Belilena is a famous large cave in Sri Lanka. It is located 8km from the town of Kitulgala. It holds evidence of a lost generation of Sri Lankans some 12,000 years old; at this time the cave was occupied by Balangoda Man, described as Homo sapiens balangodensis by Paul E. P. Deraniyagala, who found ten skeletons of these people. They lived 2000 feet above sea level. It is believed they lived than 32,000 years ago.^[1]

A visit requires a rope or rope ladder for entry. The part of the cave beyond the lake that fills it a short way from its mouth still remains unexplored.

See also[link]

• Balangoda Man

References[link]

• Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, "Fa Hien Cave", in Encyclopedia of Anthropology ed. H. James Birx (2006, SAGE Publications; ISBN 0-7619-3029-9)
• "Pre- and Protohistoric settlement in Sri Lanka" — S. U. Deraniyagala, Director-General of Archaeology, Sri Lanka
• Kenneth A. R. Kennedy and Siran U. Deraniyagala, Fossil remains of 28,000-year old hominids from Sri Lanka, Current Anthropology, Vol. 30, No. 3. (Jun., 1989), pp. 394-399.
• Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, T. Disotell, W. J. Roertgen, J. Chiment and J. Sherry, Biological anthropology of upper Pleistocene hominids from Sri Lanka: Batadomba Lena and Beli Lena caves, Ancient Ceylon 6: 165-265.
• Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, Siran U. Deraniyagala, W. J. Roertgen, J. Chiment and T. Disotell, Upper Pleistocene fossil hominids from Sri Lanka, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 72: 441-461, 1987.
• Dr. Deraniyagala
• Annual Review of Anthropology: 1980 By Siege, Bernard J. Siegel - Page 403 & 416
• [1] Propaedia: outline of knowledge and guide to the Britannica.--[2]-[11] Micropaedia: ready reference and index.--[12]-[30] Macropaedia: knowledge in depth.
• Professor Paul Mellars

External links[link]

• http://www.amazinglanka.com/prehistoric/beli_lena/beli_lena.php
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20060811/ai_n16655716
• http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/caving_home.htm
• http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/dera1.html
• http://www.travelsrilanka.com/index.cfm?PAGE=736
• http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/prehistory.htm
• http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/palle2.html
• http://townplanninginsrilanka.blogspot.com/2008/05/pre-and-protohistoric-settlement-in-sri.html

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