Kaludiya Pokuna Forest
| Kaludiya Pokuna Forest and Archeological Site | |
|---|---|
View from Kandalama Hotel Side
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| Location | Central Province, Sri Lanka |
| Nearest city | Dambulla |
| Coordinates | 7°52′02″N 80°44′01″E / 7.86722°N 80.73361°ECoordinates: 7°52′02″N 80°44′01″E / 7.86722°N 80.73361°E |
| Governing body | Department of Archeology |
Kaludiya Pokuna Archeological Forest Site (කළුදිය පොකුණ පුරාවිද්යා භූමිය), is a forest with archeological remains in Kandalama, in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka.
The place got its name from a pond that had dark water at ancient times.
The site was initially settled in the 2nd century BC. The remains in the site include inscriptions, residences and a monastery.
Kaludiya Pokuna is also rich with numerous biodiversity, both flora and fauna. The forest is home for many endemic and non-endemic species of flora and fauna, that prevail much more secure than other forests in Sri Lanka.
Site is surrounded by farmland and human settlements from the north, east, and west but is undisturbed by humans and the primates are not provisioned. There is no evidence to indicate that hunting, timber extraction, or woodcutting have occurred at the site.
Forest is composed of many endemic and highly valuable trees and shrubs. The majority of flora are in the family Euphorbiaceae. Plants like Hydnocarpus venenata, Mischodon zeylanicus, Lepisanthes senegalensis, Grewia rothii, Ficus microcarpa, Mussaenda frondosa, Drypetes sepiaria, Mallotus eriocarpus, Manilkara hexandra, Dimocarpus longan, and Tetrameles nudiflora are abundant. Plants of family Ebenaceae, such as Diospyros ebenum, Diospyros malabarica, Diospyros oocarpa, and Diospyros ovalifolia, which has large timber value, are enormous without any human conflict.
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Wikipedia