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The Mahiyangana Dagaba/ Stupa is built enshrining the Sacred Hair Relic of the Buddha. The main festival of the Perahera is in September and the special feature of this procession is the dance of Veddahs. (Aborigines of Sri Lanka).
60 km from Badulla and 74 kms from Kandy, it is situated on the banks of the Mahaveli river. Mahiyanganaya is another sacred place the Buddha is said to have visited.
Dambana is a village bordering the Maduru Oya Sanctuary where a few surviving members of Sri Lanka's aboriginal people live. They are called 'Veddahs'. You have to turn from the 90th km post of the A 26, Kandy Padiyathalawa Road and drive another 4 kms to Dambana. The nearest town is Mahiyangana. There are hundreds of people who visit Dambana every day. The Veddahs are a very small ethnic group as most of them have intermarried with Sinhalese folk and moved to other agricultural areas. The meaning of 'Veddah' is 'hunter', but at present they have moved from a hunting lifestyle to chena cultivation.
Visitors gift them many items, including money, and they probably like to purchase consumer items from shops nearby. They also sell a few handicraft items and Bees' Honey. They have their own cultural values, songs and dances.
The leader of the Veddahs' is called 'Nayaka Attho'; others are called 'Vanniyala Attho'.
Water from the Mahaweli river fills this reservoir which is utilized for cultivation. This is the largest reservoir in this area. 'Sorabora Wewa' is one of the earliest hydrological constructions in the country. In ancient times, this tank was called the 'Sea of Bintenna' because it was believed to have been built during the era of the great King Dutugemunu by the villager Bulatha.
