The map – click to enlarge

The famous scenic hike from Kalupahana to Ohiya was one I wanted to do for a while and as usual this was decided within few hours. On the previous day we hiked Gommolliya and were spending the night at Bambarakanda rest relaxing and watching the football world cup. Since our Sunday plan was to return back to our homes we decided to alter it and do this hike. Bambarakanda rest which is managed by Mrs. Mayakaduwa is located 4km’s from Kalupahana so we had 20 more Km’s to get to Ohiya.

After packing up our breakfast and Lunch which Mrs. Mayakaduwa prepared we started hiking along the well paved road. After 2Km’s in to the hike we came across some awesome scenery towards Wangedigala and Gommolli range. The beautiful cascade of Bambarakanda was adding value to the scenery too. Our first landmark was V-cut which was very windy; passing it we came to the causeway where the Bambarakanda stream crossed the road. The windiest part was the stretch from this stream to Yahalatenna which was waiting to blow us away. Passing Yahalatenna we reached West Haputale and after passing west Haputale it was a lonely path. The scenery towards the Walawe valley started to fade away and we were crossing the gap towards Udaveriya side.

dawn at Gommolliya

tiny stream of Bambarakanda

Wangeidigala seen on the way

Wangedikanda range

beautiful scenery

alltogether

the new road to ohiya

v cut to be carpeted

enjoying the wind

bambarakanda stream

what a scenery

scenic route

enjoying the wind and scenery

at Yahalatenne

4wd only

curious onlookers

landmarks

Rest in heaven

Delica no 1

Delica No 2

never seen a pagoda painted like this

through the houses

shortcuts

lovely leaves

Delica no 3

entering west haptale

road side beauties

this was found below a bridge

upper part which could be seen by the road

Udawalawe was seen clearly

crossing towards Udaveriya

entering the devils staircase

The acute descent with hair pin bends which we passed through was known as Devil’s staircase. The scenery became much more fascinating and we couldn’t stop clicking while hiking along the road. We were walking through many line houses and at one point we reached the Horton plains short cut which takes one to the main road from Ohiya to HP. Since we were not going to Horton plains we proceeded along the road and reached a mini lake at Udaveriya where we had some snacks. Next mile stone was the Udaveriya abandoned factory. After traveling 7Km’s from the previously mentioned junction we reached the turpentine patch which lead us towards the Ohiya Horton plains road. We were very happy that we finally reached the main road but we had to hurry to Ohiya to catch the train. So the running part begun, after walking for 18 plus Km’s running was not easy at all. We somehow reached Ohiya railway station 10 minutes before the train arrived. It was almost 6 hours of uphill walking and we were dead tired, for our pleasure the train arrived on time at around 2.30pm. We got in to the new power set and started untying our lunch packets for lunch thanking Mrs. Mayakaduwa for this wonderful meal. My friends got off at Haputale to return to Colombo. And I did proceed towards Ella to end my two day memorable journey around Kalupahana.

cascade seen far away

acting king Arthur

wow

a map

looking back towards Devils stair case

taking the right path from the 3way junction

what a scenery

Delica no 4

wow	lonely path

no wires

pole posing

we loved this hike

Kalupahana rd could be seen

Udaweviya

lake at udaweriya

gommolliya as seen from udaweriya

the tea factory

vegetable chena

they walk because they have no other option

wind is a problem

tea plantations were endless

misty mountains

closing on to the main road

meeting HP road

3 man team

Thanks for reading!

Merging 4 maps to make one map was difficult just like the hike – Click to enlarge

For years I have wanted to conquer the highest point of Knuckles and lack of any good information on it was the reason why I didn’t attempt it. Out of nowhere the thought of climbing Gombaniya came in to my mind and I called my friend at Panwila. He was ever so willing to do this hike, Amila also joined at the last moment to make matters more interesting. I know few more guys were also willing to join, but this sudden decision (as always) made it difficult for them.

Gombaniya is a mountain range and is located on the western border of Knuckles conservation its vegetation is almost similar to Horton plains because of its high altitude. The mountain could be reached from Rathnatenna (Alakolle estate) or Nelummale watta (Kabaragala side). The shorter but complex route is Rathnatenna side. We arrived on the previous day to Panwila and stayed the night there. Next day morning we cooked our two meals and left on the first bus to Huluganga. From Huluganga we took a trishaw to Alakolle estate upper division and walked towards Rathnatenna resort. This resort at the end of the jungle is a superb place to camp or rest. We had our breakfast at this point and started marching towards the forest. The path initially was through an abandoned tea estate and was going in parallel to a stream. We were constantly climbing uphill crossing streams. At one time we came across a waterfall and had to crawl along a slippery slope to bypass it. Close to the waterfall there was a hump nosed viper posing for a picture and we didn’t disappoint it. We somehow came on to a flat rock which provided some stunning scenery on the valleys below and the mountain range which we had to tackle. We noted a triangular peak protruding out of Gombaniya range and this was going to be the entry point to the range for us. In a glimpse everything was covered again in mist and we started heading towards the base of the range.

what sight to start the day (hulu ganaga falls)

road to Allakole estate

Gombaniya on a clear day

on the way scenery to Rathnatenna

wild berry’s were yummy

Gombaniya covered with mist

Rathnatenna resort what a relaxing place

Dull blue flycatcher

mountain forest

along the stream

a cascade

perfect background

giving a hand

lovely beauties found all over the ground

the pink version

a white beauty

only found near streams

snail droppings

first view point

the second view point

plenty of valleys to get lost

the triangular peak is the place where we need to enter the mountain range

the abyss we climbed up to enter the range after tackling bamboo and nelu

The Bamboo and Nelu bushes with slippery slopes were not helping us on our final ascend. Somehow we crawled and reached the Gombaniya range from the right side of the pointed rock. After getting on to the range we started walking along it through the pygmy forest and shorter version of bush bamboos until we reached the first flat rock. From here we went further and reached the second flat rock which was sloped but yet a spectacular view point. On one side we could see the adjoining mountain (Yakkungegala / Rathnatenna kanda) forming a remarkable drop towards Wallapomulla side. The river flowing at the bottom of the abyss called Kuda oya later meets up with Kalu ganga which rises from Kalupahana. When the mist got cleared we saw far away lakes at Mahiyanganaya. So on a clear day one could enjoy a spectacular sun rise over the eastern ocean from here and witness a magnificent sun set from the west. On the other side of the mountain Campbell’s lane forest reserve and Hunnasgiri peak was seen clearly whenever the mist thinned off. The mist was blowing towards us like clouds crashing into us. There were so many unforgettable moments which I couldn’t convert in to paragraphs but only relish in my memories. The range was a long one but covered with forest cover and we did proceed along it until the mist settled permanently. It is said during the flowering season the whole range is covered with thousands of flowers (especially Binara). We did come across many flowers during our expedition though they were found spread in a scattered manner.

first view once getting on to gombaniya range

unknown

time for exploration

first flat rock

beautiful leaves

it cleared out on and off

what a diversity

another beauty

are we in heaven?

the drop from heaven

gombaniya peak seen far away

the best view point

towards Rathtota

hunnasgiri range

towards Wallapomulla

Yakkunge hela drop

note the cliffs

far away lakes of mahiyanganaya could be seen

kuda oya meets kalu ganga on its later part

lovely

Yakkungegala or Rathnatenna kanda

mist been blown away from the abyss

Madulkele

Campbell’s lane reserve covered with mist

hanging free

gombaniya range

nelu

wow	Bladderwort(Utricularia spp.)

red tree tops

lovely isn’t it

more to go

flowered bed

heavenly

what a seat!

sheer drops

imagine been here

spooky

grandfathers beard

I really love this one

had to stop here

The extreme cold winds caused us to shiver at 12pm so we had to take our lunch to gain our lost calories and get ready to descend back. The descend was going smoothly until we lost the path at one place and out of nowhere a shower poured down to terrify us. Fortunately most of us in our group were knowledgeable on trekking so following some fruitful discussions and decisions we found the path running close to the waterfall. At this point we came across a horned lizard who was a good poser too. There were only 3 or 4 leeches that worried me during this hike and the high altitude should be thanked for that. We entered the tea patch covered with mud and continued along the estates until we got a trishaw to Panwila. This was a memorable and once in a lifetime adventure that was done with caution. There are plenty of valleys to get lost and if you don’t climb from the proper place you are going to be in trouble. Hope this would be helpful to others who want to venture in to Gombaniya in future.

lunch time

mist was becoming permanant

in to the mist

I will always snap these

Binara

most flowers are either purple or pink

bamboos are providing some comfort to this shivering soul

down we go

bye bye

crawling at sometimes

horned lizard

the team at end destination

he decided to have an ice cold swim

looking back

Thanks for reading!

Wilpattu- Leopard Fiesta 2014

Hello friends,

It’s been a while since I posted a report here. Was busy due to my wedding & etc etc since I came back to SL. Was there in wilpattu during august but couldn’t write a report. We left home around 12pm and reached the usual rest inn L.L.T Safari Inn by 4pm. Drive was easy as usual  it was a poya day… we were welcomed by the owner Mr. Tiuder… you guys can contact him for accommodation and for safari jeeps on -0779478036. He is a very nice gentleman and will help without even thinking about money… which is very rare in these days…

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Woke up early in the morning and left d inn with hopes.. There wasn’t much luck in the morning time since the animals used to move freely even in the night due to full moon and its light…

Crock was the 1st sight..

Fish Owl

Crested Serpent Eagle

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Then we saw the 1st leopard near Kuruttu Pandi vila. Fellow is known as “Natta” due to a damaged tail. He was on top of a tree covered with thick leaves & branches…

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Was very difficult to capture him through branches… It was almost 12.15pm n we left the fellow and went for lunch. After lunch around 2.30pm we came back towards the same tree and found “natta” walking towards us to to the villu to quench its thirst… We escorted him pics will tell you the story…

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poo poo time :P

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Quenching its thirst…

Below is the link for the video of the leopard’s movement which was captured by ma wife using her phone
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QveLuD72N9s&feature=youtu.be

After having water, fellow climbed to a tree and started to sleep…

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News was spread and so many jeeps came and started to gather… it was around 5 pm and we started to move out…

Barking deer

Then we saw the 2nd leopard on the way out near “thambi oluwa” area near to an artificial water pond…

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Fellow went in to the thick bush after posing for some time… we went back to our rest inn with soo much happiness after seen two leopards for the day n thanking god…

2nd day started with a surprise… around 6.20am only we saw our 1st leopard near “thammannawa” even my camera wasn’t ready since we have never seen a leopard so nearby to the entrance… she was still a shy young leopard and ran to the bush very fast…

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We all were over the moon after seen a leopard as the 1st sighting soo early in the morning.. Then we were talking, people used to say it’s good to see a fox or deer’s as the 1st sight so the day will be good n blabla.. so we were thinking how lucky our day will be…

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Then we saw the 2nd leopard of the day… around “nelum vila” area..

