“Good morning Sri Mahaththayo!” – Tony calling with his typically cheerful tone.

“Good morning Uncle” – I can’t help teasing him.

“So, what are you doing now? Any plans?” – That’s how we laid the foundation for this unbelievably rich peep into Siyane Korale on New Year’s Eve.

It never fails to surprise me how much there is to see in this tiny jewel of an island. What amazes me more is the things to see and places to visit closer to home but go unnoticed more often than not.

It’s been during one of those adventures Tony came up with the notion to explore things in and around Gampaha, the Siyane Korale. He’s closed to the area and knows most of it like the back of his hand. To make things interesting he’s also come across a paper article about some mysterious caves located close to Asgiriya, Gampaha. Probably you will hear more about them one day, fingers crossed.
However our Antarctic-esque hike to Sri Pada kept the journey waiting till the very last day of 2013. So on the 31st morning I left for his place where I had a snack of special Roties with tasty Sambol.

We left around 8am on his good old Motor Bike which had all the faults imaginable in a bike.

Tour Highlights:

1. Peralanda Tank, Ragama
2. Kapuwa Tank, Ragama
3. National Basilica, Thewaththa
4. Walpola Tank, Ragama
5. Ananda Bodhi Temple
6. Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, Gampaha
7. Asgiriya Temple, Gampaha
8. Henarathgoda Ancient Railway Station, Gampaha
9. Pilikuththuwa Cave Temple Complex, Pilikuttuwa
10. Walagamba Maha Viharaya, Uruwala
11. Maligathenna

Peralanda & Kapuwa Tanks
We took the Mabole-Ragama-Thewatte Road passing Peralanda. These two tanks have become victims to the so-called development. People living around seem to dump their garbage to these at will destroying the eco-systems.

Peralanda Tank

Plenty of these

Duck swimming away

White ones too

Waiting for something

Kapuwa Tank

National Basilica, Thewatte

From Ragama follow the Thewatte road. This was the largest in the whole of Asia when it was built but there could be bigger ones now built. This Basilica was a symbol of peace as the core reason for its building based on a vow to see the most destructive thing to the humans ever-known to date, the Second World War.

Thewatte Basillica

The carpeted road

Sudu Redi Hora

Seen from the road

Hope you can read it…

The other person

From the front

Sideways

The plan

Inside

The altar

Another angle

X’mas decoration still there

Red carpet

Cardinal Thomas Cooray’s gravestone

Purple

Scriptures along the wall

Na trees

Walpola Tank

From Thewatte, take the Walpola road. This is the biggest among the 4 tanks located in and around Ragama. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to visit the fourth. This is somewhat less affected by the urbanization as it’s bordered by a temple and has a “Seema Malakaya” in the middle with a bridge running up to it just like the Gangarama Temple.

From the road

White lilies

Up close

Seema Malakaya

Simply majestic

The bridge connecting

Hunting

Lush greenery paddies

Ananda Bodhi Temple

This came as a surprise when Tony said that there is a Kovil-like temple and suggested we visit it too. It turned out to be a replica of the sacred Buddhagaya Temple in India and had built around 15 years ago. This was found on our way from Walpola towards Ja Ela-Gampaha main road bypassing Ganemulla town.

What fascinated us most was the immaculately kept garden full of flowers and fruit trees. There was a Sapatilla tree full of fruit and the monks had done a great job of covering most of them with polythene but leaving the ones at the top probably for the birds and squirrels. It has a branch from the Original Ananda Bodhi in India. The whole temple looks like a flower garden with various kinds of flowers blossoming beautifully.

Turn here

Just entering

Makara Thorana

Replica of Buddhagaya

The top

Full of art

Very nice

Replica Ashoka Tower

Up close

Just like a flower garden

Red beauty

Now it’s very rare to find these

Gorgeous

Endless

Buddha statue

Very colorful

Later saw hundreds of these at HBG

Branch of the Ananda Bodhi

Fragrance was all around

Some more

Whole lot of them

Very delicious when cooked

Dambala, the protein bomb

Well protected

More lilies

Very nice scenery

Papaya not ripe yet

Yapahuwa Lion

From the distance

Kaduru Flowers

This kind coconut was very delicious

Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, Gampaha

First started in 1876, this must be one of the oldest Botanical Garden in the world. Once you’re on Ja Ela-Gampaha road, you will see the back entrance of the garden 300m from the main road. There is a signage with the directions given. For our surprise, the gate on this side was unmanned and buying a ticket didn’t seem necessary whereas from the main gate, turning left from Gampaha-Udugampola road for 300m, requires to buy tickets and very strict rules are in place.

We took the main gate and you can take your vehicles right inside (there is no parking space available outside as what little invaded by the hiring tuk-tuks). However there is a fee to be paid (I’ve given the fees chart on a pic). Taking a camera too is tricky as they have rules limiting that. You gotta buy a ticket for Rs. 1000/- if you taking a camera, especially an SLR. The security is kinda divided about the rule when it comes to small point-n-shoot cameras so I’d advise you to keep it in your pocket coz they made arguments and counter arguments about my camera and in the end, thanks to the gent security staff (the female one point blank refused to let me through without a ticket or permission from the authorities) we were waved through.

The garden boasts the first rubber trees planted in Sri Lanka; unfortunately the very first one had been fallen down due to the storm in the 80s. There are even a couple of playgrounds available too which you can reserve for a fee. This garden is very popular among the couples in Gampaha and nearby areas. By the time we entered there were about 150-200 couples all over the place and we felt like invading their privacy. All the benches, tree roots and stones were fully booked even the grass beds were not spared. There even is a man-made lake with paddle boat rides provided for Rs. 200/- for half hour if I’m not mistaken.

They even sell plants for a nominal fee and they are guaranteed to grow better than what you’d buy at Haggala or other upcountry places as the weather is very similar to Colombo.

The Ja Ela-Gampaha Entrance (Back entrance)

Along Minuwangoda road

Turn left

Ticket prices

The layout

Reflection is making it difficult to read

Started 138 years ago

One of the two cricket grounds, most of the benches were occupied by the couples

Color of love

Shady path

Inside the park, don’t know who owns the fellow?

The back entrance is to the left. Not a sign of a ticket counter

Leaves are falling down

Katu Una, reminds of Pethangoda Uyana

Through the bushy bamboo

Looking at another buddy

Very nicely done but long past its prime days

Plenty of roots making patterns

Up we go

What a place

Very good medicine in Ayurveda treatments

Red, Blue and Green, 3 primary colors

Artistic trees

Towards the boatyard

Getting on

Looks like a man-made lake

More red

Rs. 200/- per half hour if I’m not mistaken

One to the other

This is outside the garden

Giant bamboo

Don’t know what this is

Orchids

More

This one I don’t know

Madu?

Plenty of flower in this area

Very beautifully decorated garden

Birdie made of plants

Looks like a coconut variety, but in fact it’s Palmyra

Bunches of them

A water lily

Very common one this is

Standing tall

Leafless Araliya

Looks like plastic

Wow	I got tired of taking pics of these beauties

The theme of the day

Just getting back to the main entrance

Reminds of Peradeniya

Main reason for our visit

Fallen down but couple of the original batch still there

Here they are

Time to go

Asgiriya Temple

Our next destination was Asgiriya Temple which is further ahead the Udugampola road. The main complex is on a small rocky hill and the climb is not too difficult but not a walk in the park either.

There are two telecommunications towers close to each other on the top which is a very distinct feature. You can easily identify the Asgiriya rock as a result. The view was superb but fierce sunlight made things very difficult especially for taking pics. Maliga Thenna, the highest point in Gampaha district was visible in the distance. There is a very large cave with drip edges too.

The legend

Just 48hrs after climbing the Sri Padaya, this turned out to be very challenging

Just got here

To the top

Need a lick of paint

The Bo tree

Image house

Right at the top

Looks purposely done

Blocking the view

See the green

Towards the cave

Here it is

Tiny pond too

Inscription with a pic

Here it was

Giant Na tree

Henarathgoda Ancient Railway Station, Gampaha

This is the first station in Gampaha established in 1864, nearly 150 years ago. Many seem to miss this even though it’s almost adjacent to the current Gampaha station. If you walk along the railway from the flyover towards the station (about 100m) you can see this just before the main station with a sign. It’s a very small structure about 12′X12′ and now being used as an archeological office. If you come from the bus stand, you can see the front of it.

