Anamaduwa Archives

Stories Behind Names of Places in Sri Lanka ‘ANAMADUWA ‘ – By Dr. Nimal Sedera Source : Qld Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – August 2023 Anamaduwa is in the District of Puttlam in Sri Lanka. It is now famous as a place of tourist interest too. But let’s focus on as to how the name Anamaduwa came into being. At the time this area was nothing but a jungle and it became a popular place for hunting. People believe that there are jungles in Sri Lanka where hunters get lost and struggle for days to get out of the forest. Such stories are common even today. The reason for getting lost is attributed to a certain creeper found in the forest. The belief is that, if the hunters or anyone entering the jungle trample these creepers, they become confused and loose their way. Therefore, these creepers are named “මුලා ...

Thonigala Rock Inscriptions – steeped in legend – By Arundathie Abeysinghe There are many places in Sri Lanka known as “Thonigala” and two locations have the same historical as well as archeological significance. One location is situated at the 6th Mile Post in *Vavuniya-*Horowpathana Road. This location is well-known due to the rock inscriptions engraved on a low flat hummock of gneiss rock, approximately two meters (eight feet) towards south of the ruins of a small rubble-built stupa (dagoba) that describes a banking system that existed in the 4th Century. Also known as Toṇigala (Thonigala) or Nagaragala, the location is situated in the jungle approximately 9.5 kilometers (6 miles) from Vavuniya, in close proximity to the border between Northern Province and North-Central Province of Sri Lanka These inscriptions were recorded by Henry Parker in 1886 and they were listed in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon of ...