Kurullangala Prehistoric Cave Art Site at Karandagolla

Kurullangala is a rocky outcrop in the Karandagolla area belonging to the Ella Divisional Secretariat. At the seemingly difficult-to-reach top of this rocky mountain consists a wall of cave art in a style never observed anywhere in the country. Almost perfectly proportioned line drawings of huge birds, peacocks, humans and other unidentifiable rock art which some believe to be over 5000 years old.

The drawings have been spread over a large area of the rock surface and some drawings are drawn so high up on the rock they are almost impossible to reach. But most of the drawings have faded due to being directly exposed to elements of nature for thousands of years. In some areas, the painted layer of rock seems to have broken away at some time in the past.

Almost 100 meters above these paintings are two bird paintings on a rock call called Pettigala which is impossible to reach. All the drawings use red ink for lines. The artist’s handprint is visible in a few areas.

The caves were discovered about 20 years ago by a villager named Meththananda while searching for bee hives in the jungle. He is today the primary guide to those who hike to the rocks. In 2013, Derana TV channel published a video clip of the site and brought the site to the public. The exact location was not disclosed by the channel but in the same year, Dr. Ashan Geeganage and a team reached the site and published photos and documented the journey. Then in 2015, Sri Abeywickrama and a team again visited this site and published a video documentary of 23 parts presenting the level of difficulty of reaching this site.

The hike would take about 5-6 six hours and is gruesome in some sections which are almost vertical climbs. Plenty of water, food and a medical kit are compulsory for the hike. A guide from the village ( Meththananda seems to be the only person so far) is a must if you don’t wish to get lost.