Walking about 50m from the flyover towards the Gampaha railway

It says built in 1864, 150 years ago

Oncoming train

Wonder how the train crosses this bit

Pilikuththuwa Cave Temple Complex with 99 Caves

We were knackered and all the walking and climbing just after Sri Pada hike slowly taking its toll. We reached Gampaha just after 12 noon and met one of the good friends of us who is a key member of Lakdasun as well. (I’ll keep his identity a secret)

It was the first time I saw him in person even though Tony is very closely in association with him. He helped us get the details of Pilikuttuwa and directions too. Not stopping there, he invited us for lunch and called home to inform that two extra mouths of Lakdasun on their way. His wife had very kindly obliged and prepared a fabulous feast like lunch at a very short notice. Both of them were very hospitable and welcomed us warmly including their youngest 19-year old son. However the two dogs (in fact brothers) were a bit worried and made their thoughts clear. Gladly for us but for their irritation, they were confined to the cages. After a grand lunch and a wunnerful (as the Americans say) chat, we bid farewell to them, vowing to look them up should we happen to roam close to their place again, and were on the Gampaha-Radawana road.

Passing the A1 (Colombo-Kandy) road you will come across a Y junction and take the right hand road. After a short distance is this Pre-historical cave complex according to the monk at the archeological office on site. He said the temple and the structures are mainly belonging to the Kandy era even though the legends claim King Walahamba (the King of Caves) too was staying around. According to the notice the whole complex has 99 caves and most are still clearly accessible.

Be Warned:

“There are paths from Pilikuttuwa to the Maliga Thenna, which is the highest point in Gampaha district, through the dense forest. However this jungle is infested with all kinds of very venomous snakes. So walking through the forest is something you should never do on your own. Even with a guide (a villager coz there are no dedicated guides as such) you gotta be extra careful, I’d not personally recommend doing this. There are leopards too, not the big ones though (what we call “Handun Diviya” and “Kola Diviya”).”

There clear sign postings and a view point called Belum Gala provided panoramic views all around. We could see the Maliga Thenna in the distance but the jungle was very scary. Looking from there the whole area below looked lush green which is quite unbelievable as we were within 25km of Colombo and didn’t expect to see so much green let alone that big a forest there. We even came across a cobra near the archeological office which intensified our fears greatly. The monk there is very knowledgeable about the history so don’t forget to talk to him should you ever visit the place. We even told him about the Lakdasun and he was quite impressed.

To the left

The legend

Main Hall

Historical value

Nice place to put the bell tower

The steps are to get down to the water canal

Wooden bridge, reminds of Bogoda

Still very strong

From the other end

Rocky temple

Small pond

Looks like a tank

Heading towards the other caves

The replica of Sri Pada

Replica of Lord Buddha footprint

From the vantage point

More caves

Another big pond

Can see the seeds

More caves to explore

To the left is the archaeological office

Caves are very common here

The beginning of the trail head

Inside the office

The key places

Going along the trail

Creepers in different sizes

Drip edges are there

Going to see the giant Puss creeper

Here it is

Low ceiling

Endless

Tony showing difference in colors

Going uphill

Anthills are very common too

Some more, what a climb

Only the locals have managed to scribble on the rocks…

Tricky entrance

The Belumgala

Pineapple cultivation

Maligathenna in the distance

So much green

Handrail too

Bamboo shady path

Coming back to the temple

Giant rocks still standing

Tiny stupa

Walagamba Maha Viharaya, Uruwala

Going from Pilikuttuwa towards Maliga Thenna we saw the board saying this temple and stopped for a brief visit. As the name suggests this too had been a frequent visiting place for the King of Caves and his footprints are left here too.

Just spotted this along the way

Ancient rocks covered Bo tree

Image house

More Caves, Walagamba must’ve been here

Tiny pond

Climbing up the rock

Buddha statue

Clear blue sky

The stupa on top

Nearby rocks

More to climb

The Bo tree on top

The endless green

Barely visible

Very nice fragrance they have

Don’t know if it’s ancient

Stone pillars are still there

Maligathenna

Passing this we continued further towards Wathurugama along Miriswatta-Wathurugama road till the destination.

This is the highest level in Gampaha district and at the top gives you a 360-degree view, ideal for a fortress. The midpoint of the rock is the temple and there is a sideways path to the summit through a very narrow gap between two rock boulders which is a very strategic point when defending the fort against invading forces. This place is very similar to Dambadeniya rock, almost identical in many ways.

At the top has a pond and a Stupa constructed on a stony foundation which is original and could’ve been the foundation of the palace. We could see miles into the horizon on all around. Tony found the number of telecommunications towers visible from the top is quite impressive; he counted more than 50 on one side. Again the amount of green amazed us to no end and I was very glad. Pilikuttuwa Belum Gala was clearly visible from here and there were people and monks getting things organized to have a Pirith Chanting Ceremony on the top of 1st Jan night which was the following day. It’d be amazing to spend a night camping on the top but not sure if it’s allowed.

We decided to recollect the passing 2013 and savor the final sunset of the year at this majestic location. The clouds mercilessly didn’t offer the best of the sunsets but we managed to get a good enough one to treasure in our hearts forever.

That’s my Pic Journey 2 and you might have noticed that I have added more details than my Previous Pic Journey. This is more like a cross between that and a fairy tale and hope you enjoyed it all the way.

The Video of Setting Sun from Maligathenna…

Take care…

There it is in the distance

Go to the left

Original stone steps

Peeling away

What a steep climb

Old and new steps side by side

Some more

Nearly there

Definitely

Entrance

The legend

Main image house

Couldn’t agree more

Huge rock towering above

Let’s go

Not visible

I like this against the royal blue sky

The top of it

Gigantic looking

Let’s go up

See the house on a rock in the distance? That is the Dikkanda Bungalow close to Pettagamkanda

Bend in half

Going and going up

These boys are carrying water for the Pirith Chanting ceremony on the 1st Jan night

They are coming to inspect the preparation

Tiny monks are very playful

Who kept it here?

Going up

Remind of Dambadeniya

Nearly there

No, some more

Tony climbing with a difficulty

Rocks nearby

Be careful Tony

The water tower is in Gampaha, further away is the Asgiriya

More carved steps

Another stupa

Full view

Pond on top

Very nice place for camping

Throwing stones

He’s trying to tie it against the wind

Very nice looking

Endless greenery

“Mh, nothing to eat here either.”

Remind me of Anuradhapura

Another beauty

Very windy

Giving you a 360-degree panoramic view

Sun ready to set

More White

1/4 red

More than 1/2 red

Nearly 4/5 red

Almost

Fully red

The travelers

Panos…

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Pano 6

Pano 7

Pano 8

Pano 9

“Sri, any plans for the weekend?” – Sheham sounds very keen to get out of the concrete jungle.

“Nothing planned, what’s cooking?” – I’m feeling the same.

“So, can you plan something and lemme know?” – Planning is one of my strong points besides writing trip reports.

That is how we laid down the foundation for the newest adventure. This conversation took place while Tony and I were Crisscrossing through Siyane Korale on the New Year’s Eve. We were in the heart of Gampaha with a very good friend of us who generously offered us both lunch. It was a cracker of an end to a rollercoaster year as we witnessed the sun setting for the last time in 2013 from the highest point of Gampaha district, Maligathenna. After our Maduru Oya journey, I always wanted to back to see the Akasa Chaithya and ruins of Polonnaruwa and this sudden opportunity to get away seemed the ideal time to do just that.

Having managed to convince my manager for a day off on the 3rd working day of the New Year, everything was ready for the trip. Tony was in two minds as he had more than he could eat on his plate but Sheham and I were pretty much adamant about doing it. On the second we got the bad news that the long overdue North East monsoon had finally arrived raining heavily making gravel paths into mud cakes. We needed a plan B but didn’t have one due to tight time constraints. Thanks to Hari, whose main wish to conquer the mighty Doowili Falls deep inside the Knuckles, I had had this notion of recceing the Reverston and Pitawala Pathana. Eureka!!! The plan B looked beyond visual range but the entire time nestling close to me within. I called Wasantha, the well-known Pitawala host-cum-guide, and arranged to stay at his place on the 4th night. Hurriedly went through Hari’s trip report that made a very good mixture to this new adventure, and planned roughly to visit a few places in and around Pitawala.

On the 3rd, still Sheham and I confirmed, I happened to mention about this to Lasantha, my long standing friend, who’s been with on a few journeys, especially the in Marathon Walk around Meemure. He very willingly agreed to join and it somewhat pleased the odds. Unlike our other trips, we couldn’t start as early as we would have liked and it was a record breaking 8.00am in the morning when all three of us gathered at Embuldeniya junction.

