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The finely rock-cut pond at Endagala |
Endagala Archaeological Site (Sinhala: ඇකිරියන්කුඹුර ඇඳගල පුරාවිද්යා ස්ථානය) is situated near Girandurukotte Central Collage in Badulla District, Sri Lanka.
The site consists of ruins of ancient structures, drip-ledged caves, rock-cut staircases, ponds, etc. Among those, the pond carved out of the flat rock bed is considered a rare creation (Priyadarshani & Gunasena, 2017). Three steps have been carved to provide access to the pond, while a ledge cut halfway around it forms a comfortable seat for those bathing in it. A small hole is found created at the bottom of the pond to drain the water out. A rock-cut staircase, beginning with a simply carved Sandakada Pahana, provides visitors access to the rock bed of the pond site.
Nearby, additional ruins of ponds and other structures can be found, some of which have been damaged by treasure hunters. The name of the site is derived from the stone bed (Enda-gala) found here, which is completely carved out of rock and sheltered by a cave.
A Protected Site
The drip-ledged caves, Vihara-geya and ponds on the premises of Endagala Archaeological Site situated in the Ekiriyankumbura, in Rideemaliyadda Divisional Secretary’s Division are archaeological protected monuments, declared by a government gazette notification published on 22 November 2002.
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References
Books, Government Gazette Notifications
1) Priyadarshani, S. A. N.; Gunasena, I. P. P., 2017. Pauranika Sthana Saha Smaraka: Badulla Distrikkaya (In Sinhala). Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka). ISBN: 955-9159-48-8. pp.26-27.
2) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. No: 1264. 22 November 2002.
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Attribution
To Whom
LankaPradeepa.com extends its gratitude to Malsha M. Ranasinghe for providing the necessary photographs required for this article. All the photos are published here with the permission of the author.