evidence: We turned left at Bulathsinhala to the Niggaha Road and within seven kilometers from there and 45 minutes from Horana , we were at the foothill of what is now known as the Pahiyangala Rock Cave Temple, which is not only Sri Lanka’s largest natural rock cave but also the oldest human habitat in Asia spanning 37,000 years !! [...] Some of the most significant aspects of the Pahiyangala rock cave is that it has been the abode for Chinese Buddhist monk Fa Hsein in 5th century AD. Legend and folk tales have it that this rock cave provided him shelter for the night when he was en route to Sri Pada. [...] Excavations up to 16 feet deep conducted by the Archaeology Department in 1986 under the stewardship of former Director- General Dr Siran Deraniyagala and Assitant Commissioner W.H. Wijepala (later Director General Central Cultural Fund) have revealed most precious data on prehistoric man including five human skulls. There have been some large iron tools, some implements which have been discovered in the excavations and they had been directed to USA’s Cornwall University. Scientists there have also endorsed through radio carbon dating that the skull found at Pahiyangala was 37,000 years old.