Angampora was passed down from generations of kings, warriors and ordinary citizens with the intention of repelling foreign invaders. According to the guru, Piyumal Edirisinghe, the origin of Angampora might even date back to 3300 years. The first written evidence of Angampora is about 2,500 years old.

According to apocryphal Sinhalese folklore, angampora's history stretches to as far back as 3,000 years, with the Yaksha tribe (one of the four "hela" - the ancient tribes that inhabited the island) being identified as originators.