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Leopard was playing around posing and all of a sudden went to the thick bush and started to eat its prey. Then only we saw it’s a wild boar he is eating… it was very close to our jeep and we had a great view of it through the branches….

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Then came the most surprising thing no one ever will imagine….
It was another leopard who came and tried to steal the prey from the 1st fellow… they fought for a while and the 1st fellow was hanging to the prey and the 2ndone was standing nearby… pics are not clear hence it was inside the thick bush….

Two leopards’…

1st leopard was hanging and not giving away its prey…

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Then the 2nd fellow gave up the fight and went away…

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Then we followed the 2nd leopard for some time and then he gave this show…

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Then he disappeared and we went back to the 1st fellow who was still eating its killing….

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see the below link for the video of the leopard eating it’s prey…
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7g7YINeXY

Then he came out from the bush to the road and posed a bit more and vanished to the jungle …

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It was around 12 noon and we went to Nelum vila area for food since the leopard was nearby…

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Had food and came back near the leopard’s prey by 2 pm and we were waiting… Luck was again on our side… After about 10 mins we heard a shouting of a jackal… This is not very common during day time. And then the leopard appeared again…

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He came and ate more from its prey…

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And after eating gave us another show 

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And after about an hour few jeeps came and disturbed the animal. Sad to see how some of our jeep owners bend and try lick foreign asses to earn an extra dollar or two. Especially a jeep of “Leopard trails” they parked inside the jungle away from the road to show sum foreigners a leopard and damaging the jungle, small species living e next to the roads… some of these guys doesn’t seems to know the rules… hence they came and disturbed the leopard after few mins they arrived, (though we stayed with the same leopard for more than an hour without any disturbance) big cat went and disappeared to the thick jungle.. It was around 4.30pm that time and we thought of leaving since our cams were full of leopard pics…

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We came back to Gampaha on the next day morning with so much happiness …

Will post some pics I took during my visit to wilpattu in August 2014, which I couldn’t make a report since I was busy…

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the route we took in dark line – click to enlarge

Sailing on a yacht was once a fantasy but out of nowhere I got a wonderful opportunity which I couldn’t resist. The Dolphin season at Trincomalee was coming to an end so the whale watching luxury yacht was migrating towards Mirissa. Amila called me and gave me the news but I had to take 3 days of leave in middle of the week and getting to Trincomallee or Passikudha was not feasible. I didn’t want to let this opportunity fly by so I decided to join them from Arugam bay.

It was a gloomy morning at Arugam bay, but the overcast skies were not enough to demotivate me this time. Until 10 in the morning I was wondering on the beach in anticipation of the yacht. While the inflatable boat arrived to pick me up from the shore two beech patrol police guys were having a conversation with me and they were talking in a very friendly manner. When they inquired I told them about my journey and said adios to them to board the yacht. We were sailing slowly towards down south and at around Okanda a Navy Dora came roaming towards us. They did order us to come to a halt and said they have been ordered to arrest me by the Potuvil police. But after giving them the details and informing few higher officials we were given permission to proceed. The friendly navy chaps did go back to their base at Oluvil while we started sailing towards Kumana. With all of these incidents the Hate towards Sri Lankan police department seems to blossoming in my mind . If they had any concern they should have questioned me in detail before I got in to the boat since I told them all about my journey. It seems they just wanted to get some plus points by filing a case and troubling the Sri Lankan Navy. (Btw there are good officers too in the police).

gloomy morning at arugam bay

empty’s

had plenty of time to snap these

new life

arugam bay

a fisherman’s hut

my luxurious ride

getting ready to get me

amila spotted me

good bye main land

Water Sprite 2

towards the ocean

interior

cooking on the yacht

window view

passing ulla

pirates of Sri lanka… lol

maragalakanda seen from the ocean

Kudumbigala

finally clear sky

the blue i love

the loose knot

Bagure gala kumana

peaks in kumana

fishing boats

he didnt catch those (bought from fisherman)

attempting to catch something

seagulls

a Dora looking peaceful

no they were here to arrest me… damn

front view of the Dora

getting back after the negotiation

and they left finally

lonely beaches

After all that “ha hoo” we were back on track. On our way we noted all the mountain peaks around Monaragala and mondaknocks in Kumana plus Yala. Our next main at traction was Little bass (also known as Kuda Ravana). The Great and Little basses were once part of King Ravanas kingdom which submerged and the coral reef around this area is one of the bestplaces for diving. There are some ships buried in these reefs too. We did put up the sails at this point and got the added advantage of the wind. The evening was spent on the front deck while enjoying the sinking sun.

Quote

Great Basses reef and the Little Basses reef are two rock formations on the south-east coast of Sri Lanka. Locals call these ‘Maha Ravana’ and Kuda Ravana’ reefs respectively. With Sri Lanka being on major shipping route connecting China with the rest of the world, and these rocks located 12-13 kilometres off the shore, the ancient sea fairers found navigating these rocks a formidable challenge and the large number of ships which have wrecked close to these rocks have made this area a popular diving attraction.

Both the lighthouses on these two rocks were designed by James Douglass and constructed by his brother William Douglass of the Imperial Lighthouse Service. The 34 metre high Great Basses was commissioned in 1873 and was made with massive stone blocks which were shipped from Scotland and England. The Small Basses Reef was completed five years later in 1878. Both these light houses survived the great tsunami of 2004 with only damages to the bases. These damages were repaired and the lighthouses were made operational again in 2007 with the aid from UK.

The underwater treasures surrounding the Basses reefs were exposed to the world through the 1961 publication called ‘The Treasure of the Reef’ written by Sir Arthur C Clarke based on his experience on the diving expedition to the reefs. He discovered a wreck of a 24 gun ship which belonged to the Mogul Emperor Aurangzeb (1658 – 1707) which contained thousands of silver rupees dated 1702.

The night was spent under the stars while watching thunder storms lightning up the mother land like it was New Year’s Eve. I was indeed lucky to capture few thundering lightning’s too. I had a good night sleep only to be waken up by the rough sea at around 5am.

yala

Seals

putting up the sails

need some muscle

sails are up

wind doing its work

modern day sailor

wow

sailing in the blue

captain always on the alert

got some sailing practice

the maker

chimney rock

Little bass also known as kuda ravana

the light of it

passing it

fishing boats from kirinda

barometer

cabins

more to go

keeping up

the reel

bright sky

the only Bryde whale we saw

bringing down the sail

evening snack

relaxing

evening chat

setting sun

sun set on the plate

lit up

patterned clouds

lucky indeed to capture such an event in my life time

navigator

wind meter and depth meter

time for a good night sleep

It was raining and there was no sun rise for us. We did note the light of the Dondra light house for miles. After tackling the rough sea we reached Mirissa harbor around 10am to end our ride. During this voyage we saw a small pack of Dolphines and a Bryde whale. If the weather was perfect we would have been much luckier. It was sad that this journey ended but I’m hoping to get back in to the great oceans once again and sail below the stars.

gloomy morning close to tangalle

going through a international one way passage

rough sea

raining on both ends

shipping line

closing on to mirissa

entering the bay

docking yard

mirissa bay

Hiya folks, hope you’ve been busy travelling and reading the endless stream of trip reports flowing in. just thinking back the days I joined Lakdasun, it was one or two trip reports coming in for a month but now it’s the complete opposite. The number of trip reports, last I checked was at 664 and growing ever so rapidly. It was on 23rd Feb 2014 I last went on a rail hike with Sheham, Atha and Tony from Galboda to Nawalapitiya clocking the Tunnel No. 10.

Since then, my focus was shifted dramatically towards my beloved waterfalls thus originating the collection – Tour de Waterfalls. As the rains have changed patterns, hundreds of hydro power plants are in the war path to kill as many falls as possible, and the season is now almost over, once again I had to shift gears and here I was thinking about another long overdue stretch of railway line, from Kadugannwa to Rambukkana. “Why not from Rambukkana to Kadugannawa?”, you might ask me and to that I can say is, it’s tougher climbing uphill than coming down, especially along the railway line. You must’ve seen how the trains labor to climb this stretch from Rambukkana to Kadugannawa groaning all the way so I didn’t wanna be in the same place. On the other hands starting from Kadugannawa was no different than Rambukkana, why pick the toughest way when there’s a relatively easier one available?

Tony, one of my partners in crime, had done this (of course he’d walked all the way from Badulla in his youth, considering his age, it may well have been about a century ago) but felt it was so much fun to do so with us and many occasions even threatened me not to attempt this without him. So finally I managed to find a day which was ok by both of us but unfortunately, Sheham and Atha, the rest of rail hiking gang, were otherwise engaged making it only the two of us to continue this.

Ana and Ashan had done this before making it easier to plan but it was Tony’s extensive knowledge that really came into the show. He’d read many articles and gathered a whale of information which in the end decided the fate of our tour. The blog of Mr. Thilak Senasinghe which Ashan had shared in his report confirmed most of Tony’s findings and it was so interesting to read that article while listening to Tony do the same. Finally it was on 30th Aug that brought us together to do this journey. We left for Fort around 4.30am and found the station jam-packed with many travelers, since this was the last weekend before the school holidays, most of them wanted to do something or the other for their kids.

After a long delay I managed to reach the ticket counter and got two 2nd class tickets for Kadugannawa. The officer at the counter simply threw the tickets and the balance towards me as if to get rid of me ASAP. Well, I stopped by to see if it was only me who got the leper’s treatment, alas, not really. Everyone who bought their tickets had the tickets and balance thrown at them and any innocent question was met with a scowl and a blunt one or two word reply. One old lady who was asking for a ticket to A’Pura was asked back if she wanted the cheap tickets or the expensive ones. What on earth is wrong with these people I was wondering when Tony out of nowhere came into the rescue of her saying it’s 2nd class she needs and the officer irritatingly threw the ticket at her.

Buying and reserving tickets at Fort Railway Station (and Kandy too) has always been a nightmare for me. I simple detest having to go there but what else can I do? However, almost all the officers at the small railway stations I’ve come across during my hikes have been very friendly and enthusiastic. Maybe the number of passengers coming into major stations has put a lot of stress on these officials, however, it’s not nice to treat locals like lepers and foreigners like gods.

I guess it’s enough of grumbling about the terrible service of Railway and get back to my fairy tale. Having pushed ourselves onto the platform No. 2, in which awaited the sky blue S12 swarming with people trying to get on board. We had no choice but to join forces with them. It was all mayhem while people were trying desperately to catch seats, screaming at others for barging in, shouting for their family members to make a move, etc. In the meantime, Railway Security Officers were walking from carriage to carriage ordering those who were holding onto seats with their bags to give them up and offering them to others. Tony and I helplessly watched all these from sidelines while securing a nice cozy place at the door.