Tour Highlights:

1. Nalanda Gedige
2. Alu Viharaya, Matale
3. Kawatamuna Viharaya
4. Wedda Peni Ella, Atanwala
5. Maningala, Atanwala
6. Rathkinda Ella, Rathkinda
7. Pitawala Tank
8. Sera Ella, Puwakpitiya

Having made good time we reached Mawanella in about 2hrs and stopped for a breather. Picking up some refreshments, we bypassed the Kandy town and reached Matale via Katugastota. There’s plenty of road construction work going on widening the roadside and paving the pavements so the going turned into a crawl.

Nalanda Gedige

Heading towards Nalanda, widely believed and known center of Sri Lanka, we passed the Alu Vihare. Nalanda Gedige is about 20km along A-9 towards Dambulla. We missed a right turn and travelled for about a km or so when we noticed this gigantic rock soaring into the clouds. This is called Arangala and Ashan had climbed her before. The report is here. Retracing our steps, we finally arrived at the car park. You have to take the turn at the 49th km post. “Taking pics is only under the permission of the Director General of Archeology” was the first thing I saw and it made me grimace. Dear god, do we have to get the permission from Colombo? We wondered. There was nobody around and having parked our car, we headed towards the main complex. The path is shady and bordered with rocky pillars with artwork. The Gedige looks very similar to a Hindu Temple and has many Pallawa arts carved on rocky walls and pillars.

The man having sex with another man who’s having sex with a lioness is apparently world famous and according to the archeological office on site many tourists come from far away countries to photograph it. That officer was very knowledgeable and helped with our questions and let us takes pics very kindly.

The was a foundation stone that said the whole of the building was removed and restored after the ground was raised to protect it from rising flooding. The complex is surrounded by Bowathenna and Nalanda reservoirs and tends to get flooded at the slightest chance. So our archeologists have taken the whole rocky building apart and raised the ground and restored it in the same place. You gotta see it to realize what an arduous task it must have been. Other than the plaque, there’s not the slightest clue it was removed completely and put back together.

There also is a very old Bo Tree and a Suthigara (Dedigama Kota Vehera) Stupaesque Chaithya but a lot smaller than that and slightly shorter too. There are faces of Lord Buddha and King Ravana carved towards the top of the structure. Ravana is easy to recognize with his prominent moustache. So he’s been a legend during that time too. Nalanda is also the boundary of wet and dry zones. Up north is the dry zone from Dambulla right up to KKS and southward is the wet zone. It’s located at a very strategic point. The Pallawa arts depict quite a lot of naked pics such as the man squatting nakedly. The officer must be having a tough time explaining all these to the school children. The elephants roam around, even had come and pushed one of the stones but not done a serious damage.

There even is a museum on site but closed due to renovation. It was time to leave and the officer told us to visit the Kawatayamuna Viharaya on the way.

Lovely green

Busy at work

Arangala, can be climbed too

Zoomed in

Always a breathtaking view

Turn to your right coming from Matale

The distance given is correct

The info.

The path towards the main complex

Scattered blocks of rocks

Very shady but Elephants too roam around here

Arangala rock

Stone carvings along the path

Looks like a Pun Kalasa

There it is…

Stone sculptures are being washed out now

Looks like a Hindu Temple

Restored to its former glory saving from the floods

The stupa on the side

Reminds me of Suthigara Stupa at Dedigama

Must’ve been an entrance to the reservoir but now it’s blocked coz couples venture into this area

From the front

More carvings

At the entrance

Elephant head but fading fast

Entering to the main complex

More carvings

Lord Buddha statue still intact

Looks like a god’s sculpture

Another almost intact one inside

The step into the tiny room with statues

Serene looking Buddha despite being decayed after a hundreds of years

The roof is also solid rock bricks

More fading carvings

More fading carvings

Pillars in the front

The Bo tree and the courtyard

The path we came in

Swimming away

Not missing any of these

Very nice even though the sky was gloomy

The world famous sculpture of “Two Men and the Lioness”

Naked man squatting down

Another one like that

Another one like that

Looks like a lotus carving

Faces of King Ravana in the middle and Lord Buddha on the right

On the top middle is a Bodhisathwa Sculpture

Drainage system

The info about removing and restoring

These pillars have been disturbed by the roaming elephants

The team in front

The museum closed due to renovation

7 AD

Similar one

Kawatayamuna Temple

This is located between Nalanda and Koholawela in the Kawatayamuna village. The village is named after the Giant Kawataya, who had built the temple, Kawatayamuna. The temple is very famous for the images and sculptures of Hell. Those artists have made them more lifelike showing what the punishments are for various kinds of wrongs.

Cables are always destroying a good pic

Here’s the statue of Giant Kawata

The Stupa, can do with a lick of paint

Hope you can read the note

Scenes of hell

More punishments depicted

The note on the top left

Mugalan Thero being attacked by the thieves

The Thorny tree

You gotta pay your dues

One of the tragedies in our history

The grapes creeper had just this bunch, very tempting but belongs to the temple

Alu Viharaya, Matale

We were without lunch even though the time was way past. We came to Alu Viharaya around 1.30pm and went in. This is a very historical place and King of Caves, Walgamba, had initiated the move to put the Thripitakaya in black and white here in order to protect it for the future. Until such time, the monks had been taking it from generation to generation by heart.

Typically the whole temple is a huge cave complex and there is a museum too with various ancient things. If you have been to Dambulla and seen the Gigantic Golden Buddha statue, you will also be able to see something very similar at Alu Viharaya too.

Even though not as big as the Dambulla one, this Buddha statue is placed in a higher point and there’s a km walk to the foot of it. Unfortunately we were hard up for time so decided to head towards Pitawala which is nearly 40km away and the road is winding and mist can be pretty hazardous.

We had to buy a few things and charcoal for our BBQ. We tried the Arpico but they didn’t have it and one of the workers said that there’s no charcoal in Matale. We had a very tough time locating the Cargills which is on the left side when you’re coming from Kandy at the heart of the town. Fortunately they had 3kg bags of charcoal and we bought everything from them. There was this very nice bake house adjoining the food city and we bought some to have on the way coz it was nearly 4.00pm. Taking the right hand Ratthota road we passed the urbanized parts soon and entered into the land of mountains. The sky wore her dark apron waving her hands menacingly as if to chase the strangers. So we decided to stop a bit and show our faces to her.

We were on our first visit to Knuckles via this road and after seeing us, the sky took a more kindly approach towards us. We entered the high sensitive part of this world heritage and saw the signs of so-called eco lodges on and off, their presence an ever-growing concern to the wildernesses. Most of these places are illegal according to the villagers but political backing is keeping them above the law. We just stopped for a few seconds to take pics and all of a sudden saw a pointed rock that resembles Lady Lakegala. However unlike her, this was more pointed all around whereas the Lakegala only has that shape seen from Meemure.

We reached the Riverston Communication Tower road which is prohibited to go in vehicles but can walk the 2km stretch. Passing that we came to the Mini World’s End and Pitawala Pathana. I simply am lost for words and had it been a sunny morning, it would have been the best view on earth. We called Wasantha who informed that the Pitawala road is under construction and not accessible in a car. So we had to go further towards Pallegama and turn to Mahala Kotuwa village on our right. This road is longer and in somewhat bad shape. Traveling about 5km we reached Wasantha’s place where he and his cousin brother, Ranjith were waiting for us. His place gives a clear view of the Time Rock, Maningala aka Mandi Gala. There was a hotel nearby at a higher ground mainly cater for the foreigners. The sun had already set but the sky had these orange and purple color bits of clouds.

His place has a single room, one other nearly done, with attached bathroom. We changed while he and Ranjith got going with the BBQ. It was getting chillier by the second which reminded me of our bone chilling night at Andiya Malathenna few days ago. The BBQ came out very tasty and followed by some rice and curry too. Having pacified our growling tummies for the day, we settled down to the night and let the sleeping beauty take us to dreamland. Come tomorrow and we’ll have a ball.

Very historically key place

The entrance and the giant Golden Buddha in the far away similar to Dambulla

Archaeological sign

The legend

It’s 1km from the temple to this place

Zoomed in

Ancient facts about the Alu Viharaya (Click image to enlarge)

Going towards the caves

Moonstone, but a very different one

Inside the caves

Plenty of statues

Giant Makara Thorana

Cave paintings too

No idea what this depicts though

Carved in rock to light lamps

Supported by the rocks

Towards Buddhagosha cave

The story behind

The statue of Buddhagosha Thero

Paintings on the rocky ceiling

Towards the Stupa on the rock

Seen from the top of the rock

Steps carved into the rock

Towards the stupa

Need some painting

More rocks

More caves

There are more depictions of the hell here

Another story

This is where the dead monks were kept

Going towards the museum

Donation from Thailand I guess

To the museum

Thailand has done a lot to SL Buddhist temples

Golden Buddha inside

Ruins found in the premises

A bit from the Thripitaka

This is wooden

Rocky art

Different items

Looks very nicely done

Old pots

The items used for writing on parchments

Article of an old newspaper

Stupa

We’re going…

Maningala aka Mandi Gala & Wedda Peni Ella

We woke up around 5am after a deep sleep and straight away went out looking for the rising sun through the mountains. The pointed shaped rock is not in fact Lakegala, but called Thunnisgala. No wonder people say that there are 7 people alike in the world and it seems it goes to the nature too, especially for mountains and waterfalls. The cloud cover was a worrying factor and sun had no chance of penetrating this thick layer. Ranjith and Wasantha arrived with coffee and it warmed our bodies. We decided to go as early as possible coz wanted to see as many things as possible. The breakfast was extra-large Rotti with Luny Miris and Chicken Curry. We ate and was on our way merrily. This area is a cluster of few villages; they are Pitawala, Atanwala, Rathkinda & Mahala Kotuwa. It’s however very hard to distinguish one from the other as there are no marked boundaries.

Facts of the Area…

• The Mahala Kotuwa School has classes up to A/Ls and there are about 200 children studying. This is the only thing for the whole area.

• The hospital is in Pallegama with one doctor and four other nursing staff. It also boasts a running ambulance too. The doctor is from Pitawala itself and the villagers speak very highly of him.

• There are Development Officers who have powers similar or a bit more than then Arachchila. They are recruited degree holders and primary duty is to coordinate the development work of the respective villages with the relevant authorities.

• Their main income is from farming. Tractors are not still in use and the steps like land plots (Helmalu System) make it harder too. Therefore you can witness the typical farming with bulls using to plough the land. Pesticides and chemicals have managed to make inroads into this remote part of the country. Ranjith informed us the use of them is not so high comparatively.

• The electricity is provided from the main lines and the existing waterfalls in the area haven’t yet fallen victim to Mini Hydro Power Plants like in Yatiyanthota, Bulathkohupitiya, Mathugama, etc. Hopefully they will stay like that forever.

• The main paddy kind the farmers grow is called “Yakada Maran” and a kg is about Rs. 50/-. However this is not organic. They have an organic paddy kind called “Kalukum” and going about Rs. 100/- a kg but very rare to get. They adopt this Parachute System to plant the paddy after planting them in a system called Thati System.

• Virtually all the mobile networks work well here except in some places. So communication is no problem at all.

The public transport to and back from Pitawala is as follows:

From Matale.

• Matale-Hettipola via Pitawala and Pallegama – Start at 7.30am from Matale.

• Matale-Puwakpitiya via Pitawala – Start at 2.30pm from Matale.

From Pitawala.

• 7.15am from Mahala Kotuwa.

• 2.30pm from Pitawala. Starts from Hettipola.

• Tuk-tuk from Matale to Pitawala costs about Rs. 2000-2500/- about 38km

Things to see around the area.

• Knuckles Doowili Falls

• Rathkinda Falls

• Sera Ella

• Maningala aka Mandi Gala

• Wedda Peni Ella

• Mini World’s End

• Pitawala Pathana

We went past many farmers who are already busy at work. Our first stop was Wedda Peni Ella. It was a sight to behold. The waterway runs under a man-made bridge which we had to cross to do the Maningala hike. This was a super one even though not so high. Remember I mentioned similar looking things are common in the nature too. Wedda Peni Ella reminded me of Gal Oruwa Ella in Lankagama and Pilituda Ella in Athwelthota. According to folklore, a Veddah had fallen into the tiny gap while trying to cross the rocks, thus the name for the falls. They practically had to drag me from the falls and we crossed the bridge with shaky hand rails. Apparently some people have taken the iron pipes supporting the hand rail to use for their TV antennas. So the wickedness and selfishness are not lost among in these remote parts either.

Do check out the videos of Wedda Peni Ella Here.

Video 1

Video 2

Knuckles Forest

Deep ravines bordering the road

Roadside beauty

Mountains range

Towards the right corner the pointed shape rock is Thunnisgala. I first thought it was Lakegala

The rock and the big brother behind

Charcoals on fire

Wasantha laying the pieces on the grill

Smells nice

Ranjith, hard at work

Yummy, yummy

The two-foot torch targeting the nearby mountains but defeated by the thick fog

Visitor to join for dinner

Ready to bed

Good morning sweet heart!

The hotel on a hill in the distance

Zoomed

The Maningala

Bottom two parts of the Rathkinda Falls

Some light in the sky

Threads like flowers

Just sowed

Breakfast of Roti, Lunu Miris and Chicken curry

Aggressive

Tiny tiny beauties all around

Sheham and Lasantha led by Ranjith going towards Atanwala

Beautiful but don’t even think about the yams

This is the specific spot of the rock where they measure the time

Ready to sow

Maningala reflected on the paddy fields

Tractors are a rare commodity for these people

Found a tasty breakfast

Not many like these

This is called the Papadam Tree coz these white color leaves are deep fried coated in batter and eaten like Papadam

Hard life common to both males and females alike

First glimpse

The upstream that feed the falls

Tiny fall

Making millions of bubbles

Even the bulls use the bridge

What a beautiful girlie

Plunges into the deep crevice

The full falls, the overhead bridge is the path towards Atanwala and Maningala

Look at the face and the smile… It says it all

Reminds me of Pilithuda Ella and Gal Oruwa Ella

Little Niagara

The Veddah had apparently fallen here

Bridge with rickety railings, note the absence of pipes along them. People have cut them off to use for antennas

Steps built

Helmalu System

We’re coming to you

The Atanwala Temple

Stupa

Wish it was a clear blue sky

Dead arts

We kept going and the path led to the Atanwala Temple which overlooks ploughed paddy fields and mountains in the horizon. Passing through the village houses Sheham suddenly pointed at an old person and claimed he’s 85 years when I looked at saw this cheerful grandpa with a hoe on his shoulder going to the paddy fields. When I asked his name, he said the name was Tikiri Banda and in very good health. He has a slight problem in hearing other than that looked pretty strong.

Leaving the houses we soon entered the jungle and I noticed tiny white polythene papers hanging from tree branches. Ranjith said they are the white flags used to decorate the path when carrying a dead body to the cemetery. We asked them not to use polythene but try some clothes instead. Even Ranjith agreed with us as he believes people come to his village coz it’s beautiful and don’t want polythene destroying that beauty. We reached the cemetery which is the boundary between the village and the forest. Further along Ranjith showed the path that leads to the strenuous hike of Knuckles Doowili falls. That is one of the things I want to do in future. We went higher keeping the mighty Maningala to our left standing tall and smiling at us. The sky was gloomy threatening to break free anytime. This path is used by Bulls and Cows to

go to the Maningala coz they are sent free when the ploughing is done so that farmers don’t have to bother feeding them. When the working season is back the bulls naturally come back to the village in herds. However there’s the threat of the leopard but he usually targets the little calves rather than big-horned bulls. Ranjith said in May, June, July and August the elephants come to the villages and even use the same path to go nearly to the top of Maningala.

We reached the top finally and it looks like a flat golf ground. Already there were a few bulls nibbling at grass looking at us menacingly. Surprisingly the sun came out of nowhere giving us a clear view of the surrounding. It looks an ideal camping place and Ranjith said there’s water available too. We walked across to the observation point and the height measured 934m. The view was panoramic and we saw the road we came the day before, our staying place was tiny and the car looked smaller than a tiny sand.

I managed to take a small video and after a snack decided to head back. Surprisingly we didn’t see any garbage or polythene left along the path. The travelers have been more responsible I guess and it is a good thing. We saw two sections of the Doowili falls in the distance. We made good time downhill and Ranjith invited us for a cup of tea.

Check the Video from Maningala here.

More and more paddy fields

Tikiri Banda, 85 years old but still goes to work early in the morning

Where the cows are kept from rains and sun

Just spotted

The cemetery. They are born close to the nature, live close to the nature and die even closer to the nature… couldn’t have asked for anything better

Tunnel?

The path is mercifully shady but not a sign of the sun

To the right is the path towards famous Doowili Falls

Another path towards a village deep in the forest, unfortunately forgotten the name

Just entering the steep part

Hello darling!

