A giant stone lost in the Wilpattu rubble

by Mahil Wijesinghe

We were about 56 kilometres in to the magnificent Wilpattu Wildlife National Park, at an archaeological site called Ochappu Kallu. Although this site is not well known, it is famous for its Second Century BC monastery and the majestic rock carvings.

The leaning stone of Ochappu Kallu

The brick foundation of a stupa

Ruins of a stupa

What appealed to us most were the wilderness and the panoramic view of the canopy of green jungle beneath which lay the most beautiful villus in the Wilpattu Park.

Ochappu Kallu was one of the destinations of our tour where we explored the monuments left behind by dynasties in and around the Wilpattu sanctuary. I felt fortunate to travel with my team of friends to Wilpattu, the oldest wildlife park in the country.

I was drawn there by my life-long love of archaeological sites. There are temples in a ruined state in almost every corner of Sri Lanka. Built by kings, they speak of a glorious past, when they were once the capital of a dynasty. Mostly ignored and dilapidated, they lie crumbling, waiting to tell their story. These sites have been central to much of my work as a photographer and explorer.

The following night’s heavy rain had filled small craters along the dirt track. Having driven about seven kilometres from the Kokmote bungalow, we slowly made a detour to the outskirts of the Ochappu Kallu where we faced a few problems on the track. The grazing herd of spotted deer, silhouetted against the morning sun, remained motionless as we rounded the bend into the villu, one of 40 where jungle denizens quench their thirst.

Archaeological site

A little while later, the jeep was brought to a halt in front of a huge rock boulder and Asela, our guide said we are in the ancient site of Ochappu Kallu. All I saw was rocky terrain filled with sheer wilderness and lush green.

The vast stretch of land bore many caves and rock outcrops around the Ochappu Kallu archaeological site and was known as being home to sloth bear.

Anticipating the bear to be waiting for us in the ledges and caves along the foot of the climb, Asela took us to the summit of Ochappu Kallu, which in Tamil means ‘leaning stone’ as it was referred to in ancient times. It displayed flashes of its former glory as I walked around. The nooks and corners of the site were filled with ruins of a monastic complex.

Explaining the mystery surrounding the place, our guide Asela said that on Poya days, wildlife officers who came to the site have heard the sound of Pirith chanting in the caves and got a glimpse of white-clad nuns carrying oil lamps, in one of the caves. Local lore says that this site had been a nunnery in the past and that many mysterious things took place here.

A huge rock boulder lies on the top of the hill, separating it into two. The upper rock is occupied by a vast area with a steep slope, overgrown with trees and bushes with a brick foundation of a stupa on the top, while the lower part has extensive remains of the temple, including many pillars, some still erect, others lying on the ground. On the rock surface, there were many inscriptions, some going back to the Second Century BC.

The most interesting feature on the summit of the rock boulder were two remarkable rocks called Ochappu Kallu, the ‘leaning stone’ from where the site derived its Tamil name. These rocks appeared to be originally perpendicular, but had by accident fallen one over the other, and their descent arrested half-way by smaller fragments of rock beneath and between them.

Around the vicinity of the ‘leaning stone’ were a number of rock-cut ruins, some upright, some lying flat, with other stones of various shapes roughly hewn or simply carved, denoting the place as being an extensive edifice in the past. At the foot of the rocky slope where these ruins stood was a beautiful, basin-like tank covered with earth.

Charming landscape

Some of the ruins at the site

Stone ruins in the vicinity

Atop the hillock, a cool breeze brushed against my cheek and I took in the charming landscape. The plain forest canopy of Wilpattu, enveloped by white puffs of cloud, presented a pretty picture against the blue canvas of the sky. Below, the glimmering villus and tall trees were enchanting.

Walking around the site, I explored more ruins on the summit that had made Ochappu Kallu so magnificent. Alas! What caught my attention on the hilltop were the heaps of rubble of two stupas with huge bricks and stones scattered across extensive areas of the vicinity on the rock boulder.

The fate of two majestic stupas which adorned the landscape of the Wilpattu jungle in the glorious past, mercilessly destroyed by treasure hunters! There were two huge holes about five feet deep at the centre of each stupa. It is believed that valuable treasure ensconced in the stupa had been removed.

As I walked further on to the summit, I found a newly dug hole near one stupa where a moonstone and carved stone pillars had been removed and turned upside down in the search for treasure. Looking at these ruins, what could clearly be observed was the lack of protection and the constant threat faced by archaeological sites and the wildlife in many areas of the Park. Obviously, these spots have become a haven for poachers and treasure hunters.

I lost myself in the beauty of the ruins, wondering how these temples were destroyed. The guide explained that they met their end when the kingdom shifted to Anuradhapura and Chola invaders pulled the monuments down.

As I left, I took another look at the ruins of Ochappu Kallu, which were testimony to the glorious past of the island and I wondered how much of history lay lost in the rubble.

Pix: Mahil Wijesinghe