Sun was opening his doors to the world sending the early rays across the world when the whistle blew, green LED torches flashed from the back and front and the train left for her long arduous journey. The things got nastier at Ragama, Gampaha, Veyangoda and Polgahawela as many people tried to get in pushing and squeezing. Those who chewing beetle leaves and aricanut were forced to go deeper into the carriages making it impossible to spit out of the train, and Tony joked they must’ve had to swallow the lot as a result.

Eventually after it felt like being in a sea of people, we reached Kadugannawa and got off with a sigh of relief and went in search of a place to have a hearty breakfast before starting. This is when we met two of Lakdasun Members, Amran and Parsi who were leading a bunch of their office colleagues on a hike to Bathalegala. It brought back the happy memories of Our Bathalegala Journey. After a bellyful meal, we started our journey from Kadugannawa towards Rambukkana and you’re gonna read that here on.

Tour Highlights:

1. Dawson Tower, Kadugannawa.
2. Highest Point on Colombo-Kandy Railway Line, Kadugannawa.
3. Cocoa Malai aka Cocoa Watte Tunnel (No. 11), Kadugannawa.
4. Lion’s Mouth, Kadugannawa.
5. Elephant Back aka Bangali Tunnel (No. 10), Kadugannawa.
6. Tunnel No. 9A and Moragolla Tunnel (No. 9), Balana.
7. Balana Fort and Kadawatha Jack Tree, Balana.
8. Tunnel No. 8, Balana.
9. Sensation Rock aka Hakura Wetichcha Gala and Good View, Balana.
10. Tunnel No. 7 & 6, Ihala Kotte.
11. Dekinda Viaduct, Ihala Kotte.
12. Alagalla Viaduct aka Anji Pahe Bokkuwa and Hakoluwawa Oya, Ihala Kotte.
13. Sangaraja Cave, Ihala Kotte.
14. Meeyangolla Tunnel (No. 5A) and Meeyan Ella, Ihala Kotte.
15. Alternative Path to Alagalla, Gangoda.
16. Kudira Bridge, Gangoda.
17. Tunnel No. 5, Yatiwaldeniya.
18. Kebellawatte Viaduct, Rambukkana
19. Tunnel No. 4, 3 & 2, Rambukkana

That’s a long list, ain’t it? I’ll try to take you through all one by one so that it’d be easy for anyone who’s planning to do this in future, plan the journey with minimal hassle.

The distances between certain stations along the track:

Kadugannawa – Balana (4.5km)
Balana – Ihala Kotte (4.99km)
Ihala Kotte – Gangoda (2.3km)
Gangoda – Kadigamuwa (3.6km)
Kadigamuwa – Rambukkana (5.4km)

Distances of the Tunnels:

Tunnel 11 – 26.9m (88ft)
Tunnel 10 – 35.4m (116ft)
Tunnel 9 – 359.7m (1180ft)
Tunnel 8 – 44.2m (145ft)
Tunnel 7 – 20.1m (66ft)
Tunnel 6 – 20.1m (66ft)
Tunnel 5A – 419.9m (1378ft)
Tunnel 5 – 210.3m (690ft)
Tunnel 4 – 284.5m (933ft)
Tunnel 2 – 10.6m (35ft)

Dawson Tower / Highest Point / Koko Malai Tunnel

I’ve been to Dawson Tower and even climbed it with Prince sometime last year. This was towering over Kadugannawa Town when we started the journey. You can get on top of it by climbing through the inner circular staircase. It’d be a tight fit for above average folks to squeeze in and a torch is a must have. It won’t take more than an hour (depending on how long you plan to stay on top admiring the view) to do this if you can spare the time. Already there was a group of people on top and we kept on towards the highest point on Colombo-Kandy Railway Line. As many would guess it to be Kandy or even either Balana or Kadugannawa to be the highest point, it’s actually the 64 3/4th Mile Post about 200m from Kadugannawa towards Balana. The height of this place is 519m or 1690 feet. You can see the mile posts in black and white while the kilometer posts are in black and yellow.

While walking towards Colombo, the mile posts will be onto your left and the km posts to your right. Passing this we reached the first tunnel (No. 11) you come across after the one you find twin tunnels joined by a bridge at Galboda. This is called Cocoa Malai (Malai in Tamil refers to Hill) as a result of this area had a large Cocoa Plantation during the colonial period. Even now there are the odd cocoa trees but I doubt if they do it in a big commercial way.

As if on cue, there was a Kandy bound M6 coming through the tunnel and it helped us take some pics while it was emerging from the tunnel.

Just got off from the jam-packed train

Our beginning

Bring back sweet memories

Already some of them are there

Hit the railway

Highest point on Col-Kandy Railway Line (1690ft)

Just beginning

First of the tunnels, Cocoa Watte Tunnel

Yeah, the number is 11

M6 – German, built by Thyssen-Henschel (16 in active service)

Out she comes

Dancing Tony

Ura Kanda and Bathalegala

Lion’s Mouth / Elephant Back

At the 64^th mile post came the moment of truth. The most important of designs met on the track. Just passing the mile post, one can see a huge head of an open-mouthed lion. It’s more prominent when you get closer and this is a result of a half roofed tunnel. There wasn’t enough of a rock to drill through to make a tunnel; instead they had to shave off the part of it making it like a roof. Coincidentally this resembles a roaring lion’s mouth.

From there, another 100m or so away is a very funnily shaped opening of the Tunnel No. 10 which reminds us of a back of an elephant. You can clearly see the back legs and the opening through in the middle. I don’t think those who made these did it on purpose to look like this, even if they did, they’ve succeeded really well. Further, this is also called the Bangali Tunnel as it’s believed there were Bangladeshis who were used to build this tunnel giving it’s the name.

This is when I decided to do a small documentary of the two interesting points located close to each other, while Ura Kanda and Bathalegala were smiling at us from a distance. We could even see the Kandy Road below us and the tunnel at the old stretch on the road was clearly visible. What’s more we could even take a few pics of vehicles entering it thanks to the extended zoom offered by my point-n-shoot.

This is when we got the second sight of a train coming through the Elephant Back and passing under the Lion’s Mouth. Gosh, the lion bit the train to pieces was all that came to mind watching it pass through. The long sleek S12 simply vanished into Kadugannawa and we kept on going towards Weralugolla, a name the English had misinterpreted as Wyrlee Grove.

Approaching the hallmarks

Gosh, very much like a Lion’s

Roaring one that is

“Don’t come, the lion will bite you”

Gosh, he bit the train to pieces

Towards the tunnel on the road

Up close

“Who’s standing there?”

Looking back at the lion’s mouth

Very much like an elephant’s

Yeah, the tunnel 10, also called Bangali Tunnel

Walking through

Come out

Bathalegala at the distance

Lonely walker

Even from here it looks like an elephant’s back

Endless view

Sweet Bathalegala

Tunnel 9A / Tunnel 9 / Balana Fort / Kadawatha Jack Tree

You might be curious as to the naming of these tunnels using letter A. Well, the reason was the engineers had to change the railway line over time due to various reasons; mainly earth slips and lose ground. Where you meet tunnel 9A is one such place. The original railway line was laid to the left of the tunnel going around the rock so as to avoid having to drilling the rock making a tunnel. Over time, the ground gave way and it became too dangerous for the train to travel as an earth slip would’ve sent it down nearly 1000ft causing a major accident.

In the end they were forced to do the inevitable and drill the rock and built a tunnel. However by that time all the tunnels had been named and as a result they decided to call it 9A. What it meant by the letter A is anybody’s guess but I guess it might mean “Addition”. We tried to take a look at the old railway line that is still there but thick undergrowth has concealed all the signs of it and the path is more or less had washed down making it dangerous to venture there. So we abandoned our plans and went through the tunnel thanks to Atha’s torch. It was pitch black inside and this is when Tony said that he’d love to stay inside a tunnel when a train comes. I was scared witless at the thought but pondering on, it looked very appealing too. However, little did Tony know that his wish would come true in a few hours? So be careful what you wish for as they have a tendency to come true.

Just on the other side of the tunnel was a strange drain pipe built high close to the top of the tunnel diverting the water that seeps through the rocks away from the railway line. This area in many places has constant dripping rocks threatening the stability of the railway line and they’ve had to use many engineering tactics to overcome this problem over and over again. An accident, especially an earth slip or a derailment is gonna be a one horror story and we might have to close down the railway line cutting of any connection beyond Balana altogether if not taken care of properly.

We then reached the Weralugolla Sub Railway Station and as I mentioned above the Englishmen have misinterpreted the pronunciation as Wyrlee Grove. This is kinda very similar to how they came up with the name Kandy referring it to Kanda. We came across a narrow road that goes beneath the railway and there was another major road going underneath close to Rambukkana passing Kadigamuwa called Kebellawatte Viaduct. Passing all this we reached the tunnel 9 which is called the “Maha Binge” (The Large Tunnel) or Moragolla Tunnel and is in excess of 1000ft in length. This is the base of the Moragolla Hill. It is located very close to Balana Station and we soon reached there but about 500m before the station, there’s a concreted by road to your right and we took that hoping to reach Balana Fort.

Actually, if you’re going to visit it, don’t take this path but go up to the Station where Balana-Kadugannawa Road begins. There are a couple of tuk-tuks parked there most of the time and you can easily take one to and from the Balana Fort which is around 3-4km away. We without knowing turned to the by road before the station and kept on going about 500m when it met the Balana-Kadugannawa Road. We turned to the left and went uphill searching for a tuk-tuk. Passing the temple there was a junction and when we inquired from a villager he very helpfully offered to find one and went in searching for a tuk-tuk at a nearby shop.

There was a person called Manju who was still in his working clothes came to take us to the Fort. The old uncle too got in saying that “How can we not help people who’d come all the way from Colombo?” They were fascinated by our tales and found our hobby to be very interesting. Manju and the uncle (not Tony) kept telling us stories of various kinds. The path to the fort lies through a tea patch and is about 600m. The fort is nothing much to look at despite various attempts at keeping it nice and intact by the archaeological department. However the name “Balana” or “Look out” suits it best as it’s a grand viewing point. We could see the mighty Bathalegala looking serenely at us in the distance while clouds kept floating towards Ura Kanda. Balana Fort is located about 500 feet higher than the station which is 428.24m or 1405 feet.

While we enjoyed the view, Manju, his daughter and Uncle too came up the path to join us. He had plenty to talk about and we soon turned around coz there was so much to go see. On our way back, about 1km from the fort, we stopped at a place called “Kadawatha Jack Tree”. According to the notice there which is fixed recently, this jack tree is about 500 years old and been the place where when the Balana Fort was active, the taxes were collected. The tax collecting place is usually referred as “Kadawatha” and thus the name Kadawath Jack Tree. Apparently they had collected tax under the shade of this jack tree. So this is one more significant thing to add to the mile long list to check out.

