitted with