Celebrated Freedom Day on Top of Thoppigala (Baron’s cap)!

Red = summit Green = camp site – Click Map to Enlarge

It was another random weekend coming up and I needed to go somewhere as usual and suddenly out of nowhere the name Thoppigala popped out from one of those deep nerve plexus and incidentally the coming Sunday was 19th May which was the date where the president declared the end of the civil war 4 years back (that is 2009/05/19). It was the ideal occasion to hoist a flag on top of the famous Baron’s cap which was the last stronghold of the rebels in the East. More information on Thoppigala war will be brought up later in this report.
On the 18th of May I took a bus from Monaragala to Potuvil planning to visit few places while reaching my night resting place at Batticaloa to start an early morning climb with my Lakdasun friends on the next day! After getting to Potuvil I had to hire a trishaw to get to the eastern most point of Sri Lanka which was Sangaman kanda and the trishaw guy agreed for a reasonable fair. The road towards Sangaman kanda goes through Komari bridge which is a place worth a photograph and the rest of the ride was through the Komari forest patch which was indeed interesting though we didn’t come across any elephants. Just before reaching the junction at Sangaman kanda with a kovil I came across an archaeology site right by the road. One can easily identify the fleet of steps on the rock leading towards the ancient pagoda on the rock. So it was time for a bit of exploring. I somehow came across two drip ledge caves and few remnants of a building and it seem to be an ancient monastery. The sad story was department of archeology has not put up a black board even to this road side heritage point. Passing the ruins site there is tarred road leading towards the coastal line which we decided to proceed on.

komari paddy fields

beautiful sea side fields

stunning view from komari bridge

drying its feathers

kadala boys were all along the road

ancient steps

towards the pagoda at sangaman kanda

remnants of the pagoda

drip ledge cave at sangaman kanda

more ruins

they were in 100′s

We continued few km’s on it until we reached a 3 way junction where a gravel road branched out with an acute angle to the left. This path is 4WD road until the Sangaman kanda light house and can be managed with caution with a car but there will be some scratch marks left behind. After tackling this part we reached a cabana where we parked and walked 50m to reach the Eastern most point of SL. The said light house is now just a pile of concrete which serves no purpose other than been a landmark. After hanging around a bit we returned back to the Sagaman kanda where I had an argument with the money minded trishaw guys who doubled his first said price saying the road conditions were bad and etc. please do note Potuvil trishaw guys are extremely money minded since they deal with foreigners.

unique way post showing us the directions

Eastern most point in SL

life on sand

indian rollar posing

thinking about the next meal

at sangaman kanda kovil

i bought that siyambala bag

From Sangaman kanda I took a bus to Akkareipattu and it was a pleasure to the eyes to witness the lush green paddy fields of Thirukkovil and Akkareripattu and at the backdrop seeing the mountain ranges of Damana and Ampara area was the icing on the cake. Next stop was Akkareripattu and it was almost close to 4.30pm, so after having a yummy Saruwath I decided to hire a trishaw again to get to Oluvil light house. The sun was starting to say good bye already and the light house was also locked up and no one was around other than the locals enjoying the evening breeze at the beach. After snapping around a bit I asked the trishaw guy to drop me off at a bus halt where I spent about one hour witnessing a superb sun set over the paddy fields. At around 6.30pm I got in to a jammed packed Jaffna – Akkareipattu bus and was lucky enough to get a seat until Batticaloa. Tiredness and hunger made me go no more than 100 feet from where I got off. And the Sunshine fast close to Kallady bridge was like a blessing for me. After having dinner I went in search of a rest house and the police guys directed me towards a budget place close to Kalladi bridge which was indeed my night resting place.

perfect sun set at oluvil

oluvil light house at dusk

lined up

the setting sun

waiting untill the fish sing at Kallady

Next day early morning I decided to walk towards the Kallady beach which was 5 minutes away. But it was very cloudy and I was bit disappointed with since it ruined my sun rise. Finally when the sun decided to rise up a huge evil cloud resembling a devil was covering it (see the pic its really evil looking) somehow the mighty sun tore it a part and lit up the shores of Kallady.

