16/05/2026
In 1885, in a journal called the ‘The Taprobanian,’ Hugh Nevil first described the ‘Nittaewo’ (නිට්ටෑවෝ) of Sri Lanka. Of course, he had never actually seen them. Nevil first heard about the ‘Nittaewo’ from Mudliyar De Zylva of Batticoloa, who claimed they were gorilla-like men, who walked upright, and lived at Lenama (a location inside Kumana). Nevil went so far as to visit Lenama to investigate this story. There, he interviewed several Veddas. According to the latter, the ‘Nittaewo’ were a “cruel and savage race of men,” who were always in conflict with Veddas.
As per the legend, the Veddas drove the ‘Nittaewo’ into a cave and set a fire outside. Supposedly, the fire lasted for 3 days and by then, the ‘Nittaewo’ were extinguished. Nevil, who visited Lenama in the 1880s, claimed one cave at ‘Bambara Gala’ (Bambaragastalawa?) “would perfectly answer for the occurrence.” Indeed, there is a cave at Bambaragastalawa called ‘Ahas Lena’ (අහස් ලේන), which some believe was where the ‘Nittaewo’ were exterminated.
In 1914, when planter Frederick Lewis visited the Panama region, he too heard about the ‘Nittaewo.’ Lewis confirmed the story from at least four sources, one – called ‘Disan Hamy’ – stated that his grandfather, who was a Vedda, participated in the destruction of the ‘Nittaewo.’ The general description of the ‘Nittaewo’ were that they were about 3 feet tall, hairy, with long nails used to eviscerate animals.
Nevil claims that before the ‘Nittaewo,’ another race called the ‘Kanpottas’ (කන්පොත්තා) also lived at Lenama. But is there evidence? So far, there’s –
*A cave at Bambaragastalawa, which may have been where the ‘Nittaewo’ were killed
*An ‘altar’ discovered by A.T. Rambukwelle in 1963
*A plastered building with 3-foot-tall doorways at Bambaragastalawa
However, none of the above are conclusive.
