| Year and Month | 17 Nov, 2013 |
| Number of Days | 1 Day |
| Crew | 2 (Prince and Me) |
| Accommodation | N/A |
| Transport | By Motor Bike |
| Activities | Searching Old Temples, Architectural Marvels, Photography, etc… |
| Weather | Excellent |
| Route | Nugegoda->Avissawella->Karawanella->Pitagaldeniya->Dedigama->Nelundeniya->Kadugannawa->Pilimathalawa->Gadaladeniya->Lankathilaka->Embekka and return along Kandy-Colombo Road. |
| Tips, Notes and Special remark |
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| Author | SriAbey |
| Comments | Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread |
Tour Highlights:
- Pethangoda Uyana – Kannattota, Ruwanwella
- Sthreepura Purana Gallen Viharaya – Holombuwa, Pitagaldeniya
- Suthigara Chaithya aka Kota Vehera & Archeology Museum– Dedigama
- Mawela Purana Gallen Viharaya & The Hingula Falls– Pahala Kadugannawa, Hingula
- Kadugannawa Ambalama
- Dawson Tower, Kadugannawa
- Gadaladeniya Raja Maha Viharaya
- Lankathilaka Raja Maha Viharaya
- Embekka Kataragama Devalaya
Pethangoda Uyana
Avissawella-Kegalle Road passing Ruwanwella you’ll come across the Black Sign Board onto your left before the Warawala Town. There’s a bridge across the Gurugoda Oya and follow the road with the directions from the villagers for about 1.5-2km.
 The first sign you found on the main road to the left. It says ¼ km but not really |
 Cross the Gurugoda Oya |
 Take a left from here |
 Passing the rubber estates |
 The second sign and take a left from here |
 Lush greenery |
 At the gate |
 Rudimentary sign |
 The tiny path, not motorable |
 Please stick to these. Still I saw some idiots have carved their names on these plants… |
 Two bushes |
 The legend (Click image to enlarge) |
 Very prickly |
 Scary looking |
 Standing tall |
 Drops of water hanging for their lives |
 The adjoining paddy which might have been a tank in the old days |
 Keeping the fellow company |
Streepura Purana Gallen Viharaya
Passing Arandara take the left at Pitagaldeniya for 3km and take a right where there’s a sign.
 Go to the right |
 Follow this |
 Passing paddy fields |
 The main Dharma Shalawa |
 Going up |
 At the entrance |
 There it is |
 Other side |
 The legend (Click image to enlarge) |
 Tiny stupa |
 Not old one |
 Going indoors |
 Colorful arts and statues |
 Collection of Buddha Statues |
 Artistic ceiling |
 Gigantic sleeping Buddha |
 Going further in |
 Caves going all over |
 The pond at the end of the complex |
 Whole temple |
 Mountains in the distance |
Suthigara Chaithya aka Kota Vehera
Take the same road from where you turned to the left at Pitagaldeniya until Thuntota. From there it’s a right turn to Dedigama and the Chaithya.
“The circumference of the Stupa is well over 800ft with a diameter of 256ft. According to the initial plan was to build the stupa to a height of 180+ft and it’d have been among the highest in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, the invasion from South India and other civil riots kept the King Parakramabahu busy and never got the chance to finish it.”
 Just arrived |
 Entrance |
 There are a few Na Trees all along the entrance |
 Serene looking Buddha |
 How to worship |
 Love the color combination, wish there was more blue in the sky |
 Lion tap |
 Right side view |
 Towards the back |
 Grass growing on the wall |
 Just 47 feet in height |
 Leading to the tiny one |
 It says it all |
 Cut into the base |
 It was a Poya Day and this Buddha Statue made me feel very calm |
 Going in and check the opening hours (Click image to enlarge) |
 Built in 1952 by D. S. Senanayake, standing tall even after 6 decades |
 Just inside the gate |
 Looks like a stone scripture |
 Another one with pics |
 Sekkuwa without its poles |
 Gorgeous |
 One of the pics I took before they inform no pics |
 The second one before the notice |
 Common sight in upcountry |
Mawela Purana Gallen Viharaya
Take the Dedigama-Nelundeniya road towards Kandy road. While you’re climbing the Kadugannawa it’s on the right hand side at Hingula.
 The notice at the main road. See the difference between the new and the old one. The new one says 103 AD but the old one says 103 BC. |
 Towards Bathalegala which is about 20km away |
 The concrete path towards the temple |
 Blooming in the scorching sun |
 Hingula Falls at the temple, named by me |
 The frontal view |
 The lower bit |
 The top bit |
 The entrance |
 Up close |
 Cave temple |
 The carved stones |
 Entering the image house |
 I felt ashamed when I saw this coz it’s such a pity that the temples had to put up notices in our Country |
 The newly built Stupa after the treasure hunters had their go |
 Inside |
 Going further down |
 Artistic |
 Bathalegala in the distance. Atmospherical haze was a bit too much |
 The second image house |
 Natural water flows keep dripping |
 Complex of caves |
 What a pity |
 Giant Sleeping Buddha |
 From the feet |
 Paintings inside |
 On the stone roof |
 Artistic pillar |
 More paintings |
 Giant lock on the door but couldn’t keep the stinking treasure hunters away |
 The corridor
|
 Innovation |
 Everything had a touch of art into them |
 Further down |
 The Bo tree |
 She was very shy so I let her pass and called after her to take this pic |
 Puwak |
 Tiny insect trying to get some juice |
 Prince looking towards the mountains |
Kadugannawa Ambalama
Located on the main road in front of the notice board towards Mawela Purana Gallen Viharaya.
 Kadugannawa Ambalama |
 Steps to the inside |
 Inside |
 The roof |
 It’s been renovated. (Click image to enlarge) |
Dawson Tower
You can’t miss this. The good bit is that you can climb to the top which is about 150 feet in height. The staircase is made of wood supported by a center pillar made of 2 Kumbuk Tree Trunks joining all the way up.
 Gigantic |
 Built in 1832. Nearly 2 centuries |
 Feeling very tiny |
 From the other side of the road |
 The top |
 Going up the steps |
 Very difficult to read and located on the wall in the back |
 Going around |
 Peter the guardian and Prince. The contact number in the middle |
 The giant Kumbuk tree and the wooden steps |
 Tiny air holes have become dumping grounds for the ignorant travelers and homes for birds |
 Still strong enough |
 Towards Pilimathalawa |
 Towards Colombo, wish a train was coming |
 Kadugannawa station zoomed |
 With the railing around |
 The road right below |
 The entrance out at the top |
 The Tree trunk, see the idiots have been at work writing on it |
 Going down |
 Time to go, feeling hungry |
Gadaladeniya Raja Maha Viharaya
Take a right at Pilimathalawa for about 1km.
 The legend (Click image to enlarge) |
 The entrance |
 Going up |
 Do it by all means |
 Taking his brother down the rock carefully |
 Sal Mal, reminded me of the school and Amara, Nayana and Chamari |
 The Dharma Shalawa |
 Unique design |
 Insidge it |
 Captured alone |
 Love the color combination |
 Inside the bottom of that Stupa |
 Stone carvings of an Elephant head |
 More to see |
 Another angle |
 At the main image house |
 The other one |
 Steps to the image house |
 Different kind of a moon stone |
 Every inch is covered with artistic stone carvings |
 Getting washed away |
 Every where |
 Stone pillars with lions |
 Even the door has paintings |
 Must have been a tusk |
 The brass lock looking majestic |
 Buddha Statue |
 Worshiping on her own. Lord Buddha will listen to all she has to say |
 Tiny Stupa |
 Like a Makara Thorana |
 The middle |
 Vamana pic? |
 A stone pillar and a giant container |
 The roof with paintings |
 Buddha statue made of copper |
 You too can donate |
 The legend |
 Not possible to enter |
 From the other end |
 The top, under renovation |
 The twins or the couple with a kid? |
 Being renovated |
 Not possible to get a clear pic |
 Where they stored paddy |
 Leaving |
Lankathilaka Raja Maha Viharaya
Follow the same road for about another 3km.
 Entering the temple |
 Base of the rock |
 Somewhat steep climb |
 Large chains as supporters. Can see the old steps carved on the right |
 The view is superb
|
|
The view is superb |
 Not so easy |
 Looks like Hanthana Mountain range |
 Finally came up |
 The main image house |
 Elephant carvings |
 Adjoining Vishnu Devalaya |
 Being a Poya Day, many people were there |
 Very beautiful |
 Made of copper or gold plated? |
 The proud looking lion |
 Had to wait a long time to get this without people milling about |
 The legend |
 From the Vishnu Devalaya Entrance. That’s being used as the main entrance as many people don’t wanna climb those steps along the rock |
 The roof at the entrance structure |
 Wooden sculptures |
 A real looking moonstone but made of wood |
 Here’s the artist waiting for some sales |
 The pond in the premises |
 Going to the main building |
 Not a chance to go up |
 The Makara Thorana |
 Getting dark and cloudy |
Embekka Kataragama Devalaya
Another 1.5-2km will take you along the same road from Lankathilaka.
“Among the carvings, there are 125 series of decorations, 256 liyawel, 64 lotus designs in Pekada, 30 decorative patterns on timber, roof members, making a total of 514 such exquisite carvings.”
“The ‘Madol Kurupuwa’ is one of the finest examples of medieval carpentry excellence. It is a wooden pin (this Madol Kurupuwa) which holds together 26 rafters at the hipped end of the roof of the Digge of Embekke Devale.”
 Just arrived |
 Important |
 The legend (Click image to enlarge) |
 We didn’t have to get any ticket as there was no body to issue one |
 The entrance |
 On the left of the main structure another Devalaya |
 The partition of the main building on the right |
 Main Kataragama Devalaya |
 26 rafters joined by one wooden pin |
 Carvings on the pillars |
 One of 514 carvings |
 Another |
 Mythical one |
 Breast feeding a kid |
 Twin Swans |
 Now getting split |
 God like |
 Some more |
 Many more |
 Liya wala |
 Nelum Mala |
 Angam Pora |
 One of horseback |
 Gajasinghe |
 Endless |
 Wooden Beeralu like things |
 Can’t go in |
 Locked door |
 Towards the back |
 Top of it |
 The kitchen on the right and the paddy storage on the left |
 The old one |
The sole Pano:
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P.S. I tried using a different format with this report. Hoping against hope you all found it useful and easy to go through. Didn’t wanna overdo my fairy tale like stories and bore you to no end.
Take care…