What a beautiful flower you are

These kinda patches are strewn around

Must be a paradise for the Sambar Deer

Keep going

Life on the dead

Getting tired

Blocked the path

The elephants apparently come up here too

More life on tree trunks

Just got to the top

Hiya

Remains of dead bulls

Misty Bovitiya

Already on top

Where the bulls drink and bathe

Long stretch of walk

Like a Golf Ground

The Villages of Atanwala, Rathkinda, Pitawala and Mahala Kotuwa all in a tight bunch below

The observation point

The clouds kept very low

Our destination

Measuring the height

Paddy fields below

Having a juicy breakfast

The team

Height

On the left middle is the hotel seen from Wasantha’s Place; the right middle is where we stayed and the small white dot in the corner is our car. Below the structure is the house being built by the Pallegama Hospital’s doctor

Towards Doovili Ella

Not edible

Trying to fend us off

Near Ranjith’s house

He’s up to some mischief

Not seen before

The view from Ranjith’s house

The Thati System

Ranjith’s elder brother at work

Over some village houses

Recognize him? Tikiri Banda mama

Back at Wedda Peni Ella

The lifeline of those people

Let’s go see Rathkinda Ella

Leveling the ground

What a hike

Rathkinda Ella and Pitawala Tank

Having had a tea and biscuits from Ranjith‘s place, we came back to Pitawala. Sheham was a bit knackered and decided not to push on further but we decided to go see her as well while we were there. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made coz she’s something special and falls in 7 parts. The path was very narrow and going round the hotel close to Wasantha’s place. The bulls had muddied the path walking simply impossible. We pushed on regardless and finally reached an opening which looked ideal for camping, maybe that’s the idea of the hotel owner in his ling term plans. The falls looks absolutely stunning, we saw her from our staying place but only the bottom two parts. Just in the middle there are two smaller parts and the main falls has two taller and one short part making 7 parts in total, looks like another Eli Hatha folks.

There was another path that goes through the water tank that feeds the village and come out to the tiny tank. There were plenty of guavas all around and we kept helping ourselves generously. Time was past running out so we sent Ranjith to pack our lunch while we got ready to leave.

Videos of Rathkinda Ella here.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Took the path bordering the land of the hotel

Climbed quite a lot

Zoomed through the trees

The top of Rathkinda Ella

The path we took. That razor sharp fence almost ripped through our clothes and skin

The first of seven parts

Towards the other side

Not long to go now

Lasantha having a drink

This is the 5th part of this long falls

The 4th part

Going downhill

Very dangerous

This is the 6th part and seen from Wasantha’s place

The bottom and 7th part also seen from the house

The first and second parts

The top

The middle

The 3rd part

Here’s the full falls

The base pool

Time to go

The water tank just below the waterfall

Got to the tank of Pitawala

Dead trees are very good at making nice arts

Not much water

Wasantha will arrange for you to camp here

The 6th and 7th parts of Rathkinda Falls

Maningala, Api Yanawooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Not ripe yet

Sera Ella, Puwakpitiya

We left in the car passing Mahala Kotuwa and reached the main road and turned to the right towards Pallegama. The journey through this shady and breath taking road was so soothing. We passed the Pallegama Hospital whose roof had some time ago blown away by the strong winds, and took a left turn towards Puwakpitiya and Kahagala. It is almost 15km to the Sera Ella from the Mahala Kotuwa.

We reached the Sera Ella while it was drizzling and the path is nicely made by the forest department with a hand rail. It’s about 400m to the falls. If I ever thought that I’ve seen waterfalls, I was in for the shock of my life coz what I saw with my own eyes was something out of one of my wildest dreams. The falls comes down pretty straight but there’s a cave that gives you a view from behind her, not many like those in Sri Lanka. It was an experience I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

We then got to the base and she’s very wide about 50-60ft but the low water levels didn’t fill the whole area. Instead the right side was a wider bit about 20-25ft while the left had a pretty straight line coming down. Couldn’t even imagine how she might look falling in full flow. The platform constructed looks ideal for putting up a tent and spend a night with this gorgeous girlie. We all were simply mesmerized. Had our lunch and Sheham reminded of the back journey so sadly we headed back and got into the car. Dropping Ranjith, who claimed that he’d never done such a day visiting all of that, near Pitawala road we came towards the Riverston when the mist hit us so strongly we barely saw 10ft in front. Imagine being invaded by so thick mist within 2 weeks. We stopped at a fruit stall recommended by Ranjith that belongs to a person called Anura. He sells organic fruits, honey and jaggery that are very tasty for a very reasonable price. I’ve given his number at the notes should you wanna order something before going there.

Videos of Sera Ella here.

Video 1

Video 2

Met her on the way

Hey buddy!

Thelgamu Oya

Ranjith with lunch packs heading the way

Nicely done path

Bordering a huge rock boulder

More to go

Relieved to see these caves coz good shelter from rain

Nearly there

To the cave where the water falls

In the cave and the waterfalls is outside

White curtain in front of us

Falls and the base pool

Plunging down

The base pool looks pretty deep

Going towards the base

Oh my gosh

Hitting the rocks hard

No steps, just slide down along the rail

Sera Ella

The bottom

Right side of the falls

You don’t see many better ones

The observation platform ideal for camping

Foamy

Sheham is hungry

The downstream

Imagine waterfalling all along the rocky surface

Where we dropped Ranjith, Pitawala road however is not motorable up to Wasantha’s place

Where Anura’s fruit stall is located, easy to find with the land marks

Anura’s wife serving us, we nearly emptied all of these

We again bypassed the Kandy town and reached homes around 10pm. This was a very hastily planned trip turned out to be one of the best. Hope you guys enjoyed my narration. Take care and have more traveling.

Now enjoy my Panos.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Pano 6

Pano 7

Pano 8

Pano 9

Pano 10

Pano 11

Pano 12

Pano 13

Pano 14

Pano 15

Pano 16

Pano 17

Pano 18

Pano 19

Pano 20

Sri Pada Season is begun. Buddhist pilgrims and pilgrims of other religions come in millions to worship the sacred foot print. People who want to climb the summit within a shorter period without much difficulty choose the Hatton Nallathani Route. Because of that Hatton route get crowded most of the time. People who wanted to climb in less crowded trail which is much closer to nature; choose comparably difficult Eratna or Ratnapura trails .Or sometimes choose Deraniyagala/Maliboda or Hapugasthenna/Dehenakanda trails to get fully natural experience but with extreme difficulties and hazardous conditions.

What if someone wants to travel in a route which is much closer to nature but not difficult as Ratnapura, Erathna or Other jungle trails. As a person who has done all six documented routes I cast my vote for Moray/Rajamale route which is even called the Sandagalathenna route. It is the shortest and easiest to my concern and no doubt you can reach summit with least time ( 3-4 hours.) You’ll be walking under the shade of thick forest viewing beautiful sceneries, feeling the cool breeze to your nose and tongue and drowning in the thick mist cover.

Importantly you will pass a Holly place called Sandagalathenna which is a large flat rocky area where you see the magnificent view of Sri Pada .It is said ancient people had done some rituals from this place specially at night time bathing under the milky rays of the moon. (SANDA + GALA + THENNA) .One can imagine the magical view when the whole area is lighten with moon rays.

Holly place – Sandagathenna ……….Holly mountain was embraced with mist cover .. PHOTO: PRASAD

Holly plain covered with evening sun rays and Holly peak covered with mist Photo : Prasad

So here is the story of our Pilgrimage to Sri PADA Via SANDAGALATHENNA

We left our homes at 5.30 a.m and Sanketha’s father was kind enough to drop Me,Prince and Sanketha to Pettah bus stand. Around 6.15a.m Prasad and his brother in low Dinesh came and we all got into a Hatton bus which left the place at 7.00a.m. It stopped for breakfast closer to Kithulgala where we had some rotty and buns. We reached hatton around 11.30 and no sooner we got in to Nallathanni Bus which was parked near the railway station. We reached Nallathanni around 1.00 p.m

Hatton/Nallathanni Bus parked besides the station PHOTO: SANKETHA

On the way ( reservoir is dried out a bit ) PHOTO : SANKETHA

We came back nearly 1km along the Hatton route to see Mohini Ella which was dried a bit PHOTO : HARINDA

Then Two three wheelers were moving along the damaged steep road through the tea estates.

Tea Fields PHOTO : SANKETHA

Our driver took us to this nice observation place to view GATMORE falls Photo : Sanketha

Kumaraya was so happy like he was in heaven PHOTO : HARINDA

Gatmore Falls Photo : Sanketha

Closer view Photo : Sanketha

Our Nade from left Sanketha ,Me ,Prince, Prasad, Dinesh Photo : Sanketha

We were running short of time. So gave up the idea of visiting Moray falls.