We took the Balana main road and reached the station when a Colombo-bound train was coming towards it. Afterwards, we headed towards Ihala Kotte having bid our farewell to Manju, his daughter and Uncle. Manju was so interested in our explorations and got us to write the Lakdasun web address on his daughter’s exercise book to check what’s on it. Just a very interesting thing we saw at Balana was the old signaling system. There was a post with two cubby holes either side with a ladder to reach them. Tony explained they used to light lamps and keep them in these holes for the oncoming trains as signals in the night when they didn’t have electricity to use lights. This was the only such equipment I’ve seen so far and may well be the only thing available.

Heading towards Ihala Kotte, we saw the postman walking along the railway line with a bunch of letters and this is too an unprecedented sighting for us. I’d never before seen a postman walking on the railway line, must be exciting.

Note: Please note that there’s a place called “Wawul Bokkuwa” (Bat Viaduct) about 300m before the Balana Station where the ash of burnt charcoal was dumped in the old days. We missed this as we turned early to the Balana Fort and got directly back to the station itself. So keep an eye out for it. Especially the water stream that flows underneath this is called “Kata Le Ela” (Blood Clot Canal) as during the fights at Balana, the felled soldiers’ blood had floated down along the canal in clots creating the name. It must’ve been a dreadful sight.

Inching towards 9A

Here we are

The original one is to the left but inaccessible

Pitch black

Out we came

Shadow looking

The rudimentary water diversion I told you about

The rocks are chipped at many places

Similar to Dekinda and Alagalla Viaduct but none of them

Wyrlee Grove according to the English

The road goes underneath

Plenty of clouds with clear blue sky

The Moragolla Tunnel

Got to go in again

Got the torches ready

In we go

Took many pics like this

What does that number mean? – Probably the date the concrete bit was done

Looking back

Arriving at Balana and the Alagalla in the distance

Faded sign post

Shady path

Nicely built

Fruitful

About 600-800m to walk

There she is

Finally but where’s the fort?

Balana name suits this place

Windy and this is the path that goes through the forest and emerges from the Kadawatha Jack Tree

View is somewhat blocked

Here’s the path

Only the front foundation is now visible

Steps at the front – Can you see the notice board and read the story? Just kidding, it’s gone with no info available.

Remaining walls

Bordered by privately owned tea estates

Manju and his daughter

Here’s the Kadawatha Jack Tree

The story

500 years old?

Alagalla looking serenely at us

Here we are

M5 – Japanese, built by Hitachi

Located 500ft below the Fort

Old lamp signaling system

Towards Ihala Kotte

Postman going about his business

Tunnel 8 / Sensation Rock / Good View / Tunnel 7 / Tunnel 6

We soon reached the Tunnel 8 and went through it without an incident. Afterwards, it was all about Sensation Rock and Good View. This sensation rock is really a sensational place. According to the historical narrations, this sensation rock is also called “Hakura Wetichcha Gala” (The Rock that Hakura Fell). Allegedly there had been a toddy tapper named Hakura and he’d fallen down the rock killing him and this got the name after that. It’s also said that one English Engineer who was doing a survey of the place got himself killed having fallen off the rope he was using. We couldn’t find the Kudira Bridge located near this Sensation Rock, or we must have overlooked it. It was built for the English Engineers who came to oversee the construction of the railway line on horseback giving it the name Kudira (Horse in Tamil) Bridge. However there was a tiny bridge just before the beginning of the Sensation Rock and it might be the Kudira Bridge as there was nothing remotely resembling one.

The rock itself is chipped at by the engineers making it easy for the train to pass through. The total length of this is about 300m and the slope is almost 90-degrees and has a depth of a similar range. However the view from this point is magnificent giving a clear view towards Bathalegala, Uthuwankanda, Ura Kanda, Devanagala, etc. That was why this place is also called “Good View” or even “Grand View”.

The thought of a train derailing at this place is unfathomable as it would fall almost 1000ft below probably killing many passengers on the way. However, then engineers too had foreseen this danger and used a fail-safe method. They’ve added two guard rails to the railway line and made the line a little slanted towards the rock. As a result so far no train had derailed here and caused any fatalities. I hope this record will stay like that forever.

We were going towards Ihala Kotte when we heard a hoot of a train coming up and I ran back to Sensation Rock to take a pic with the train and managed to take a couple just in time. Gosh, it was a close call and I almost missed that photo opportunity. That little run in brought back our run to catch the train on 9-arched bridge when Atha, Prasa and I ran (rather hopped like rabbits) for 2km on the railway line and still missed it. (You can read the story in My First-Ever Rail Hike here.)

Passing it we came face to face with Alagalla (I’ve forgotten all this time to mention her). She was covered in mist when we saw her in the morning but now had got rid of her veil looking majestic. I kept mumbling to myself, “Lady, you’re not far behind in my list” and I plan to conquer her given a half chance. To our surprise, we found another path other than the well-known Poththapitiya trail to climb her. More on that later.

Then we came to Tunnel 7 and 6 which are located about 200m from each other and like at Galboda, where tunnel 13 and 12 are situated close to each other. However unlike Galboda where the two tunnels are joined by a bridge, this has no bridge and the railway line was more curved than there. Nonetheless, we could still see each other clearly at once. It was a grand view to see a tunnel through. We spent some time appreciating the view and hoping a train would come but nothing came and we carried on towards Ihala Kotte hoping to go pay a visit to Dekinda Falls.

Tunnel 8

Coming after the morning shift

Came out and looked back

Away they go

So far we’ve come a bit over 5km

Resting places for the railway workers

Could this be the Kudira Bridge? Coz we couldn’t find anything remotely possible

Here we come

Good View

Good view downhill

Chipped rock

Towards Kandy

Here she comes

Observation saloon

Alagalla rising to the sky

Just at the twin tunnels

The 6th tunnel is visible in the distance through the 7th

Close up

Very nicely done framework

A tough going for the fella, good for a toddy tapper

Second of the twin tunnel

Running through rocky boulders most of the time

Tony, the photographer

Looking back at 7th from the 6th

Time to make a move on

Dekinda Viaduct / Alagalla Viaduct

We reached Makehelwala Sub Station and stopped to search for the Dekinda Viaduct which is supposed be another engineering marvel. Unfortunately like many other places the overgrown plants along either side prevented us finding the exact location. It’s located very close to Makehelwala Sub Station yet we couldn’t find the exact place of Dekinda Viaduct. It’s supposed to be at 60 1/4^th mile post joining Kehelwarawa and Motana Hills. The word “Dekinda” has come from “Kandu Deka = Dekanda” in Sinhala. Don’t get confused with the Dekinda Sub Station close to Galboda.

According to Thilak Senasinghe’s article, Dekinda Bund is 540ft in length, 18ft in width and 90ft in height. They had used, according to historical data, 220,000 cubic feet of earth and gravel to build this. The Dekinda Viaduct is a grand architectural achievement but one needs to get down to the base of it to see the mega size of it. It’s believed that a 40-feet container can easily go through this viaduct with no problem due to the massive size of it.

The wind got stronger all of a sudden bringing a sudden shower that lasted about 5mins and we managed to shelter by the railway line till it passed. With no clue to check the Dekinda Viaduct we carried on towards Ihala Kotte when we came across an ice cream vendor coming along the railway line with the typical horn they use. Well, this was another first for me, the postman and now the ice cream man. We bought two cones and gosh, they tasted heavenly. I managed to peep inside his regifoam box and take a pic of the various kinds available. Alagalla was looking at us smiling at the way we savored the ice cream and when I offered her a bite, she politely refused.

Another 500m or so brought us to a kind of bridge and looking closely there was this huge arch under it and Tony suspected this to be the Alagalla Viaduct or Anji Pahe Bokkuwa. We were however not quite sure whether it was this or the Dekinda Viaduct. However, all the signs suggested this to be the Alagalla Viaduct, especially the 59 1/2th mile post and we took a few pics and underneath we saw the Hakoluwawa Oya, which I guess creates the Dekinda Falls which is found along Ihala Kotte-Poththapitiya Path. The arch was not as huge as the one we found at 9-arch Bridge but still big enough.

We reached Ihala Kotte Station when an S12 reached and waited for the station master’s ritual of handing over the tablet. He was a very friendly person and came and spoke to us. When we told him about our rail hikes, he was very impressed and told us that he’s got a pic of the Alagalla Viaduct that he got from a friend of his stashed away somewhere. After our pleas, he went in search of it and found it among many of his documents and when we saw that, “oh my gosh, how on earth did you get this?” was all we both could manage.

It was a photocopy of the original pic and we could clearly see all 5 arches and most surprising was it had taken while the Viaduct was being built between Alagalla and Kehelwarawa Mountains. The pic, as being a photocopy, was not the best of the quality but the details were all there for us to see. We could see the slab framework they had built to help do the final stages of the arches and could even make out one or two workers on top of them. It was a priceless pic and I’d never seen or even heard of one available of Alagalla Viaduct that clearly shows all 5 arches. We were extremely lucky and it was all thanks to the Station Master, Mr. Wijesiri who was very generous and friendly. This is why we need to keep communicating with people like these as their knowledge is vast and priceless. Apparently the other 4 arches of the viaduct has been closed with earth and in case the water levels increased alarmingly those closed arches will be opened by the rising water levels not damaging the viaduct or the railway line. Some ingenious technique that was.

He also told us about the 9A and then the 5A tunnels where the engineers got it wrong at first and then had to resort to drill tunnels. Most important of all, there was the cave of Sangaraja Sri Saranankara Thero’s where he hid from the English while being looked after by the villagers secretly. Our attempt to take the Potthapitiya Path in front of the Ihala Kotte Station and see the Dekinda Ella had to be aborted due to the lack of water. Many villagers said that there’s very little water in the stream so we decided to leave it out and it turned out to be a wise decision as it was around 6.30pm when we reached Rambukkana. Had we visited the falls, we’d never have made it in time to Rambukkana.

If it wasn’t for the railway line, this would remind me of a bus stop

The Dekinda Viaduct should be close

Just this bit but no sign of the viaduct

Endless view

Our ice cream uncle

“How about one dear?”

Paddy fields below

Anji Pahe Bokkuwa

Uthuwankanda in the distance

Hakoluwawa Oya under the viaduct

Over the viaduct

Bathalegala was with us all the time

Ihala Kotte

Is this the old station?

