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Lesser-known Forest Dwellers of Rathugala – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Inhabiting in the distant village Rathugala, (situated in close proximity to *Gal Oya National Park, approximately 30 kilometers from *Ampara), amidst a diverse woodland, these forest dwellers known as “Rathugala *Veddas” are lesser-known indigenous people of Sri Lanka. They live in the diminishing forests of Sri Lanka. Rathugala is a small hamlet of 110 families living adjacent to the forest. These indigenous people had originally lived in caves in *Danigala Rock area. During the early 1950s, some people of the indigenous community in Danigala Rock area were relocated due to the construction of the *Senanayake Samudhraya to irrigate the arid farmlands of the East and South East of Sri Lanka. Several years later, due to a ban on hunting imposed by the Government, the other inhabitants had also moved to Rathugala. According to scholars, the bloodline of Rathugala indigenous people traces ...