Galpaya ancient city belongs to the Girl mofussil in Southern Sri Lanka. This colossal arboraceous area that is expanded up to Meda Korale in Kandawelpaththuwa and border of Walave River is located in eastward direction to Ratnapura – Ambilipitiya route.
One can clearly understand by examining the exiguous finding of ruins that this historical megapolis which is declared to be belonged by lineages called Maduwanwela, Morahela and Muththettupola was replace with reservoirs, mansions, palaces, sanctuaries and monasteries.
The honor of being first in attempting to quest the ancient ruins of Galpaya must be offered to the former government agent in Ratnapura District, Mr. C.H. Collins who has done his research on the terrain in 1931.
There is an abandoned reservoir named Galpaya Maha Wewa which contains a stone bricked sluice gate and a sit-trap. A small brook that flows through Galpaya pumps water into this reservoir. It seems that this abandoned tank has afforded water for paddy cultivation unto Rathkaravu Wewa located in a few miles distance. Considering these facts it is clear that Galpaya was an opulent burg in an era by gone.
Galpaya was muffled with thick greenery including ebony (Diospyros abenum), trincomalee wood (Berrya ammonilla), palu (mimusops heexanda), veera (Nerium odorum), satin wood (Ohloroxylon swietenia) and milla (Olax zeylanicazeylanica) 8 decades ago. In that greenwood muffled era, brigands have disrupted and destructed most of the ruins.
Because of forest clearing for Chena cultivation, the area of the forest was reduced to about 100 acres. The stone inscription and age old ruins depict the prevailed development of that city in 11-12 centuries. Also there are few inscriptions lithographed in Brahmi letters that belong to 1-2 centuries B.C., though the history of evolutiontraces even back. In the time being, several locations with ruins have been discovered in Galpaya. In accordance, many places where archaeologically important remains are lurked have been found from Galpaya area including Veheragodaella, Amige Galge, Walaha Wetunagala, Waldeni Kotuwegala, Maligathenna, Andagalayaya, Kebithigoda Yaya, and Galbokke Yaya.
A large collection of archaeological values including rings imported from Greece, black and red ware, tiles and bricks, monoliths, ruins of edifices, and engraved stones have been excavated from this area. Ven. Fallswala Medhananda thero, Prof. Senarath Paranavithana, Mr. H.C.P. Bell, Prof. Charles Godakumbura, Dr. P.E.P.Deraniyagala, Dr. S.U. Deraniyagala and Dr. Nimal Perera and more other academicians not mentioned here have presented various purviews by examining this ancient city.
Several excavations led by Prof. Raj Somadeva were done in Galpaya in 2007 and 2008, and that process have been a great support in exploring lots of information about the buried history of Galpaya.
Remains of this historical terrain are dispersed asunder in an area more than 1 sq. km. From that excavation ruins of a milieu where exorcisms were performed in days of old have been uncovered. The idea that Galpaya was a very developed and affluent human settlement has been affirmed through these excavations and some other archaeologists have also asserted the same opinion. Today this area is filthy with the touch of brigands, illegal gem miners and illegal land seizing. Further examinations on Galpaya must be conducted since the researches done already are not enough to uncover the undiscovered hidden importance about this site.