Sour Goraka

On our short walk towards Poththapitiya hoping to see Dekinda Ella but had to give it up

Here we are

Change of battons, rather tablets

Nicely drawn pic at the station

Mr. Wijesiri and Tony

Priceless pic, don’t think this is available anywhere else

Thorny

Time to go

Sangaraja Cave / Meeyangolla Tunnel / Alagalla Path from Gangoda

We had a snack from the nearby shop behind the station and went in search of the Sangaraja Cave which about 300m towards Rambukkana. The land mark is the 59^th mile post and the cave is obscured by the overgrown bushes and the huge rock boulder bordering the railway line to your right when coming down from Ihala Kotte. With some guidance from passing villagers, we went through the bushes and into the cave. It was a fairly large cave with a two well for water and two creaks on the roof that acts like a sky light. It is said that the Monk was self-sufficient except for food as he had the natural light and ample water to live.

Passing that another couple of hundred meters was the moment of truth where the Tunnel No. 5A was located. It’s also known as Meeyangolla Tunnel due to the location is at the base of Meeyangolla Mountain. Unlike at 9A, the original path of the railway line is clearly visible and you can even walk along that to avoid having to walk through the second longest tunnel in SL. The rock on the original track was chipped at making it easy for the train to go through but we noticed at 3 places, there had been large waterfalls coming directly onto the track. What the engineers had done was, to block the water stream from the top of the mountain and diverting the water elsewhere trying to minimize the amount of water hitting the railway line.

Their efforts had been fruitless as, especially on rainy days, the water kept coming in large quantities endangering the trains. The waterfall that used to be here is called the “Meeyan Ella” but the ignorance of then engineers had killed her mercilessly without even yielding dividends. This reminds me of Upper Kotmale Project where they killed St. Claire and damaged many other waterfalls trying to build a hydro power plant. Not only that, there are hundreds of other mini hydro power plants being built at an unprecedented rate killing many waterfalls especially in Ratnapura and Kegalle districts.

We saw the poles where they used to hang cables still on the old path to the left of the tunnel mouth. On the way we saw the 3 places where they had carved deep into the rock to prevent water falling onto the track. As per the station master’s tip, we kept looking at a tunnel dug on one of these spots where they had removed the rocks broken while digging the tunnel. It has kinda acted as a gate for the pieces of rocks to be removed easily without having to take them all the way back to the mouth of the tunnel saving a long journey.

We did a short documentary too and you’ll hear Tony talking animatedly and angrily over the loss of this gigantic Meeyan Ella. She’d definitely have been one of the highest in Sri Lanka if she was still alive. So we lost the railway track and the gorgeous Meeyan Ella too. We got back to the tunnel entrance and went in searching for big enough man holes to wait if a train appears as the tunnel was so long. About 100m into the tunnel, we felt the rumbling of the sleepers and knew the imminent arrival of a train was due. We found a large man hole and braced ourselves to wait while Tony was acting like an excited kid coz his wish to stay inside a tunnel when a train comes was about to come true. As the train appeared at the entrance of the tunnel, I pointed and took a pic and waited for it to pass us. Gosh, it was both exhilarating and frightening but we were not in any kind of danger as these man holes are there exactly for that purpose, especially inside longer tunnels.

Tony was overjoyed saying that one of his dreams came true but for it was a mixed bag but looking back, it certainly was one helluva experience. However, you gotta be very careful and find a big enough manhole to bunk down. Thanks to our torches we managed to get across without further incident and emerged back into the daylight.

We were on the lookout for another tip given by the station master as he said it’s possible to either climb up or down from Gangoda, about 2.5km from Ihala Kotte. We met a few boys loitering around and talking to them got the confirmation of this claim. The Alagalla Mountain range was to our right and it must be more than half a km in length while the peak is closer to Poththapitiya area you can walk along the top towards the other end of the range which leads to Gangoda. We saw a structure on the top and the boys claimed a temple is being built on the top. We could even see steps going uphill about midway to the rock and thereafter you have to follow the path through trees and bushes and bordering the rock.

This reminded me of My Lakegala Journey but those boys said it was easy to climb from Poththapitiya. One little fella claimed very proudly that he’d climbed this 6 times. This is one of the dream hikes of mine and hope to finish it ASAP weather permitting. According to them, the climb from Gangoda is too steep and hard compared to Poththapitiya but free of leeches. The Poththapitiya trail is relatively easy but leeches are there, especially in large numbers during the rainy season.

Sangaraja Cave, note the 59th mile post

This is all you can see from the railway line, have to take the path to the left of this

View of the entrance, a difficult move

Inside is low ceilinged at places

Fresh water available right inside

Natural light too

From the inside

The tragic tunnel where the Meeyan Falls met her death

To the left is the original track and you can easily walk on unlike the 9A

View from the path

Signs are still visible

Improvised bridge

One of the 3 places like this we came across

Looking down, the falls would’ve been so tall

Zoomed in

Chipped rocky path

Note the hole on the wall

This is what used to remove broken rocky pieces

Hi sweety!

Just entered the second largest tunnel in SL when we heard the train

Here comes the devil

The light in the dark

Out the other side and Tony is pointing at the original path

Alagalla range seen from Gangoda. To the extreme left they’re building a temple, the footpath with steps can be barely seen above the coconut tree.

W3 – German built

Away she goes

The boys we met

Gangoda

The pond at the station

One of my favorite colors

Kudira Bridge / Tunnel 5 / Kebellawatte Viaduct / Tunnel 4 / Tunnel 3 / Tunnel 2

Passing Gangoda, we came across an overhead bridge similar to the one we found between Great Western and Watagoda (Rail Hike Stage 04) which was called Kudira Bridge (remember the one close to Sensation Rock). Of course there was no record of this anywhere I could find but I assume this must have been a similar crossing for the English people to cross the railway line on their horses. Passing that we reached the Tunnel 5 and passed it without any incident.

While we were reaching Yatiwaldena Sub Station, a Dutch Locomotive passed us towards Colombo. These M9 built by Alstom of Netherland are not suitable for SL operation due to the high cost of maintenance and spare parts. Another blunder of the greedy and corrupt politicians that sent our tax money down the drain. Passing the Sub Station and the temple we reached another significant landmark found on the railway line passing Kadigamuwa.

This is where the Mawanella-Rambukkana main road goes underneath the railway line and it’s called the Kebellwatte Bokkuwa (Viaduct). We saw a Leyland bus was struggling to cross it as its overhead railing posed a huge problem but the driver managed to drive through safely. Afterwards it was only the Tunnel 4, 3 and 2 which were remaining and we got through them easily but the hike was taking its toll on us as we were so exhausted but had no choice but to go up to Rambukkana. Closer to Rambukkana, there was a roar of a train out of nowhere and we just in time jumped to the side to see only an engine coming really fast downhill. It was a close call so be ready for these kinds of unscheduled locomotives.

Finally after a long and tiring walk, we reached Rambukkana around 6.30pm, exhausted beyond words but thrilled all the same. It was a grand journey, the best of my rail hikes so far and Tony’s extensive knowledge helped me learn a lot of new things and we really had a very good time.

The Kudira bridge we could see similar to the one at Watagoda

Wider than that

The old man pushing on

Ooops!

At the entrance of the Tunnel 5

Neck-less ghost

Out we came

M9 – French, built by Alstom

Another sub station

Yatiwaldena Temple

Approaching the Kadigamuwa

Layered plants

Another yet to be fully blossomed

Looking back at Alagalla with grey clouds above

Mother’s Love

S12 – Chinese, built by CSR

Going towards Rambukkana

Kebellawatte viaduct, the bus found it a bit difficult to cross

All kinds of vehicles crossing along Rambukkana-Mawanella road

Tunnel 4

In we go

Tony, the lone man

Another M6 but a different color coding

Being swallowed by the tunnel 4

“Is it far now?”

Just at Tunnel 3

Tiny one

Tony watching the blue whale appears

In she goes to tunnel 2

Roaming monkeys

Going home

Unexpected devil nearly overran us

Setting sun

Paddyfields of Rambukkana

Temple at Rambukkana

Lord Buddha is blessing us

Another M6 rushing towards Rambukkana

Hurraaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh! Finally, in the background is the wreckage of the major accident at Rambukkana in Jan 2002

Very old engine resting at Rambukkana

Built in 1867, gosh, 147 years ago and 3 years after the railway introduced in SL

Enjoy the Panos too.

Pano 1

Pano 2

As usual, after our breakfast at 9.00am, we had no lunch and our next meal was, apart from the couple of buns we had at Ihala Kotte, at 645pm in Rambukkana. Thankfully, neither of us suffers from gastritis and we didn’t even feel that we were hungry.

The return journey to Fort from Rambukkana was a roller-coaster ride. The M6 coming from Badulla went like a tracer bullet from the word ‘go’ and made it to Colombo Fort in 1h and 35mins. I’ve never seen the M6 goes that fast and highly doubt even the new S12 makes the distance in that time. 85km and 8 stops in between yet this girl ran like the wind.

So that’s it for now folks and I hope you enjoyed reading this and learned something too.

Take care and enjoy your travels.

Sri…

It is open for debate what you call this area and I read an interesting discussion on this Forum too. But I simply think that its “Deenston” in Knuckles – South; its “Riverston” in Knuckles – North.

We haven’t been to this heavenly area for a long time and one visit long ago was on our way to Wasgamuwa and the other was a day trip when the kids were very young. Since we had only one night to spare, this was the best destination to end the school vacation in style and to recharge our batteries before going in for the third school term.

Trip Highlights:

• Ridi Viharaya
• Bambarakiri Ella
• Riverston Tower
• Pitawal Pathana
• Mini Worlds End
• Thelgamu Oya
• Sera Ella

We left home around 3.30am; took the Expressway up to Katunayake and proceed along Divulapitiya, Narammala to Kurunegala in the dark and at Ibbagamuwa turned right taking the road to Matale. There was some road construction going on but since it was very early in the day we were not much affected. We decided to take a de-tour to the Ridi Viharaya as we were ahead of our schedule. It was just 4kms away and we were the first to visit the temple that day at 6am!

Ridi Viharaya is a cave temple belonging to the Pollonnaru Period and the shrine room is adorned with beautiful murals – some of it pealing off. But the ancient temple is very well maintained and even at that early hour there was a young monk at the entrance to the main shrine room and asked us not to take photographs inside, to which we obliged.

Shrine Room

“Varaka Valnadu Viharaya”

This is a unique structure – more like a Hindu Kovil – and it is only about 6ft in height. There is a small image house inside and the walls are adorned by ancient murals.

History – Click Image to Enlarge

Ancient murals and shrine room inside “Varaka Valandu Viharaya”

Ancient murals and shrine room inside “Varaka Valandu Viharaya”

“At Varaka Valandu Viharaya”

Having spent nearly 45minutes at Ridi Viharaya (including time spent on b’fast) we proceeded towards Matale and joined A9 at Palapathwela and again turned left at Mandanwala towards Rattota, Riverston. We passed the famous Alu Viharaya before the turn-off towards Rattota but did not stop as we have already worshipped one ancient temple.

Our next attraction was “Bambarakiri Ella” just 4kms from Rattota town. The turn-off is easy to spot as it at a sharp bend and there is a name board too. It is an easy walk of just 100ms from there to the waterfall/s.

The turn-off to Bambarakiri Ella

Clear signs of drought!

Poor-looking Maha Bambarakiri Ella

Scary-looking suspension bridge

The waterfall looked very poor and we did not attempt to cross the scary-looking suspension bridge to see “Kuda Bamabarakiri” on the other side assuming that she too would not have anything much to offer.  Only my son wanted the challenge and crossed the bridge. What we heard from a villager is that the December, 2012 floods in Matale washed off the bridge leaving only the supporting cables!

The suspension bridge

Scenery on the way

After a very scenic drive of over 20kms we reached the turn-off to the Riverston VHF Tower around 10am. It was so windy that we found it difficult even to get off from our vehicles. It was gloomy and the rain clouds were gathering but we decided to take up the 2km hike to the tower.

WINDY!i

We thoroughly enjoyed the walk up to the tower in the gloomy weather. It resembled the drive up to Piduruthalagala. The vegetation and the climate were the same. The only difference was this time we were walking towards the peak instead of driving. One minute the tower was visible and the next minute it was not. We have never experienced what we faced at the “windy bend”. The little ones were virtually blown away and we had to hold them tight to keep them on the ground. It was a novel experience that we all enjoyed.

Windy Bend

Misty

The giant is visible at last

End of road – entrance to tower

It is only 4km from the Tower to our resting place – “Green Nest Holiday Bungalow”. You have to turn left just before the 31st km post and as you turn the bungalow is visible hidden behind some trees. It is a cosy place consisting of two units, each comprising two bedrooms with attached bathrooms and a sitting/dining area. There is a separate outdoor sitting area for each floor too. The kitchen/store/ quarters are away from the main building. There is a large garden and best feature is the breathtaking view of 360.

Green Nest is hidden behind the green

View from the bungalow

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Having unloaded our stuff and given instructions to the cook to prepare our lunch, we left  for a river bath at Thelgamuoya just 5km away. There wasn’t much water near the bridge so we walked upstream towards Forest Department Site and had a refreshing dip in the cool water. Kids had a lovely time in the shallow pools and we were too busy enjoying the river bath that none of us thought of taking some pics. So not a single  pic of Thelgamuoya!

We returned to the bungalow as hungry as wolves. Meals are served in the indoor dining area but we insisted on having an outdoor lunch to enjoy the breathtaking view. They arranged lunch in the “pilla” like area facing the mountains.

Outdoor lunch

Outdoor lunch

After a filling meal it was time for an afternoon nap as we all woke up at 3am that morning. While we were taking a nap we heard the kids playing and running around the garden enjoying the freedom. We got up at 5, had a warm cup of coffee and headed towards the pathana which is just 1km away. Having bought the tickets – Rs.28 each – we walked towards the Mini-Words End and we were instructed not to stay long as they do not allow visitors after 5.30pm. The dried up pathana looked deserted and we walked in the fading sun along the marked footpath to the Mini-Word’s End.

The dried out pathana

Mini-worlds’ End

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The Drop

The Drop

It was getting dark when we returned to the tickets counter and there we met Mr.Lokubanda, a forest officer and a native of the Pitavala village. He was getting ready for his night shift at the office. He told us about the “Red Bana Project”, the creation and the abandon of “Pathanagama” village and stories related to long ago cardamom cultivation in the area. It was interesting listening to his stories and finally we returned to the Bungalow around 7pm.

Pathana at dusk

The Bungalow is powered by a generator and there are a few solar panels too – but they are not very effective. Another party had arrived in our absence and they occupied downstairs while we were upstairs. The cook had prepared our dinner early so there was no “clash of interests” although two parties were there.

Earlier we were told that elephants roam the valley during this season. They had spotted them even the other day too – early morning and late evening. “Green Nest” FB page has many photos of elephants and I presumed them to be Wasgamu jumbos. But latter I realized the photos have been taken from the bungalow balcony. So we were busy flashing our torch lights into the night to spot even one of them, but luck was not in our way, all we saw was some wild rabbits!

We had an early dinner and went to bed as we were very tired after a long day. The generator power is switched off by 10pm and there is very dim solar power thereafter. It rained in the night and the wind was most disturbing. It roared like the “windy bend” and I was glad the bungalow was a concrete structure – it had a slab on top – no roofing material used.

First sun rays – from the balcony

Outdoor sitting area after the overnight rain

We had a filling breakfast of kiribath and left the bungalow around 8am. Our destination was Sera Ella about 16km away. It was a fascinating ride enjoying the cool breeze and the changing landscape. We passed the pathana gleaming in the morning sunlight and drove towards Illukkumbura.

Morning scenery

After about 4km we reached this junction at Illukkumbura and turned left taking the road to Sera Ella via Puwakpitiya. The right turn takes you Wasgamuwa 40km away passing Thelgamuoya at 1.5kms. The board says its 9.5km to Sera Ella but we dared what the road condition would be

The junction giving clear directions

The road was carpeted for the first 3kms and gradually it became a tarred road, washed away at times; concreted at times; gravel at times – but was never impossible by an ordinary car. Sometimes seeing an eroded section we feared worse but soon the condition improved and we were back on a tarred road in no time.  There were a few houses at the beginning but thereafter we were travelling in the middle of a thick forest. There were fresh elephant dung along the road and many “humbus” on either side.  After driving for about 7km we reached this junction where the road divides to Puwakpitiya and Poththotawela. The concreted road going down takes one to Puwakpitiya and the tarred road going uphill takes one to Pothtotawela passing Sera Ella. We took the road towards Pothtotawela.

The last junction

The area had not seen rain for months and we passed many abandoned paddy fields and the water ways were too running dry. There were bare lamp posts along the road with no wires running between them. An old villager to whom we gave a lift said they have been erected about three years ago but the poor villagers are yet to see electricity!

Arid landscape

Dried up waterways

Finally after a hard drive of over one hour we reached the turn-off to Sera Ella. There is no sign board nor a house nearby to ask directions. The only land mark is the footpath going downhill with the supporting bar shown in the picture.

Turnoff to Sera Ella

The nearly 300m path leading to the fall is paved and shady and one can enjoy the walk. There are steps all the way and at the end the path divides – one leading to the cave and the other leading to the observation deck.

The Shady path

The Shady path

The path was not difficult as the supporting bar was there all the way. The latter part of the path ran along a drip cave and passing it the path divided – the left leading to the observation deck and the right to the unique feature of this waterfall – the cave behind the fall.  This was the main reason we chose to visit Sera Ella though it is almost 18kms away from Riverston. We could have easily visited Raththinda Ella and Wadda Pani Ella at Pitawala just a few kms away, but we wanted to see Sera Ella to experience the unique cave. We have seen many pictures and watched a number of videos of her in full flow and were thoroughly disappointed with what we saw.

This is all she had to offer…

Steps leading to the cave

Steps going down to the deck

The cave without water curtain

Although Sera Ella had been reduced to a thin trickle, we enjoyed the surroundings a lot.  Kids walked up to the cave though there was no water curtain as expected. We walked downstream observing the rock patterns made by gushing waters throughout centuries. What a sight it would be during the rainy season!

Water trickling down the rocks

We came prepared for a river bath but sadly there was not enough water and we did not want to take a risk as the place was deserted. So after spending almost one hour enjoying the surroundings, we climbed up promising ourselves to come and see her when she is in full flow.

After a tiring journey we needed a river bath to freshen ourselves. So we came back to Illukkumbura and headed towards Thelgamuoya – where we had a safe bath the other day. The place was crowded but walking upstream we found a nice spot to enjoy ourselves.

We came back to the Bungalow around 2pm, had our lunch and left for Colombo around 3pm. We bid good-bye to Riverston enjoying the breathtaking scenery once again and promising ourselves to be back after the rainy season.

Thanks for Reading

Wilshire is the mountain stands behind famous Aluwihare temple in Matale. It is also called Aluwihare Kanda (අලුවිහාරේ කන්ද) and Etigala (ඇටිගල). This mountain is nicely popped up at Asgiriya side (not in Matale town side) as a peak. Then it’s two peaks are prominent in that side.

Ashan has climbed Wilshire one year ago from Asgiriya side and he has faced a great obstacle-Bamboo. Map reading tells me it can be easily climbed from other side-Matale town side.

Map reading always helped us. Matale town is shown by black circle. Then follow the pathway (mortable road) in red arrows. Latter part goes through a tea estate according to the map. But we didn’t come across such area. Most probably it is covered with Pines now. Black line shows approximate path towards the peak. Black star might be the peak. – Click Map to Enlarge

It was difficult to climb up along Pines forest due to few reasons:

1. No proper foot pathway.
2. Undergrowth was there sometimes above my height.
3. Thorny bushes.
4. Slippery ground over Pines leaves after rain. On top of all that Leech attacks.

Starting the journey

Road becomes bad

It is part of their life

Nearby peak of Wilshire range

Traces

Wild beauties

Mist coming down

Crowded Matale town

Pines everywhere

Pines tree resins is a good source of Turpentine.

Small Kovil was there

End of the road. We followed foot pathway in arrow-A and came back. Pathway to peak is shown by arrow B.

Water source we found at the junction. This is the last water source

Hard to have sunlight here

Wild Lily

Abounded house. Started actual hike in front of this

Wondering where to go

Helping hand. Note Pines leaves make slippery floor

Zoomed

Indranatha making a path

Filtering sun rays

Misty cover

After 2hour climb we reached to a mana plane where we had a nice surrounding view. Main peak of Wilshire was seen in right hand side and neighborhood mighty Etipola with his brother Brandy rock were standing in front of us. View of distance peaks were not clear due to misty weather. According to Ashan’s report he also has arrived here and we could trace his pathway.

Last part of the journey was the most difficult as pathway was covered with Bamboo bushes. Therefore we had to clear the pathway and it took about 30-45minutes to reach the top though the distance was about 300m.

Highest peak of Wilshire is covered with bushes but provides nice panoramic view. We were unfortunate to enjoy it because of misty weather. Second peak was clearly visible to highest peak. It had a Mana top but we didn’t try to reach there.

We made our return way in 45minutes as dusk was coming. It was time 5.30pm when we reached the abounded house at bottom of Pines estate.

At the end entered to a clear area

View of two peaks at Mana plane

Highest peak. Note all the way Bamboo bushes

Creeping through Mana bushes

Mana is better than Bamboo

Better view of two peaks

Bamboo can be handled in two ways: you can cut bamboo and make your way or crawling beneath Bamboo bushes

Brandy rock and faint view of Etipola

Matale town back

Few meters to the peak……

View of second peak from highest peak. In between Bamboo

Where we came: Blue star shows the Mana area we had a rest. Blue arrow shows our way through Pines patch. Red arrow shows Ashan’s pathway. (Most probably). Then black arrow shows the way towards the peak.

Group photo taken at Mana patch.

Back to Pines area

Thanks for reading. Have a nice hike.

Hike to “Hidden from outside” Yaka Bedhi Falls & Beautiful “Diganna” Falls

It was a Saturday…. I checked with locals on weather update& it was raining…..But luck was with my side as it turned out to be a RARE dry September day at Atweltota.

I reached Morapitiya @ 7 in the morning and met my guide and went to his home in Morapitiya on his bike. After heavy breakfast we set off at 8am and reached the “Maha” Ella within half an hour….. It turned out be, as corrected by Ashan ayya, Sudu Kande “Maha” Ella……

Below are some pics of Maha Ella with less water compared to my previous visit.

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From there onwards path is just going upstream. But difficultly was with wet rocks. The 1st landmark on the way was Kapu/Palunu-Wala. It’s a rock which was divided into two pieces.

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Few snaps of fresh water prawns…

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Further upstream we met with another beautiful unnamed waterfall which I proudly named after me……Malith Falls……

.	Upper section…..

On the way upstream we always followed the main stream and met 2 places with evidence of “wadi” built by Walla patta hunters.

After further two and half hours of hiking we reached the Yaka Beddhi Falls which was hidden from outer world for soo long…..
It had 3 main sections with middle and upper section was covered by a hugh rock in the middle depriving full view of the fall.

Only the lower section visible…. Middle and upper section is covered by the rock…….

Right Lower section zoomed….

Left middle and upper sections…..

Upper section….

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Complete hike to Yaka Bedhi fall stood at 5 hours for me, starting from Maha Ella…… For more competent hiker it will probably set at 4hours…. But can do it leisurely in 6-7 hours and if spending a night along the way….there are few good places on the river bank permitting the weather is good…..

We had some time left in the day which I went to see the Diganna fall at Atweltota….Unfortunately I had the same dreadful experience of going upstream again with more water than the previous visit of Sri& Hari…. To spice up things…there said be another fall on top of this fall as well as rock formation like “uluwassa” with water dripping…..may be for my next visit.
Add code

.	Left section…..

Side view…..

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Thanks for reading……

Working as a government officer was never in my dreams. But my destiny has put me in to this position. From June 2013 I was busy with my work and I missed lots of opportunities to travel with my Lakdasun friends as we don’t get fixed off days in weekends. Irrespective of weekends, Poya days or other public holidays we had to work in to a roster. But there were some advantages too. Because of our duty we all have to travel all corners of the country so as to work in all approved ports in Sri Lanka ( Sea Ports and air ports ). Not like BIA all the other ports, we got a chance to enjoy beauty of Mother Nature while doing duty.

So end of March this year we got a chance to work at Trincolmalee Harbour . And in the leisure time we got a chance to visit few attractions in the area. Since there are many reports about Trinco I’ll let the pictures to talk.

We traveled in traditional transport method of a government servant. TRAIN

On the way

Paddy fields and mountains

The trio……..not in the official dress

Our Resting Bungalow…….Famous for Ghosts ………Sea is behind. Gave us the opportunity to purchase fresh fish at very low rate

First day evening using our contacts we went to a beautiful and calm place owned by SL Navy

Calm beach….closer to Fort

We were bathing

Next day we went for duties. Few more days we had to go for several other places for duties which are not mentioned in this report.

This is the entrance Tokyo Cement Jetty from where we board to a ship

SOFIA……….The Cement ship. See the small boat at right bottom which came and took us to the ship

When we have a free time we managed to visit attractions which are described below. All the Nine days went on like that way ……..Duty + Beauty

Nilaveli Beach &Pigeon Island

A Kovil Seen on the way

Nilaveli Beach Since it was so crowded we went towards Pigeon island

We three and our hired Boat ( Rs. 2000/-) If you by goggles and other diving equipments you have to pay more…….Also you have to buy tickets from DWC counter which is located in the Nilaveli Beach. It cost Rs. 650/- for three of us

Happy travel

Small Islands

Reaching the destination

Clear beaches

Sign Board

Sight we did Snorkeling ( It was a life time experience. I felt like entering a different world….Sorry I couldn’t capture pics of same but mind you these diving equipments are not that sophisticated…..So if you can’t swim don’t go so far.

Pls check this report for nice pics and details – Snorkeling at Pigeon Island, Trincomalee

Me with the kit

Some hiking is available. But we didn’t attempt it because of the unbearable heat

The other side where Sharks ( Harmless ) roam

Crystal clear

Coming back

Back to Nilaveli Beach

Koneshwaram Kovil

Popular creatures

It was in the evening

Path

Entrance

The Historical Ravana Cut

Description ( Debatable but interesting )…….Click image to enlarge

The Holly GOD ………MAHA SIVA and His Loyal Servant

Daily Poojawa

Singing tribute to God

I can only forward the images . The sound was unbelievable and charming. I was fascinated.

King Ravana’s Statue

Lord Vishnu and his VIMANA

This was heart touching. This lady was telling her all worries to him. May be he’s conveying the message to GOD. Wish I could do the same.

The drop

.	King Ravana Again

God Family

TRINCO BEACH( Where we spend the most of the evenings )

This place was soo calm than Nilaveli ( In that time ) We did jogging in the morning and bathe in the evening…..

So silent ………………

Kanniya Hot water Wells….

Gate was closed when we arrived

Notice – Click Image to Enlarge

Entering

Temple nearby

Saptha Kanniya

Trying all seven giving you a marvelous experience

Hot water bubbles

Welgam Wehera

Newly buildings

Click image to enlarge

Entering the archeology site

Ruins of Dageba

Buddha Statue

Beheth Oruwa

Scenic and well maintained

So many people were killed by LTTE in this area. But Monk refused to leave the premises. A Motar was stuck between two branches of Bo Tree preventing a another disaster – Click Image to Enlarge

Marble Beach

Entrance

Very calm place

Accommodations

Beach

Here the space for bathing is very limited

Sea was little rough

Our team

Passing the Kinniya Bridge

End of the day

We returned home by train on 03/03/2014 early morning with our beautiful memories

Thanks for reading

The map – click to enlarge

The first time I saw this majestic twin peak range was in 2009 and soon after seen it I attempted twice and ended up with failures. I have never failed twice but as one says failures show you the path to success. Let me start with a statement I did many years back “”***I will attempt to finish what i started, Imagination can take you to extremes sometimes   ”” (check the last sentence). After five years of thriving the day I looked forward came. Gommolli has two peaks one been Gommolli peak (2034m) and the other was Balathoduwa (2012m). Out of these two Balathoduwa peak is the one with a clear summit and a superb view. If you wonder why this range is so important it’s because it’s the opposite range of Worlds end and we wanted to see worlds end from a different perspective.

On the previous day we three arrived at Bambarakanda resort which is managed by Mrs. Sera Mayakaduwa and planned our journey with Ranjith. Though Ranjith wanted to climb from the pines plot close to Bambarakanda, we wanted to take the shortest route. So as both of my previous visits this time also we decided to climb from Brampton estate side. Next day at 6am after packing our breakfast we got in to the hired trishaw and took off towards Brampton division. After reaching the end of the tea estate we started climbing through the burnt out mana patch and within 40 minutes we reached the summit of Wangedi kanda. The burnt out range was a sad sight but the surrounding scenery as always was mesmerizing.

Gommolli range (on left Balathoduwa and on right Gommolli peak)

view from worlds end

dawn at brampton estate

towards wellawaya

here we go

beautiful samanala lake

the view was getting better

our destination

st Catherine point as seen from wangedi range

on wangedi kanda

Yahalatenna and west haputale

valley of walawe

beautiful bambarakanda

the drop at papulugala

pano towards gommolliya

he is a survivor

HDR

Udawalawe reservoir

Entering the forest

We went in to the forest and soon after entering it we were greeted by bamboo bushes. From here onwards it was along the range without descending to any side. First rest point was a small pines plot where we had “Club roti” as breakfast. After having lunch we entered the dense bamboo forest and went along the ridge. This bamboo wasn’t difficult to tackle at all. You only need to move the bushes with your hands and proceed. We came across an on and off foot path but one should never rely on it. After a small descend along the range we came to the base of Gommolliya. After climbing up through a steep neck we reached the Gommolli (proper) range. We came across the foot path which university students take from Adara kanda. Proceeding along the path uphill brought us towards a clear area where the Balathoduwa peak could be easily seen. We were very happy to see the peak and within no time we accelerated towards it.

through the endless bushes

what a view

breakfast time at the pines plot

life

endless bamboo after the pines patch

having a break

evidence of human activity

UFO mushroom

the ascend

just before the open area

ah the beauty

out of the forest

Dynamic scenery

few more minutes

on the edge

finally the summit of Balathoduwa

The joy that came in to my soul cannot be explained in words. Finally we achieved it. We sat on top of a rock and just admired the scenery for few minutes before wondering around the range. This seems to be a triangulation point for surveyors and the pit found on the summit plus the marks used by survey department found on the way were good evidence of it. From this heavenly location one could easily locate Worlds end and its visitors, Horton plains, Udaveriya, Yahalatenna, Bambarakanda side, Haldummulla, Haputhale, Idalgasinna, Wellawaya, Hambegamuwa, Kalthota, Udawalawe reservoir, Samanala wewa reservoir, Halpe, Kalupahana, Wangedi kanda, A4 road, Havagala, Balangoda, Nagrak, Non perial tea estate and many more landmarks.

wow	it should be 2012m

misty haputale

Gommolli peak

nagrak bungalow

on and off mist

a pano

towards bambarakanda

wangedi kanda range (we were there)

more scenery

the drop

hagala seen in the center

havagala close up

nagrak

summit range

udawalawa was seen

kalupahana (marangahawela)

Horton plains

dreamily

couldnt stop clicking

Udaweviya

ever changing

kalthota side

No this is not “Rio”

do you see the people at worlds end ?

building up above the small pines patch we passed

standing tall

macros

our team

what place to have a nap !

some greenery too

After spending a good one hour we decided to get back rather than attempting to reach Gommolli peak, because it was not worth the effort. We reached Wangedikanda along the route we initially took (but got lost for about 5 minutes). Since our final destination was Bambarakanda rest we decided to descend along the pines plot as Ranjith suggested. From Wangedikanda to Wangedi gala it’s usually an easy hike but since the mana was burnt off the walk was a disastrous one. We did have a mini break on Wangedi gala before descending along the burnt pines plot and when we got to the stream close to Kalupahana – Bambarakanda road we were exhausted. Climbing Gommolliya and returning back to Wangedi kanda was not a problem at all but the last descend was simply the worst part. We did have a wash and head towards Bmbarakanda to have a good night sleep following our wonderful achievement. I never regretted abandoning this hike on two previous occasions because those decisions made this hike a success. Determination could do wonders in any field.

getting down

mountain tree tops

wow again

asoka flowers

back to the bamboos

icy cool water we found from a stream

under the shades

Pseudophilautus femoralis

the path

out of the forest

calm down south

Wangedikanda

Gommolli range covered

misty haldummulla

triplets

A4 at halpe

Wangedigala

the hectic descent

lanka ella seen

down we go

swimming in the end stream

Wangediya on the left mole gaha on the right

at last ground zero

Watching the french German match with our new friends

a very good and satisfied night

Thanks for reading!

