Archaeological Heritage in Biyagama Division

Abstract

Archaeological heritage of the Kelaniya region goes back to the Proto-historic times. The transitional phase from the Mesolithic culture of the Pre-historic period to the Protohistoric or Early Iron Age is revealed in the region. The Proto-historic period in Sri Lanka is believed to be in 1000 BC (Senaviratne, 1985). The black and red ware found from the Pilapitiya, draws our attention to the fact that the Kelani valley region has played a key role during this period. According to the chronicles, Kelaniya had been an organized city and remained a remarkable strategic point from the 3 rd century BC. As ancient Sri Lanka was strategically located on the trade routes between south –East Asia and west Asia, it is suggested that Kalyani or Kalyani pattanam might have functioned as a main sea port of the city where many traders lived and engaged in the international trade. However, due to the rapid development of the socio-economic sector in the country, it tended to change the cultural landscape and also the contemporary appearance of the buildings, monuments and sites. For the investigation of this region as an initial stage, we used the unsystematic survey method which has identified about one hundred thirty seven archaeological heritage sites (Gunawardhana, 2006). The aim of this paper is to discuss the archaeological heritage of Biyagama division and will finish addressing the concepts of archaeological heritage of this environment.