Danigala Circular Rock – miraculous inselberg

By Arundathie Abeysinghe

Popularly known as Danigala “Alien Mountain” by locals due to its extraordinary geological formation and located in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka in close proximity to Aralaganwila in *Polonnaruwa, this rock is situated in an amazing landscape. Danigala Rock is situated in the land belonging to Kandegama Raja Maha Viharaya (Buddhist Temple), a contemporary Cave Temple. Hence, permission from the Head Priest is necessary to enter this site.

According to locals, Danigala Rock is a “UFO sighting hotspot” and secrets of aliens are hidden in the Rock. Hence, the Rock is also known as “Alien Mountain”. Local as well as foreign tourists are of the view that Danigala Rock is similar to a roundabout.

The aerial view of the Danigala Rock indicates a unique semi-circular shape, affected by geological activities as well as climatic conditions. Hence, the location of Danigala epitomizes an area abundant with numerous geological and geomorphological formations, exceptional characteristics of the geodiversity abundance of the locale since the *Precambrian era to date. As the location of Dangiala is profuse with environmental elements relevant to archaeology, astronomy, biodiversity as well as cultural elements, scholars consider the area a unique location in Sri Lanka.

According to *Dr. Siran Deraniyagala, the earliest habitation of the region surrounding Danigala Inselberg has been dated to 125,000 BP.  According to archaeologists and historians, the numerous symbols, letters and images in the caves in the Rock date more than 300,000 years, a distinctive aspect of human evolution. These are found in two rocks between the two gorges. This type of symbols inscribed on the stone are also found in different parts of the world.  

According to scholars, a section of the north west slope direction of Danigala Inselberg has remarkable petroglyphs symbols similar to those found in Chithra Lena petroglyphs in *Ampara District, Dorawakakanda Cave in the *Kegalle District and Hakbelikanda Cave in Alawwa in *Kurunegala District. Scholars are of the view that the first ancient “Bind Runes” (when two or more runes are connected or ‘bound’ together) of Sri Lanka were discovered at Danigala. The petroglyphs of Danigala are similar to those found at Edakkal Caves in Kerala, India.

According to astrobiologists and exobiologists, these petroglyphs are closely related to astronomy. Geometric patterns as well as primitive images of people with weapons in their hands, anthropomorphic figurines, peacocks, animals, stairs, arrows and plants have been engraved in these petroglyphs covering almost the entire space of the Cave. These drawings are tentatively dated to 5500 – 4500 BC. The largest of the petroglyphs is 7.5 meters long and five meters high. Scholars are of the view that some sets of geometric symbols are indeed an ancient “glue code” which represent the “lost astronomical counting system.”

The hike to Danigala Rock takes approximately two hours and many hikers spend at least another two hours basking in the glory of the spectacular surroundings from the summit of the Rock.

The best time to climb the Rock is early morning to avoid harsh rays of the sun.

It is necessary to wear shoes as the path is rough in certain places. It is better to climb the Rock in small groups, instead of hiking alone.

Location: Kandegama village in Maduru Oya valley, Polonnaruwa

Directions: Colombo – Polonnaruwa – Dimbulagala – Dehiattakandiya – Aralaganwila -Damminna – Kandegama Raja Maha Viharaya

• Ampara – Located in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka 360 kilometers east of Colombo, Ampara is the main town of Ampara District.
• Anuradhapura Period – This was a period in the history of Sri Lanka from 377 BC -1017 AD when the Anuradhapura Kingdom was established as the first kingdom in ancient Sri Lanka. King Pandukabaya (474 BC – 367 BC) was the first monarch to rule Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura from 377 BC. Buddhism played a major role during the Anuradhapura Period.
• Chola conquest – This was a military invasion of the Anuradhapura Kingdom by the Chola Empire of Southern India, one of the longest ruling dynasties in world history. Initially, the *Anuradhapura Kingdom was invaded in 993 AD and absorbed it into the Chola Empire of Southern India.
• Siran Upendra Deraniyagala – Late Dr. Siran Deraniyagala (March 1, 1942 – October 5, 2021), renowned Sri Lankan archaeologist and historian served as the Director of the Department of Archaeology from 1992 to 2001. He was renowned for his work on prehistoric Sri Lanka including his pioneering exploration of the Anuradhapura citadel and excavations at Fa Hien Cave (locally known as “Pahiyangala”, situated in Kalutara District of Sri Lanka, the largest cave of Sri Lanka as well as one of the largest natural rock formations in Asia) site that highlighted life in Sri Lanka during prehistoric times. Among his discoveries were clay artifacts with writing on them dating to 6^th century BCE. His doctoral thesis (Harvard University in 1988) focused on the shore dunes of Iranamadu in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.
• Kurunegala – A major city in Sri Lanka, it is the capital of North Western Province and Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital from 13^th to 14^th Kurunegala is situated approximately 40 kilometers northwest of Kandy.
• Polonnaruwa – The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa or the ancient city of Polonnaruwa (also known as Pulastipura) was the second capital of Sri Lanka for three centuries from 11th to 13th centuries. After the *Chola conquest of Anuradhapura Kingdom, the center of administration was shifted to Polonnaruwa until 1232. Polonnaruwa has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
• Precambrian era – Precambrian Period is considered as the earliest part of Earth’s history. Meaning “before the Cambrian period”, this period has referred to the entire period of earth’s history before the formation of the oldest rocks with recognizable fossils in them. Precambrian era covers practically 90% of the entire history of the Earth and the Era comprises geologic period prior to 600 million years. Scholars define the Precambrian Era as the period which predated the emergence of life in the Cambrian Period.

Image courtesy – Twitter.com, Travelsrilanka.org & anomalien.com