halted after a night of fishing

some of them prefers sleeping on the beach

gloomy but colourful

slow shutter had worked a bit

flames of the horizon trying to win a battle

wow

the straight line

The evil cloud who gulped up the sun

on fire

here she comes

lighting up

ok the battle was won by….

wow	the family who came to witness the sun rise

returning back

well maintained kalladi beach

remnants of tsunami

the famous kalladi bridge with the new one close by

batticaloa ladies on the cycles

with the classical fishing hats

Batticaloa dutch fort

fishing competition below kalladi bridge

After getting back to the main road my friends Kasun, Theshantha & Sheham did come and fetch me up from Batticaloa since neither of those racing Walachchenai buses stopped for me. After passing Chenkalady we reached Kiran where we had to take the road leading towards the western side. The road was motorable though it’s not tarred at some points. We had to inform the road block our intentions and proceed further through a marshy area and next a dry shrub forest. The area seems to have been developed a bit within these 4 years and people were back in their paddy fields doing what they know best! On the way the cap shaped peak started peeping over the tall trees and changed its shape continuously. We went passing the 232 brigade headquarters to reach the Thoppigala visiting center where we were greeted by the army officer who was supposed to show us around. His name was Sumith and was one of those nicest people one can have to show you around. He was humble and very helpful and I really do appreciate his service. We were straight away ready for business and the daunting cap with a sheer drop was our target. From the visitors center we drove about 1 km up to the base of the rock and started climbing along a well paved path.

first view of the target

Barons cap(Thoppigala)

the path

butterfly life

It was around 8.15am and though we thought it would not be that much difficult we were wrong. The initial climb was not so steep but with no time we had to take some pit stops and we were also feeling extremely thirsty with every step we took. Gosh it was not even 9am and the heat was unbearable, the army forces should have been awarded a special award for battling in these difficult conditions for more than a year. The last part was the sheer rock and the army has placed a new ladder to tackle this difficult part. After getting to the top we found some shade and rested for good 10 minutes before we proceeded towards the only tree found on the top of it which was a “Ehela” tree. We were chatting for around 30 minutes under the shade of it because we were too exhausted and couldn’t think of walking around. There is a communication tower and a pagoda build at least 10 years back. Also there was an ancient pagoda in ruins and the bricks fallen around been the only evidence of its past. My only concern was that since the place has been announced as a public attraction, people will be coming by bus loads and jumping around over this pagoda because of lack of awareness. I wish the military does contact the archaeology department and at least put up a fence around it.

the lake where the camp site is

Narakamulla LTTE base

one of those lakes

towards maduru oya side

more to go

the view from the rest point

the lake and the cultivation both in one snap

the steep path

side view

the drop

the past

the finat bit was steep

would you believe me that this beauty was found on top of thoppigala

the ancient pagoda is covered with grass on the summit

the famous comando mark

The army personnel will not allow anyone to disobey and they have put up a fence to limit such behavior. From one side the eastern coastal line can be visualized and on the opposite side it’s all about mountains of Baron’s cap reserve and Omanugala (Maduru oya) reserve. The officer showed us a mountain range where the last main base of the terrorist once stood. It was called Narakamulla and it is said they carried out all of their activities during the final stages of the eastern war from this camp and Thoppigala was the dual purpose base which reinforced the security of the main base. From the top of Thoppigala one can have a 360 degree view and that was an added advantage during the war. They even had heavy artillery installed on top of it and it was a really a difficult task to capture the main base of Narakamulla because of Thoppigala. Even now one could witness the damaged hill top by heavy artillery fire. We also identified Dimbulagala, Welikanda areas, Unnachchiya and many nearby tanks including Thoopigala lake. Once it was a deserted place but now one can witness lush green paddy fields around the base of the mountain. We also didn’t forget to raise the National flag and celebrate the freedom day before descending to get away from been barbequed. While getting down the metal ladder caused some problems because it was heated up. One should keep that in mind to try and avoid long contact with the metal bar and also be extra cautious because you might trip and fall. On the way to the base we also took a small detour to visit one of those caves where the rebels hid and attacked.