Dumbara valley is rich in ancient places and surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests-Knuckles and Victoria-Randenigala-Rantambe sanctuary. This beauty was disturbed to some extent four decades ago after building great reservoirs.
Our target of this trip was to visit at important places when we travel from Kandy to Mahiyangana via A26 and coming back along Mahaweli Raja Mawatha (මහවැලි රජ මාවත).
We selected a motor bike as our transport mode. We sent the bike from Pettah to Kandy by train and collected it from Kandy. We were able to visit at following places in our visit for two days.

Day 01

1. Lewalle Gangarama RMV (ලේවැල්ලේ ගoගාරාම විහාරය)
2. Degaldoruwa RMV (දෙගල්දොරුව විහාරය)
3. Galmaduwa Temple (ගල්මඩුව විහාරය)
4. Kundasale (කුණ්ඩසාලේ) archeology site.
5. Bambaragala (බඹරගල) temple and climbing to Bambaragala-view point
6. Victoria dam
7. Bombure monument (බෝමුරේ ස්මාරකය)

Day 02

1. Godamunne (ගොඩමුණ්නේ) ancient Buddha statue
2. Wewathanna (වැවතැන්න) view point.
3. Kewulgama (කෙවුල්ගම) Gal Len Temple
4. Kowilmada-? (කොවිල්මඩ) Center of Sri Lanka
5. Pallepitawala (පල්ලේපිටවල) Ambalama
6. Gurulupotha (ගුරුලුපොත) archeology site
7. Rantambe Dam and reservoir
8. Randenigala Dam and reservoir
9. Keerthi Bandarapura (කීර්ති බණ්ඩාරපුර) ancient dewalaya.

Starting point is shown by yellow star at Kandy. Yellow arrows show the route we went. Approximate places of visited sites are shown by numbers.

Lewalle Gangarama RMV

We turned from Boowelikada (බූ වැලිකඩ) junction to Lewella and visited at this ancient temple. It has a standing Buddha statue, image house with old paintings, Magul Maduwa (මගුල් මඩුව) and stone inscription to see.

This temple was built by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha කීර්ති ශ්‍රී රාජසිoහ රජතුමා (1747 – 1781). The temple is named “Gangarama” due to its location near the great Mahaweli River in Lewella. Gangarama was earlier associated with the educational activities of Welivita Sri Saranankara Thero (වැලිවිට සරණoකර හිමි).

Image house of Gangarama RMV. Standing Buddha statue of 27feet height is inside this. No photographs allowed inside

Entrance of Image house

Moonstone of Kandyan Era

Magul Maduwa

Stone inscription tells the story of temple

Then we continued along the same road and got direction to Degaldoruwa RMV. (Clarify the way from villagers).

Degaldoruwa RMV

Degaldoruwa RMV has an image house with old paintings and seven Buddha statues. Ancient chapter house is under renovation. Ancient Paththini Dewalaya (පත්තිනි දේවාලය) is situated few meters away from main temple.

Degaldoruwa RMV was built by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha (1747-1780) and later completed by his brother King Rajadhi Rajasingha (රාජාධි රාජසිoහ රජතුමා) after king’s death. After the work has been finished temple was handed over to his teacher Moratota Hamuduruwo (මොරතොට හාමුදුරුවෝ). Four painters participated in painting this image house. Out of them called Dewaragampola Silvatannee Unnanse (දෙවරගම්පොල සිලවතැන්නේ උන්නාන්සේ) was the famous. Four Jathaka stories and events of Buddha’s life were painted as continuous story at image house.

Degaldoruwa image house

Makara Thorana (මකර තොරණ)

Moonstone-again shows Kandyan tradition

Story of Degaldoruwa – Click Image to Enlarge

Ancient door

Degaldoruwa paintings.

Buddha statue at Degaldoruwa

Chapter house (පොහොය ගෙය) under renovation

Sacred foot print

Before Buddha Puja

Story of Dewalaya is interesting. Before king built the temple Dewalaya was situated on top of temple rock. As it is not good to have a Dewalaya above the temple, King wanted to shift it somewhere else. He has thrown his ring from top of the rock and decided to build the Dewalaya where ring has been found. So this is the place.

Then we made our way to Galmaduwa temple which is situated nearby.

Galmaduwa Temple.

This is one of the beautiful archeology buildings I have visited. It is in good condition after preservation.

Galmaduwa temple was also built by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha. While on building he was heard of finding of Degaldoruwa cave and it shifted his attention to build that temple. As a result this temple kept unfinished state. Influence of Hindu architecture on temple is seen here.

Galmaduwa Temple

There is a central building surrounded by outer wall made by brick and stone

Central building structure

Door of the temple

We continued our way forward and joined with A26 road at Kundasale town. When we were passing the town noticed a board to Kundasale archeology site in left hand side.

Kundasale archeology site

Nowadays only archeology land is there. It is considered as the place of Kundasale palace. We travelled about 1km from main road to reach there.

Information about the place – Click Image to Enlarge

Only archeological evidence at site

Then we travelled up to Digana town and got right turn to Bambaragala ancient temple which is situated 6km from Digana (දිගන) town.

Bambaragala temple and Bambaragala Rock (681m)

Bambaragala temple is situated at the base of Bambaragala and there are scattered caves (about 60) in this area. There is a foot pathway to top of Bambaragala, where you can have a nice view towards Victoria reservoir. It takes about 45minutes to reach the peak. But we were not able to visit at Indrasala (ඉන්ද්‍රසාල ගුහාව) cave.

Bambaragala temple was built by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha period and surrounding land was gifted to temple by the king. Indrasala cave is an important place where pre historic letters can be seen.

Historical information – Click Image to Enlarge

Towards the temple

Brahami inscription above image house

Paintings of Kandyan era and four Buddha statues within image house

Small pagoda

Directions to other places

One of the caves we met where paintings on it’s ceiling

Paintings

Reaching top of Bambaragala Rock

Bambaragala Peak

View of Victoria reservoir

Part of Victoria dam is seen to Bambaragala Top

After visiting at Bambaragala temple we came back to Diagana town and had our late lunch. Then proceeded up to Moragahamula (මොරගහමුල) junction where we got right turn to reach Victoria dam observation point.

Victoria Reservoir and dam.

There is 8km from Moragahamula junction to Victoria dam observation point. This road goes inside Vitoria-Randenigala-Rantambe sanctuary (VRR) and along the bank of reservoir.

Victoria reservoir was built under Mahaweli project and has catchment area of 1869km2. It’s tunnel is 5.4km long with it’s production capacity of electricity is 210MW. It was built with financial aid of United Kingdom.

Victoria dam is an arch dam which has eight spillways and the tallest dam (122m) in Sri Lanka. Dam gates need power only to close them.

At the edge of Victoria reservoir

Victoria Dam, reservoir and eight spillways.

Eight spillways

Construction information – Click Image to Enlarge

Our next place of visit was Bombure monument where last king of Sri Lanka-Sri Wickrama Rajasingha (ශ්‍රී වික්‍රම රාජසිoහ රජතුමා) was captured by British.

We passed Moragahamula junction and further drove towards Hunnasgiriya (හුන්නස්ගිරිය). At Bombure with a bend there was a gravel road in right hand side. Soon after this road divides into two. Right one is to Bombure Monument and left one is to another good view point called Wewathanna.

Bombure Monument

To reach Bombure monument, you have to go down along the road till road finishes. Then take right hand side foot pathways down along the edge of paddy fields. This foot pathway divides into two and left branch will bring you to Bombure monument.

King Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, his two wives and mother were captured by British troops here at 18th February 1815. This stone pillar was established by British government in 1900. The Siyambala tree (සියඹලා ගහ) found near this was there even they capture the king.

Bombure Monument

What it says

Rainbow over Bombure….

We came back to Theldeniya town to get our accommodation at Theldeniya Guest House. Theldeniya Guest House is situated at bank of Victoria reservoir opposite to Bambaragala. Piduruthalagala range was viewed far away and in a clear day towers on Piduruthalagala can be seen. It is a nice place to stay.

Early morning view of Victoria reservoir from Theldeniya Guest House

Bambaragala and temple at it’s base

Theldeniya Guest House

Day 02

As we had to cover a large area in this day, we started the journey early morning. First place of visit was Godamunne Samadhi Buddha statue.

Godamunne Samadhi Buddha Statue

Soon you pass Theldeniya town Rangala (රoගල) road will come across in left hand side. Godamunne can be reached along that road.

Godamunne Samadhi Buddha Statue. Belongs to Kandyan era.

Wewathanna View point (1215m)

Wewathanna view point can be reached along the same road to Bombure. Soon you get into by road from main road, it will branch into two. Drive up in left hand side pathway. The road condition is terrible after Rajagala (රජගල) line houses and only can be approached by four wheel or bike. We took about 1hour to reach there by bike.

Wewathanna is a good view point of Dumbara valley. Victoria reservoir, Mahaweli River and Piduruthalagala can be viewed from here. There is a lake situated closer to view point. As water source is also there this might be a good camping site.

Junction. Red arrow to Wewathanna. Black arrow to Bombure

Take the road closer to Kovil at Rajagalawatta

Take the road towards Wewathanna line houses

On the way

Wewathanna Lake

Closer to Lake

Peak of Medamahanuwara Kanda (මැද මහනුවර කන්ද)/Rajagala Kandaරජගල කන්ද (1339m)

Wewathanna. Nice place for camping

Surrounding view from Wewathanna

Surrounding view from Wewathanna

Kodibandihena (කොඩිබැදිහේන). Might be another good view point

Wewathanna Line houses

Restarting of Mahaweli River

Victoria Reservoir

Rest for the bike

We had our late breakfast from Hunnasgiriya (හුන්නස්ගිරිය). Next place for visit was Kewulegama Gal Len Temple.

Hunnasgiriya is the highest point of A26 road. Only mortable road to Meemure (මීමුරේ) via Deenstone (ඩීන්ස්ට්න්) also starts from Hunnasgiriya.

Medamahanuwara Mountain.

Medamahanuwara Mountain in left. Nawenagala (නෑවෙනගල) in right