Pahiyangala (Fa-Hien) Cave
Western Province
About Pahiyangala (Fa-Hien) Cave
Pahiyangala rewrites your sense of Sri Lankan history in one glance upward: a rock shelter so vast - its overhanging brow arcs high enough to swallow a ten-storey building - that it ranks among the largest natural caves in Asia, and deep in its floor archaeologists found the remains of 'Balangoda Man', anatomically modern humans who sheltered here as far back as 37,000 years ago, among the oldest such finds in South Asia. Their descendants' hearths, tools of stone and bone, and food middens layer the excavated pits like pages of a book. Popular legend names the cave for the Chinese pilgrim-monk Fa-Hien, said to have rested here in the 5th century; today a working Buddhist temple with a large reclining Buddha occupies the airy mouth. A stiff stairway climb from the village near Bulathsinhala earns the cave and its jungle views - prehistory, legend, and living shrine in a single stop.
Top Activities
- ✓The vast cave mouth and temple
- ✓Prehistoric excavation sites
- ✓Reclining Buddha shrine
- ✓Jungle viewpoint from the cave lip
- ✓Combine with Kalu Ganga country drives
Nearby Attractions
Travel Tips
The stairway is steep - carry water and take it steadily.
A resident monk or caretaker can explain the excavations.
Combine with a Kalu Ganga river lunch on the way back to the coast.
Quick Info
Best Time
Year-round; mornings
Weather
Warm and humid; the stair climb is sweaty - go early.
Estimated Daily Budget
6.6520°N, 80.2100°E
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