The Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management conducted a research excavation in three burials in the Palippothana Megalithic burial complex in the Upper Malwathu-Oya and Upper Ma-Oya basin in Kahatagasdigiliya from 6th to 18th October 2020. Among the excavated burials, the double orthostat burial will be unique as it representing a new type which was not previously studied from any megalithic context. Iron and copper objects, beads, potteries were recovered from the burials, and more distinctively this will be the first megalithic burial in Sri Lanka which reported both copper and iron objects from the same complex. Further, the burial architecture, mortuary practices, the spatial orientation of the mortuary goods, and other features enable us to rethink the protohistory of Sri Lanka and its culture. Prof. Thusitha Mendis conducted the excavation with Thilanka Siriwardana, Indika Jayasekara and Nadeera Harshajith with the participation of the third-year students of the Archaeology and Heritage Management Honours degree programme. The research is ongoing as a multidisciplinary approach with regional irrigation and landscape studies (Prof. CR Withanachchi, Dr. Nuwan Abeywardana), inscriptions (Prof. Ariya Lagamuwa and Mr. Chandima Ambanwala), geoarchaeology (Mr. WMTB Wijepala and Dr. Sanfica Young).
Department of Archaeology and Heritage Management
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka