04 November 2009

Akasa Bokkuwa


A Bokkuwa is usually a small bridge. So Akasa Bokkuwa can be translated as ‘small bridge in the sky’.

Akasa Bokkuwa is situated in the village, Athwelthota in the Kaluthara District. If you ever travel along Agalawaththa - Kalawana road, you will come across this interesting bridge situated in a very beautiful surrounding.

It was built in the early 20th century and it is constructed in such a way that the weight of the bridge is held by the arch. This narrow bridge joins two steep hills on either side and it is possibly the highest of this sort of bridges in Sri Lanka. Hence it has got this unique name.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thats so beautiful ! Around how many feet high might it be approx ? I LOVE locations like this...

rainfield61 said...

If you ever get down to the arch and start your adventure, there are certainly many stories to be told.

Janith said...

Well, it's certainly the largest 'bokkuwa' I've ever seen... it so big it qualifies as a proper bridge! lol :D

We passed through the Kalawana-Agalawatta road once, but that was during heavy showers so we didn't see much... but did see a couple of waterfalls by the roadside that only occur during heavy rainfall! hehe :D

Kirigalpoththa said...

Nat,
It is more than 30 feet for sure. I'll show you the view from the top of the bridge in my next post :)

Rainfield,
No doubt about that! This particular area is perfect for an explorer!

Chavie,
Yep I stopped at that place as there was a lady selling 'beli mal watura' by the side of the road. I too realized that it is a 'bokkuwa' and not a bridge, only after her explanation about the place.

You are correct..there are quite a few waterfalls in this area. There are permanent ones as well. There is a small waterfall which can be seen from the bridge and a very beautiful waterfall about 1/2km from this point.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Tabib,
You are welcome and many thanks for dropping by and for your comments :)

Amitha Amarasinghe said...

"Akasa Bokkuwa" I thought that's the name of Prasanna Witharana's next movie :-D Nice shot this one!

Kirigalpoththa said...

Hi Amitha,
:D - yeh..sounds like a good name for a film ..
Infact we can find very good plots/topics for a film in this area. natural beauty as well as adversaries like landslides..
Thanks a lot for your comments!

Jane said...

Nice blog and photo - I'd like to see the view from the top too!

Kcalpesh said...

It's small but built in a nice place! The whole picture really looks gorgeous!

- World Photo Bloggers

George said...

This is a beautiful bridge. I like the setting as well.

Unknown said...

That's a beautiful name for a bridge.
And you got me thinking here for a second when you said 20th century...grin :D

Kirigalpoththa said...

Jane,
Thanks very much for your comments..I just added pictures taken from the top here,

Kcalpesh,
Thanks very much!

Geoge,
Thanks very much for your comments.

NicoleB,
:) Exactly this bridge was built during the 1st world war. So it is close to 100 years old now!
Thanks very much for your comments.