On the way scenery Photo Sanketha

Flowers Photo Sanketha

13 km journey trough steep estate roads Photo Sanketha

Three wheel drivers stopped few hundred meters away from the trail head and showed us a short cut. We settled their payments and walked towards trail head. After doing some rituals we started our hike at 3.10 p.m.

Walking towards trail head Photo: Sanketha

Trail Head( See the land mark) Photo : HARINDA

After about 10 minutes we encountered some steep climbing. This section was the difficult part of the journey. We had to climb for about 30-40 minutes like this way. Then we reached a small flat rock . We rested for some while and proceeded. From here onwards trail became much easier.

Path PHOTO : HARINDA

Taking a break PHOTO: PRASAD

Steep climb is begun PHOTO : HARINDA

Small flat rock …..We were resting ……….But other two are capturing the first view of SRI PADA PHOTO : HARINDA

First view of Sri Pada PHOTO : SANKETHA

We passed another small flat rock. Then we met the only remarkable water source in this forest trail. You have to walk more than 1.5 km from here onwards to reach mahagiridamba. Till then no water sources are there.
Kumaraya was uncomfortable from the beginning of the journey and he lost his control and fell down due to no reason. So we gave him plenty of bananas and water and Sanketha carried his bag till we reached Sandagalathena

Another flat rock PHOTO : SANKETHA

Only remarkable water source .(Kumaraya was looking pale ) Photo Harinda

Fill maximum Photo : Prasad

WILD LIFE Photo : Prasad

By 4.45 p.m. we reached the legendary/Holly SANDAGALATHENNA( Moon rock plain). Some people name this as Mahagalthalawa. It is a large flat area where people used to do rituals to sacred peak. As this path is not commonly used, people have no idea about the value of this place. Some of them use this place to just have fun. We witnessed some garbage around this area. And another group who had come here before us were practicing a drama (using double meaning words) How foolish they were…But there were some evidences to prove that few people knowing the importance of this place.

When we reached the place sripada summit was covered with mist .so we decided to take a short rest. We laid down on the flat rock and had some refreshments. Once the mist was cleared every body of us began to click our cameras to get the magnificent view of the mountain

Sandagalathenna..Now Summit is covered with mist Photo : Sanketha

Our Nade Photo : HARINDA

They were everywhere Photo : HARINDA

Zoomed PHOTO : PRASAD

Taking a short rest and anticipating for a clear view ( Remember we picked everything what we brought and put in a separate bag and brought our homes) PHOTO : Prasad

Now it’s getting cleared. Holly peak from Holly Plain. Photo : Harinda

Uda Maluwa ………SADHU ……. SADHU……………..SADU Photo : Sanketha

What a scenery ……………………………………………………………….PHOTO : Prasad

Tree of PANDURU ………evidence of knowledgeable people PHOTO : SANKETHA

We also followed some rituals ……….. PHOTO : SANKETHA

Wish we could do these at night /under the shine of DURUTHU MOON PHOTO : PRASAD

Actually we also didn’t know much about these rituals .I welcome anybody who‘d like to acknowledge us about the traditions associated with this legendary place. It would have better if we could stay the night here. But as ethical travelers we didn’t want to challenge wildlife rules .So cleaned the place, repacked our bags and we left the place around 5.15 P.M.

We’ll come again in a full moon day .and definitely spend the night to experience and understand the Holly place Photo : Harinda

Path continues Photo : Harinda

Now the tree patterns changed Photo :Sanketha

Getting Dark PHOTO : HARINDA

Another View of the summit PHOTO : HARINDA

Misty Path PHOTO : Sanketha

Now very close …break to take a photo PHOTO : Dinesh

Mist PHOTO : PRASAD

Bathing in the mist PHOTO : PRASAD

Close to Mahagiridamba ( MALUWA PENI PENEE) PHOTO : HARINDA

Just before Mahagiridamba PHOTO : HARINDA

We reached Mahagiridamba just pass 6.00 p.m. Then we took a small break and started the final climb. Slowly but steadily we reached the summit around 7.15 p.m. We had spent nearly 4hrs to do this trail. And we finished the jungle trail within 3 hrs. I think this is the Par level. According to my knowledge total time range should be 3-5 hrs.

Mahagiridamba………..Start of steel bars Joining the other Pilgrims PHOTO : HARINDA

Bhagawa lena PHOTO : HARINDA

First we had a wash and changed our dresses. Then we worshiped the sacred foot print of Lord Buddha. This was my 8th visit. 7th of Sanketha’s .And Prince’s another one out of many many times. He was entered to my record book as he is the person with whom I have visited Sripada most number of times. It includes my first Sri Pada visit and my off season hike. Prasad Had worshiped Sripada for 3 times from Hatton. And this was his first wilderness experience

Since pilgrims were not allowed to stay in the summit, they all had fully occupied in main resting hall. So we gave up spending the night at summit. So we started descending via Ratnapura trail by 8.45 p.m. We reached Galwangediya junction at 10.00 p.m. where route split in to two ( Sripagama and Erathna ) . We had hot rice with cold curries (can’t expect more than this) for the dinner and chose the left ( Sripagama trail ) .

Galwangediya Shop(best place to have food in this route) Photo : HARINDA

Split of trail ( left Ratnapura ,right Kuruwita ) we have come nearly 2 km from summit .There is 6.5 kms more to Sripa Gama … So better to take a rest PHOTO : SANKETHA

We all decided (Specially Kumaraya ; I call him Nidi kumaraya ) to take a rest for few hours. So we looked in Haramitpana Ambalama but we couldn’t find any space due to heavy crowd. Then we request from the nearby shop and they were willing to give us a room @Rs. 100/- per head. So we happily stepped into the room. They gave some Mats (PADURU) and Sanketha’s Sleeping bag was handy as we unfolded and placed upon Mats to avoid cold. We nearly had 3 hrs sleep and woke up at 1.30 a.m.Although we were in a well covered room even with a concrete ceiling the cold was unbearable. Kumaraya was freezing and I had to give my sweater to him. Then we packed our bags and re started. We passed Seetha gangula, Dharmaraja gala, Indikatupahana and Lihini hela respectively.

Walking under moon light PHOTO : Harinda

After passing Seetha Gangula PHOTO : Harinda

Steps of Dharmarajagala PHOTO : Harinda

Indikatu Pahana PHOTO : Sanketha

Starting point of Kalu Ganga PHOTO : HARINDA

Sanda Ras wathure Kimidenne………………………………………………… PHOTO : SANKETHA

When we reach the Lihinihela observation point I wanted to take a picture of this notice board. Thin I realized that I had left my camera in the previous resting place which was 600 + steps up. So I had to go for it. Sanketha the ever helping friend came with me despite of all knee problems he had and ran quickly and picked the camera for me before I reached there. (Also before anybody else picked it).Million Thanks to Sanketha. While we were coming back our friends had reached the Lihinihela Ambalama carrying our baggages too. It’s very important to do tough hikes with friends who can understand each other’s Feelings/sufferings. Also I should thank Lihini Akka for reminding me about that. We had a half an hour nap at Lihinihela and started descending final 2 km at 5.00 a.m

Notice board near PAWANELLLA PHOTO :SANKETHA

PHOTO : HARINDA

Important notice PHOTO :SANKETHA

Important notice PHOTO :SANKETHA

Morning rays has arrived PHOTO :SANKETHA

Steps never ending PHOTO :SANKETHA

Last stream we crossed ( taken from the bridge) PHOTO :SANKETHA

Our Nade After finishing the descending of 8.5km (at the trail head of SriPagama) PHOTO : SANKETHA

We reached the end of the trail around 7.00 a.m. important thing which I observed after two years is that now they have a concreted road to go to another village which is higher than Sripagama. We first went to a shop/house which is closer to a good bathing place and asked whether they could prepare us breakfast. Since they agreed we had a good bath in the stream to wash away our tiredness and had a delicious breakfast (Game Kama)

Good Morning my dear Hikers PHOTO : HARINDA

House /shop where we had breakfast PHOTO : HARINDA

Path to river is laid beside the house PHOTO : HARINDA

Place where we had a cool dip PHOTO : HARINDA

After finishing a hearty meal we asked the directions to Mapalana falls from the shop owner. He arranged us a Fiago Three wheeler which could accommodate all five of us .Kumaraya sat on my aching legs to aggravate the pain. After saying good bye to the village house we headed towards the 4th highest waterfall in Sri Lanka.

