11/07/2026
Rock carvings of Kumana 🇱🇰
At Kiripokunahela, a remote rocky outcrop within Kumana National Park, there’s a fascinating rock art. Drawn with a white paste, it shows a leopard facing a man atop an elephant. Generally, it’s attributed to Sri Lanka’s indigenous ‘Veddas’ who occupied these rock shelters after the 13th century (after the Sinhalese civilization collapsed). But, did the Vedas really draw this? Or, is it prehistoric?
For one, nearly all rock art in Sri Lanka are NOT prehistoric. No carbon dating was done on most rock art and they are, apart from places like Dorawaka Cave, Vedda art from historic times. But, how so?
In the early 1900s, the Seligmans observed the Veddas while they drew. A charcoal paste mixed with saliva was utilized to dab the ‘leopard spots.’ (But at Kiripokunahela, the ‘leopard’ figure appears unspotted). Nonetheless, considering the long tail, it maybe a leopard. What about the man atop the elephant? Other sites also depict this inexplicable ‘man-elephant’ union, often showing a human form upon a pachyderm. In all cases, as observed by P.E.P. Deraniyagala, the hind part of the elephant is shown projecting backward, like the artwork at Kiripokunahela (this is also a trait of Vedda drawings).
But why are they facing a leopard? Is it merely symbolic? Probably so. Although some say the artwork shows the legend of the ‘Lenama Leopard,’ it is mere speculation.
To date, the true meaning or author of the artwork at Kiripokunahela remains a mystery.
(Kumana Leopard Image by Supun Dilshan / Kiripokunahela Rock Art by Pradeep Jayatunga)
