Meemure Excavation

The first-ever crowdfunded archaeological excavation in Sri Lanka commenced on the 5th of August 2023 under the guidance and leadership of renowned archaeologist Senior Professor Raj Somadeva. The excavation site was nestled amidst the breathtakingly beautiful Dumbara (Knuckles) mountain range, with the closest large human habitat being the scenic rural village of Meemuré. The excavation site is accessible only by trekking nearly 6 km through a jungle abounds with elephants.

The main focus of this excavation was a suspected ancient burial ground which has been used by the pre-historic people who made their habitat among these remote mountains, thousands of years ago.

Excavation work continued for 27 days, and the team was able to open four burials. As expected, they were able to unearth human remains from all of those, which could lead to some significant archaeological discoveries.

Throughout the duration of the excavation, the six-member team was permanently stationed at a camp closer to the burial site. While the team was focusing on the scientific work, a number of academics and well-wishers coordinated by Heritage Force Sri Lanka (HFSL), made sure that basic infrastructure and supplies were optimum. Some of them even visited the excavation site to support the ongoing work. The collaboration and assistance of the nearby villagers need to be noted as well.

As part of this study, the excavation team visited one of the remote villages hidden among the mountainous terrain, a few kilometers from the excavation site. “Galamuduna” village is one of the remotest villages in the country with 34 families. The intention of this trek to the village was to study their life and society since there is a fair possibility that they could be descendants of the ancient people buried at the excavation site.

HFSL fully funded the entire Meemuré excavation, including a documentary video, which covers the complete scope of the project.