First glimpse There was another group ………………………………………… PHOTO : HARINDA

MAPALANA – 4Th Highest waterfall PHOTO : HARINDA

Colourful PHOTO : PRASAD

Kumaraya was seeking some adventure PHOTO : HARINDA

OUR NADE – Final pose of the trip PHOTO : SANKETHA

We told the driver to drop us at a bus stop near Sripagama. We Got into a Ratnapura bus and reached Ratnapura around 11.00 a.m. Sanketha said us goodbye and got in to Panadura bus while others got in to Colombo bus. Me and Kumaraya were at home around 3.30 p.m. while Prasad and Dinesh were their homes before 6.00

THANKS FOR READING
SUMANA SAMAN DEVIPIHITAI

Hike for Humanity project is an innovative and inspirational project interlinking the concept of hiking and humanity. That is to help underprivileged school students on the annual hike of Old Cadets Association (OCA). To begin with the project the #HikeForHumanity Concept was familiarized on the social media as well as in Zahira College Mawanella. And from 01/12/2013 the collection of books from the College and Old Cadets was started with over whelming response of the principal and the staff as well as students. Day by day the books were flocking in the Hike for Humanity project box placed at school. Many students made their contributions to make a lot happier.

We already informed about our project to Wewalthalawa Tamil M.M.V principal Mr.Mahendran and he welcomed our idea and provided all the required information we needed. We gathered all the donated exercise books and stationeries on 14th night and prepared our gift parcels. Each parcel included 7 exercise books, 1 drawing book, 2 pen, 2 pencils, 1 eraser, 1 sharpener and a ruler. Apart from the standard package we packed pastel color boxes, gum bottles, stapler, instrument boxes and etc for various grade students.

We left Mawanella around 3.50 pm in a hired van on Sunday 15th. Our van driver tried his best to catch the last bus from Yatiyantota to Halgolla which is scheduled for 6 pm. But as Awissawela road is being constructed we were able to reach Yatiyantota at 6.10 pm. We came to know that the last bus left 30 minutes from the scheduled time so we had to take the same vehicle to Halgolla. Halgolla road is carpeted very well where I could not find that kind of road in main cities even. But the last 1 km from the Halgolla tea factory is too damaged.

Mr. Mahendran, the principal of Wewalthalawa Tamil M.M.V who is residing in Holgolla was expecting us and we reached his house around 7.15 pm. He provided us a good shelter in his house. We made our dinner bread and Sambola with the help of Mr.Mahendran and his family. After the dinner we started to schedule our next day event and arrange the gifts in the order.

Preparing the gift packs

It’s going to be a colour full hike

Ideally we were planned to start climbing Wewalthalawa from Halgolla at night but Mr.Mahendran advised us that there were incidents reported in the jungle on treasure hunting. So we drop that idea and planned to start the hike next day morning

HikeForHumanity crew with gift packs

Leaving Mr. Mahendran’s house with gift boxes

We started our next day hiking with our donation packs around 7.00 am. From Halgolla Tea Factory to Wewalthalawa there is road paved, we had to walk through the road and each and every bend were starting with high ascending degrees. So we walked with our last time memories which directed in 2008. We came to this Wewalthalwa in 2008 with our Cadet Platoon and went several places like Worlds End, Hidden Waterfalls in the villages and etc.

Walking through Halgolla village

Mr. Mahendran and his children accompanied us

Not too heavy…

Every bend was so ascending, even in memories

.

.

.	It’s there….

With those memories and the will to reach the destination we walked our nerves through high degrees of altitude. And on our way up we were able to see a cable chain which might have been used by the factory some years back to transport tea leaves. As those cables are held up by the help of small towers, some of our boys decided to have a look on climbing the tower. And in between the road and the basement of the tower there was a rough patch of bushes. Though the bushes were rough we decided that its not wise to keep a foot in the bushes as it would pull us inside the hole. And we found a log and kept in-between the two and we reached the tower. And 1 of our guys without taking note of that kept his foot on the bushes and suddenly he vanished down. Fortunately when he called him back he was ok and with some effort he came up. It was a shock as well as humour for all of us.

These cables were used to transport tea leaves in British period, but now they are not working

It was a breathtaking view from top of the tower… but not a good idea to climb

Finally we found the guy whom vanished in a second

And little by little our distance vanished and the beautiful village of Wewelathalawa came to our sight. And we were able see the school from a distance and we were able to see the children who have come in the school uniforms even though it was a public holiday. And when we reached the school the students welcomed us warmly and we kept our luggage and the gift items and got ready for the presentation and in the mean time we found some good time to mingle with the small ones and to play some games with them.

This how we welcomed by nature. It’s a really beautiful village

Taken from school entrance

Misty mountains..

The yellow colour building is the school

Welcome to Wewalthalawa

And finally the presentation started in the presence of the principal, parents and the villagers. We were really amazed to see the children who were taking part in some activities. It was doubtful even the urban children would not be able to match their talent. And finally ending our program, We presented the books to the students. They were really happy to be awarded the stuff. And we too were seeing the young buds bloom with their smile.

.	Shoe is not important for Football

Volley ball time

These girls are always backward; we have to take them forward in their life

Run for your life…

Donating gift packs to students.

One of our Old Cadet and Moratuwa University student is encouraging the young buds for education..

Lt. Ziyard is presenting office stationeries to Mr.Mahendran

Lt. Ziyard is talking to parents and teachers on importance of Educating the children. College principal Mr. Mahendran stands next to him

Time didn’t permit to visit the waterfalls and the Worlds End point. Mr. Mahendran said that the Worlds End point has refurbished now by estate Management for better sighting experience. And he asked us another visit in future to just see the beauty of the village.

It’s a cute smile with no other words.

Happiness is something different when we shared with others

Our crew is celebrating with students

Finishing our function we turned back home at around 1.pm to catch the bus from Halgolla which was at 2.30. We rushed to catch the bus and ran through the roads and finally when we reached Halgolla we came to know that there were no buses that day and we would have to walk nearly 15 km to Yatiyanthota. And with no option left we made our move and with great effort we covered the whole distance by our foot and making our skins out. At around 5.30 we reached yatiyanthota and from there we got on to the bus and came back to Mawanella with some heart melting memories.

Our Members with Wewalthalawa TMV students, Principal, Teachers and some parents

A girl is expressing her #ThankYouZahira feelings…

After our (Tony and Me) first run through the Siyane Korale, which was a grand tour, we decided to continue from where we stopped covering the remaining archaeologically important places in Gampaha District. 14 January looked like a perfect choice coz we both were free, unfortunately we missed Hari’s hike to the Sacred Sri Pada via scenic Maray Watta and Sandagala Thenna route as we both had to work the following day despite it being a Poya Day. This made Hari as mad as a lone Elephant in Maduru Oya.

We called it a day at Maligathenna the other day after a marathon run of exploration of Siyane Korale, Tony vowed to come back to do the rest of it and that’s exactly what we did at the end.

Tour Highlights:

1. Koskandawala Temple, Koskandawala (Yakkala-Radawana Road)
2. Warana Cave Temple, Warana Temple Road off Nelligahamulla
3. Pettagankanda, Galboda off Dikkanada Junction
4. Alawala Pre-Historic Cave, Alawala, Attanagalla off Attanagalla-Galapitamada Road
5. Uduwaka Falls, Algama off Haggalla-Algama Road

Koskandawala Temple

Take the Yakkala-Radawana Road and after about 2km you’ll see the temple onto your right facing the road itself.

The entrance is just by the road

The cave image house and the solid rock on the background

Entering into the image house

The newly built structure replacing the ancient mud walls have destroyed part of the paintings on the rocky ceiling

The rocky flower stand and an apparently a water container located above it to get water

Locked?

Gigantic brass key

Got in after all

The rocky ceiling full of colorful paintings and art

The archaeology dept. has done their bit of cleaning the place getting it to former glory

Thousands of years old yet still in mint condition

The creative base of the stupa is different from one another

Peeling off at times but a chemical has been used to stop further erosion

The blackish square represent the state the whole paintings were before the cleaning

More paintings of Stupa

Done very smoothly

A plane has just gone by

The stupa and around it we got to the back looking if we could climb that rock

Seen places like these at Alu Viharaya, Matale

No clue what these are

Soaring high

They’ve found shelter in one of the caves

Resting place

There had been a forest of many trees but now completely cut them off and making it like a desert

Warana Cave Temple

Go further along towards Radawana take the left Warana Temple Road at Nelligahamulla Junction.

Just around the corner of Warana Temple

Zoomed in

Don’t get fooled by the distance. It’s 0.3km (300m) but the dot in the middle is no longer visible or not put there at all

At the entrance

Not ripe yet

More than 2000 years old?

The legend (Click image to enlarge)

Huge rock with drip edges. Who would’ve carved them so high?