a near by lake

the mountain range

towards narakamulla

towards walachchenai

celebrating liberation

even they were feeling the heat

pano towards walachchenai

pano towards narakamulla and maduru oya

it was getting bit misty like

plenty of paddy

this is a nightmare not because of the hight but the heat

scenery while getting down

gravel road through the paddy fields

descending

one of those natural caves used by rebels

jackets let to decay

natural kochchi

After getting to the base all of us had a bath from the wash rooms and had some cool drinks from the canteen to refresh ourselves. The word called “Hacked” will describe our feeling more than any other words I guess. After resting a bit we had a tour around the visiting Centre where we were explained how the war in the east and Thoppigala area was conducted. They do charge 100/= from the whole group for the wash room and parking separately and also there are facilities for camping if someone wishes too. The camp site is near the lake and two army personnel will accompany you. They do charge 500/= per person and basic facilities are been supplied. For more information please contact them

Quote (Sunday Observer)

Thoppigala, also known as Baron’s Cap and Kudumbimalai, is a large rock standing at 350feet (100m) above sea level. The rock is surrounded by thick jungle and rocky terrain. And also have a number of natural caves

Fierce fighting erupted between the LTTE and the SLA at the final forward defense line (FDL) of LTTE, at their Beirut complex in Narakamulla, Thoppigala area between 22–24 June 2007. The FDL was fortified with 6 bunker lines and 3 minor camps. The LTTE did not vacate their positions due to SLA’s heavy barrage of artillery and tank gun fire. Finally, around 50 SLA commandos infiltrated the LTTE bunkers and killed 30 of them. Three LTTE cadres committed suicide. This series of events turned the tide of the battle of Thoppogala against the LTTE.

The fierce battle North of Narakamulla, in the Thoppigala area on 6 July 2007 morning, killed 6 Sri Lankan army personnel including an officer called Colonel Samantha Ranathunga, and injured 7, due to heavy mortar fire by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan military retaliated with artillery and aerial bombardment to control the situation.

After 13 years, the Sri Lankan military captured the final stronghold of LTTE in the East, Thoppigala (Baron’s Cap), on the morning of 11 July 2007, nearly after a year of military action.

the memorial

Thoppigala, Barons cap

heritage centre

demonstrations

an art work

how they fought

explosives used by the terrorist

read – Click Image to Enlarge

arial view

We left Thoppigala with some unforgettable memories and were glad that we had the opportunity to visit such a historically important place. We arrived at Batticaloa to have some lunch from Sunshine fast close to Kallady Bridge; I would like to recommend this place for the passing by travelers because of its tasty food and good service. After filling up our tummy’s we went towards Batticaloa light house and for our disappointment it was closed since April. Next we headed back towards Sangaman kanda via Akkareipattu and it was again a pleasure to the eyes. I was lucky enough to visit the eastern most point of SL on two consecutive days.

Batticaloa delta

plenty of shells

Batticaloa light house

Kattankuddy date trees grown on the main road and some had harvest

mountains of damana and maragalakanda seen far left

a lagoon at thirukkovil

beautiful country side

Sangaman kanda beach

for the second consecutive day i reached sangaman kanda

After arriving at Pottuvil we took the Lahugala route which was always a pleasure to travel because you are guaranteed to meet few jumbos. And guess what we met about five elephants having an evening munch. The dynamic lighting conditions at Lahugala tank produced some stunning scenery which served justice to the phrase “The best is always at the end” . I had to say good bye to my friends and get off at Monaragala to end this lovely expedition. I heard that they did travel 900km+ through 6 provinces and 9 districts within 24 hours. I think I missed that part of the journey

Thanks for reading!

elephants at lahugala

jumbo enjoying some the villus

lahugala country side

the perfect road

dream house

munch and munch

two of the jumbos at lahugala tank

perfect scenery

the road to heaven with few jumbos

close up

the tamed deer at STF camp lahugala