Pahiyangala rock cave is bordering the Ratnapura district but falling within Bulathsinhala in the Kalutara district and is about 6.5 kilometers away from the Bulathsinhala town and is situated in the village of Yatagampitiya 450 ft above mean sea level.
How to reach
Pahiyangala rock cave is 65.1km from Colombo to Bulathsinhala. There are three options to get from Colombo to Bulathsinhala, choose as you wish
1.Bus-it takes around 2hours
Price of tickets-Rs.3679-Rs.4502
2.Taxi-it takes around 1hour
Price -Rs.5500-Rs.7000
3.Drive-it takes around 1hour
If you don't have your transport system, by hiring a tuk-tuk from Bulathsinhala town, you can reach the cave entrance within around 1/2 hour. Then you have to climb narrow stairs through the jungle. It would take approximately 20-30 minutes to reach the top of the cave. On the way, you can see various activities of monkeys.
The Rock Cave
The cave measures 282 feet in length and is 175 feet in width and 150 feet in height. It can accommodate 3,000 persons. Hence, it is considered the largest cave in the whole of Asia. There is a folk belief that the Chinese monk Fa Hsien, who came to Sri Lanka during King Mahanaga in the 5th century AD, remained secluded in this cave for some time during his stay.
After discovering the cave over 200 years ago, it is now converted into a Buddhist shrine. The Department of Archaeology conducted excavations in 1986/87 in association with the Cornell University of USA. Prof. Kenneth Kensey, having researched the finds from the site, including human skeletons, had concluded that they belonged to human beings who had lived over 37,000 years ago. In recent excavations, archaeologists have unearthed many findings at the Pahiyangala cave.
