Ten-foot-tall Giant Skull Found in Pahiyangala Cave, Sri Lanka? Find out the truth…

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Archaeological findings draw considerable public attention as they provide an opportunity to connect with our collective human history and understand the complexities of the world that came before us. Despite the genuine enthusiasm surrounding new discoveries, the proliferation of inaccurate narratives can distort the understanding of historical events and cultural contexts. Let’s look at one such bizarre claim.

Social Media Posts

Social media claims suggest that a 10-foot-tall giant skull, purportedly 37,000 years old, was discovered in Pahiyangala Cave (also known as Fa-Hien Cave) in Sri Lanka. These claims are primarily based on blog posts allegedly originating from the China-based Xinhua news agency and attributed to Senarath Dissanayake, former Director General of Sri Lanka's Archaeological Department.

Facebook | Archived

Users commented on it like below.

So, we went through the blog article also, and it can be read here. Archived

A few extracts of that blog article are below.

Director General of the Archaeological Department Seпarath Dissaпayaka told Xiпhυa that the skeleton of the Balaпgoda human ancestor foυпd iп the υпdergroυпd Fa-Hieп caʋe iп westerп Sri Laпka is to be seпt for carbon dating to the Uпites States. “The eʋideпce so far foυпd has proʋed that the skeletoп beloпgs to 37,000 years ago,” Dissaпayake said.

We decided to do a fact-check on this.

Fact Check

Our investigation reveals several discrepancies and a lack of any substantial evidence to support these assertions.

Absence of Reports from Xinhua News Agency: Despite claims that Xinhua news agency reported the discovery, no such reports could be found through searches of Xinhua's archives or recent publications. This casts doubt on the authenticity of the alleged source.

Denial from Archaeological Department: Upon inquiry, a Sri Lankan Archaeological Department spokesman denied any knowledge or evidence of such a discovery in Pahiyangala Cave. Additionally, no significant recent findings were reported from the cave.

Inconsistencies Regarding Professor Senarath Dissanayake: While Senarath Dissanayake has held the position of Director General of Archaeology in Sri Lanka for two periods (2004-2017 and 2020), the current Director General is Professor. Thusitha Mendis.

Misuse of Image: Upon conducting a reverse image search, it was found that the image of the purported giant skull, belongs to a medieval "giantess" discovered in a Polish cemetery in 1977. This woman was reported to be 7 feet 2 inches tall, significantly shorter than the claimed 10-foot stature. According to experts, the woman is said to have lived between the 12th and 14th centuries AD. More details about it can be read here and here.

We also noticed that the author of the original blog article, which led to viral social claims, had published several bizarre claims regarding several archaeological discoveries. Below is one story on such a claim, which we investigated in Sinhala.

Also Read: වසර 2000කට පමණ පෙර සොල්දාදුවෙක්ගේ හිස් කබලේ ලෝහ බද්ධ ශල්‍ය කර්මයක් කළ බව හුවමාරු වන්නේ සත්‍ය ඡායාරූපයක්?

Pahiyangala Cave

Located in Kalutara, SouthWest region of Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala (Fa-Hien) cave is one of Southeast Asia's largest natural rock caves. The cave is especially significant for its archaeological significance, with evidence of ancient human activity and artifacts found within its chambers. The artifacts range from 48,000 to 4,000 years old, including 130 bone-arrow tips, the oldest arrow tips found outside of Africa—29 bone tools for making bags or clothing, and a handful of ornamental beads. More on this here and here.

Also Read: ලංකාවේ හමුවූ බවට හුවමාරු වන යෝධ ඇටසැකිල්ලේ සහ යෝධ හිස් කබලේ ඇත්ත කතාව!

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Conclusion

Based on the lack of credible sources, official denials from relevant authorities, inconsistencies in attributions, and misuse of images, it is evident that the claims of a 10-foot-tall giant skull found in Pahiyangala Cave are unsubstantiated and fabricated.

As such, it is crucial for individuals to critically evaluate the sources and credibility of information before accepting and sharing archaeological findings online.