Main complex

The history of it

Going to the Second Stage

The rock pillars still standing

The stupa

Resting after a heavy climb

Curtained to protect the statue

Still in mint condition after so many years

Endless paintings in the cave

Huge inside

Many statues too

After the cleaning

More paintings

Reminds me of Sigiriya

All of them were 100% identical in size.

Faded paintings revealing colorful plaster underneath

Wondering what we are up to

Imagine the size of the rock

Goint to the 3rd Level

The path goes uphill

More to climb

Similar one was at Pilikuththuwa

Another stupa up there

Another image house but it was locked maybe due to restoration by the archaeological department

Lovely shades

Closed but managed to get a pic

More paintings on rocky ceiling, like Dambulla

Serene looking Buddha

The ceiling is made of wood with more paintings

Cracking at places

Towards the back

Idiotic travelers are doing this everywhere

Through the branches of Bo Tree

They are getting ready to fix a stall for the next day Poya

Look at the greenery to the horizon

Very small monk going towards the image house

Another look at the giant rock and the structure underneath

These paintings are obscured by the building you saw in the above pic

This roof covers a lot of painting on the rock

Going towards the rocky inscription

There it is

Very few letters

Fish tale bird

Look at the paddy in the middle with its strange layout of paths in between

Pettagankanda

Get back to Nelligamulla and go further towards Radawana till you come to Dikkanda Junction and turn left towards Galboda. Ask the directions from the villagers.

Note: The rock where they called the Pettagankanda has been a victim for quarry workers. They had broken the face of it nearly in half endangering the Temple and the Meditating Monks who live there. The constant noise must’ve been a great burden for those monks. They simply ask us to put it so that someone will take notice the damage done to this place. When we visited, there was a lorry and someone was breaking the stones. The ground was a big hole full of rain water and the surrounding area must surely be full of mosquitoes as a result. It’s really surprise the PHIs or the Police don’t take any action against these people who are doing this damaged with the greedy politicians’ blessing in the area. I hope someone will take notice and take some action.

Dikkanda Walawwa:

 I’ve posted a pic of this seen from Maligathenna and apparently this is a huge bungalow with 80 rooms according to the folklore. The villagers claim that the owner of this place was to marry an ex-president but it didn’t happen. This bungalow was built in the hope of living here after the marriage. The area belonging to this place is said to be roughly 3000 acres. The bungalow itself is located on top of a hill giving it a panoramic view of the surrounding areas. The owner is supposedly remaining single to date.

Saw one of these along Pilikuththuwa road but missed picturing it. Very rare sighting

Near the entrance

Do read this and behave accordingly

The Quarry below

10X zoomed

20X zoomed. They keep digging at it

The path is nearly at the edge to the temple

The whole area is damaged severely

Here’s the Pettagan Gala

Closer

The surrounding, just to the left of the golden stupa is Warana and beyond that Koskandawala

The Maligathenna in the middle and to the left is Dikkanda Bungalow and under that the farm

Maligathenna zoomed. Sweet memories

Along the shady path

Got nearer

The stupa

This is what it’s called

Maligathenna to the right

There’s a similar gold painted rock in Thailand

Just barely touching the rock underneath

See the small surface area of the two rocks attached with no firm support visible

They kept going here and there

Extreme left is Koskandawla, middle Warana and to the right is some rock with a quarry

Towards the cave in the middle of the rock and the path is going dangerously close to the edge of the quarry

They were sitting in the middle and zoomed in to the max.

Down we go

Old man on this back sliding down

Not an easy task for the old bones

Tony picturing inside the cave

They’ve left statues

The interior is too low for comfort

Managed to squeeze in and take the pic. Maligathenna and Dikkanda clearly visible

The pagoda from the cave

Sitting close to each other

Alawala Pre-Historic Cave

From Galboda take the same road towards Urapola. Take left of Veyangoda-Ruwanwella Road until you reach Attanagalla. From Attanagalla, take the right Pasyala-Attanagalla Road and just about 100m along there’s a turn to the right with a sign board for Alawala Cave. Follow it for 8km along Galapitamada Road and you’ll see another similar sign onto your left after Alawala Junction. Along that road about 500-600m away is a temple and ask the directions from there. There are very helpful young boys playing around and they’ll happily show you the way.

Just at the turning in Attanagalla

After 8km turn left from here

This huge notice board is hard to miss

Tooth of a Shark and a bone of the extinct SL tiger also found

Many more stones and bones

The story (Click image to enlarge)

Have to climb up to the rocky ledge

Our friend Sanju who met us at the temple leading the way

Many of these available

Just at the mouth of the cave

Sanju in the middle and the dugout seen

Signs of work done

The cavity where they found all those things

The cave is very lengthy

Signs of excavation

Tony and Sanju with Tony’s sweaty hat

Goes a long way

From the cave

When you come along the road, you have to park your vehicles near the hut at the bottom and walk up

He was merrily drinking

Can’t leave these sweet hearts

Another cave temple but now it’s turned into a Devalaya where they use all these Mantra to curse people

The Suniyam Devalaya

Don’t understand the logic doing all those bad ghtings for people hiding behind Lord Buddha, even Sanju being a kid wouldn’t come to this place coz he said these people are bad

Uduwaka Falls

Back to Attanagalla and continue towards Pasyala till you come to Haggalla Junction. (Don’t get confused with the Nuwara Eliya Haggala). Take the right along Algama Road till you get to Algama where the famous bathing place of Algama Falls is located. Unfortunately when we visited it was swarming with drunks in different stages of getting drunk. The waterfall is not so high and the water levels were too low so we decided not to push upwards along the stream zig-zaging the drunkards. We went further along towards Uduwaka Falls. It was no better as a huge pile of garbage was near the waterfall and again full of drunkards. However we managed to shoot a few pics and do check the reckless behavior of those stupid travelers here. Wails of Uduwaka Falls

Almost dried out Uduwaka Falls

To the right

And the left

The middle

Purple beauty saying good bye

Check the Panos here:

Pano 1 – Tony outside picturing the surrounding

Pano 2 – Full width of the Pettagankanda Cave

The Pano of the whole sorrouning area. From Left: Dikkanda Bungalow, Maligathenna, Koskandawala and Warana

Tony and Sanju at Alawala Cave

It all started after seen an article on Lakdasun shared by Sheham about a worlds end in Seetha eliya. On that article it seemed like the mayor wanted to give the place bit of publicity and attract many visitors too. I wanted to visit it as soon as possible before the place lost its natural beauty thanks to our irresponsible public. Lahiru gave his confirmation few days prior and Amila was on the pending side until the very last moment. On a clear Saturday we got together at Colombo at around 10am(which was a very unusual time for us) and took a bus towards Nuwara eliya. At around 3.30pm we reached our destination where we immediately had lunch and packed some for dinner too. After collecting some more resources we took a bus towards Magasthota and got off at the end of Gregory lake from there we hired a trishaw which took us towards the potato farm where there was a locked gate.

The map of sandatenna – click to enlarge

Google earth view – click to enlarge

Seen the locked gate really disappointed us and after talking to one of those watchmen he got down the manager and with the help of one of Amilas contacts in Nuwara eliya we were granted permission which we strived for! The walk through the Potato farm was almost a 2Km one and at the end of it a small summit could be seen. The mist had already started to obscure the view and on top of that we had to face a major challenge, that was a heard of wild buffaloes. The gate keeper had already warned us that the alpha bull was a notorious creature and to justify his statement we were chased by him on three occasions. Somehow we survived that episode to reach the summit point where we intended to camp.

through the potato farms

it was misty

the landscape

towards the city

they finally left us alone

capturing the sunset

setting sun

the fire ball

It didn’t take much time to set up Lahiru’s spacious tent and we didn’t feel the low temperature much because we were so excited. When the moon appeared the fun begun. The cameras were put in to action by snapping slow shutter images, ghost shots and light paintings etc. all 3 of us really enjoyed the moon light before getting in to the tent to have our rice packs as dinner. At around 2am the breeze began to get worse and on few occasions our fly sheet got loose and went off forcing us to get out in that freezing climate to fix the damaged fly sheet. The breeze settled at around 4am and we felt a sleep to be waken by a shout from Lahiru who alarmed us about the spectacular sun rise.

moon was our light source

slow shutter

moon walkers

a ghost

the ghost that ran away

It was freezing but we were even more determined to capture a miraculous sun rise at the backdrop of namunukula. The scenery was mind blowing. I would be sharing some pics for you guys to feel what it was like. When the sky got clear we noted many landmarks including most of the peaks of central highlands and also an endless view towards Uva province (especially Welimada side). At around 8am we decided to pack and take off towards the gate with some stunning captures. On the way we had few halts just to snap a heard of Samber who were grazing in considerable numbers.