Handagiriya Ancient Place
. Handagiriya Ancient Place (Sinhala: බලංගොඩ හඳගිරිය පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථානය) Sandagiriya is probably a ruined town or a nucleus of a historic settlement in Handagiriya village located to the northwest of Udawalawe National Park in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. The history of Handagiriya is obscure. It is believed to have been a prosperous area from the 2nd century B.C. to the 15th century A.D. and was later deserted. Vidagama, writing in the 54th year of the reign of King Parakramabahu VI ( 1412-1467 A.D.) of Kotte , mentioned in the preface of his poem, Kawmini Maldama that he was born in a city named Sandagiri Nuwara (Collins, 1932). The ruins of Handagiriya are scattered in an area of several square miles. The majority of the ruins are stone pillars standing in paddy fields. The remains of several ancient tanks, a large heap of ancient bricks where a Stupa once stood and a Bodhi tree surrounded by a finely carved brick wall are among the other ruins at the site. The pillars indicate a fairl…
