Bulathkohupitiya

This picture was taken close to Bulathkohupitiya on A21 road (Karawanella to Kegalle). This is a beautiful area in Kegalle District belongs to Sabaragamuwa Province.

Back to Southern Province

I recently went to Maragoda, which is about 15 km from Mathara of Southern Province. The closest town is Thelijjavila. This picture was taken after climbing a small hill in a rubber estate.

Sri Pada Mountain

This iconic conical peak is the most sacred mountain in Sri Lanka. It is known by several names like Sri Pada (holy foot print), Siri Pada, Samanala Kanda (Butterfly Mountain) and Adam’s Peak.

The mountain is visited and worshipped by all communities of Sri Lanka as well as foreigners. Buddhists believe that the Lord Buddha once came to the top of this mountain and marked his sacred foot print. Similarly Hindus believe Lord Shiva has set his foot at the same place. Also there is a belief that Adam, the first man on earth set his foot there after he was exiled from the Garden of Eden.

The mountain is about 7300 feet tall and is one of the highest mountains in Sri Lanka. More importantly it has the highest ascend out of all mountains in the country. The climb is around 3000 feet from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

Every year thousands climb to the top to worship the sacred foot print and earn blessings. The Siri pada pilgrimage season starts from December full moon day and ends in April. The off season is usually rainy and it is not the best time to climb the mountain.

The mountain is situated in the western perimeter of the central highlands in the middle of a thick rain forest known as Samanala Adaviya or Adam’s Peak Wilderness Area. It is the principal peak of the Samanala mountain range. The range and the surrounding forest are famous for its rich biodiversity as well as breathtaking natural beauty.

One of the most fascinating sceneries is the sun rise from the top of Sri Pada. Lot of people climb Siri Pada at night to witness this charming cynosure popularly known as, 'Ira Sevaya'.

There are quite a few foot trails leading up to the mountain. Some are quite famous and some are known to villagers and experienced hikers only. I have tried four of the trails and completed three so far. Maliboda trail was tried and failed miserably. The first three mentioned below are the popular ones.

• Rathnapura, Palabaddala Trail – this is the oldest and most celebrated trail to Siripada. This 9km trail consists of the famous waypoints like Lihinihela , Geththampana, Dharmaraja Gala and Seethagangula.
• Hatton, Nallathanni Trail – This is one of the shortest and the easiest trails. Hence the majority of the devotees take this route nowadays. The trail is about 6 km.
• Kuruwita, Erathna Trail – The longest and one of the more difficult trails. The entire length is around 12km. This joins with Ratnapura trail about 2 kilometers before the peak at a place called ‘Heramitipana’. This is the third most famous trail.
• Maliboda Trail – This is one of the more difficult paths. The entire length is around 12km. Starts from Uda-Maliboda village off Deraniyagala and joins Kuruwita route.
• Moraywaththa Trail – The shortest trail to the peak starting from Moray estate, off Maskeliya. It joins Nallathanni path just before Mahagiri dambaya after Indikatupana. The entire trail is around 5km.
• Mukwaththa Trail – This is another not so famous track. The trail is about 7-8 km.

The above picture of Siri Pada Mountain was taken from Moraywaththa trail (at a place called Sandagalathenna). I will bring detailed accounts of the above trails later.

Please visit this site to learn more about Siripada - www.sripada.org

Dawn in a Rainforest

This beautiful scenery was captured in Sinharaja rainforest close to Kudawa village. Witnessing sunrise in a rainforest was an awesome experience.

Milepost Zero

Mileposts are marked to show the distance relative to some point. So what do you call that absolute point?

This unique mile post can be seen on the way to Laxapana along Norton Bridge – Maskeliya Road. I think this is the only mile post no.0 in Sri Lanka. Has anyone seen a similar milepost anywhere in the world?

After some time, I found a similar one from Bucharest, Romania, thanks to Frieda's Blog.

Open Sesame

This strange cave was seen by the side of Dedugala Road. This narrow winding road takes you through some striking sceneries. I thought it looks like a mouth of a giant tortoise!

Vantage Point

Here, I’m looking at the entire northern sector of Sri Lanka from a key-hole. This breathtaking scenery was captured from Maningala of Knuckles Region.

Looks like this is where I should explore next!

Rikilla Ella

Rikilla Ella is a tall waterfall. To my estimation it must be in the range of 250 -300 feet. Although less water in it, the waterfall looks much better during rainy seasons.

This was captured during my visit to Dedugala. It is about 5km from Bulathkohupitiya Town. As I mentioned earlier, there are quite a few waterfalls along this road. The imposing rock and the silver color waterfall is a striking spectacle for all those who travel along this road.

Horizontal Menu Bar

I added a horizontal menu bar!

I must say that, it is after lot of trying.. My sincere thanks goes to Blogger Sentral.

In addition I did a few minor changes also in to the blog design.

Let me know what you think. :)

Especially I would like to know the experience with different browsers.

Thanks!

K

Ahaetulla

Unlike the Green Pit Viper, this emerald colored snake is an innocent and harmless reptile. This particular species is known as Ahaetulla in local language. In fact I got to know from Wikipedia, that this snake’s genus name also the same.

I captured this one during my recent trip to Sinharaja rain forest. Ahaetulla is found in low wetlands of Sri Lanka.

I missed a better chance of getting a good close up of this forest friend, due to my clumsiness.

To learn more about snakes, visit this excellent website about Sri Lankan Reptiles. The authors have taken a very good effort!

Kabaragoi Ella

This waterfall and its surrounding is one of the most enchanting places I have ever visited. The waterfall is simply gorgeous and when its dazzling water blends with the mysterious splendour of surrounding, this place becomes a truly magical place.

Kabaragoi Ella is situated about half a kilometer from Akasa Bokkuwa. Kabaragoya is the local name for water monitor, but I do not know how the falls got its name.

You can see more exciting images of this place here!

Green Pit Viper

This reptile is known as Sri Lankan Pit Viper or Green Pit Viper. (Pala Polanga in Sinhalese)

This colorful snake is found mostly in forest areas of Sri Lanka, both low lands and mountains up to medium heights. It is usually seen resting on foliage of trees, shrubs or creepers. Sometimes it stays in the same place for weeks. Although it is a venomous snake, I have not heard about any fatal bites by this species.

It is good to take a few precautions while hiking in dense forests with thick undergrowth. I have mentioned some simple but very effective methods in one of my previous posts.

I captured this one during my recent trip to Sinharaja rain forest. This is the first time I have come across a green pit viper in all my hikes. I could not move closer to get a macro view for obvious reasons.

Sinharaja

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is one of the last remaining virgin rainforests in the world. Due to its significance, UNESCO has designated this forest reserve as a Biosphere Reserve as well as a World Heritage Site.

This majestic rainforest is situated in the South West of Sri Lanka within Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. There are many entry points to this forest and the closest to Colombo is Kudawa village via Weddagala. The distance to Kudawa is about 125km from Colombo. The other main entry points are Pitadeniya via Deniyaya and Morningside via Sooriyakanda.

This primeval forest is home to many flora and fauna and most are indigenous to this area. It is quite popular for endemic species of butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Also you can see larger animals like sambhurs and leopards. The majority of the trees are tall, gigantic ones between the heights of 35 – 40m. And some trees like the Giant Nawada Tree are closer to 50m in height.

The forest receives 4000 – 5000mm of rainfall every year and it is a primary source for many rivers and tributaries. Koskulana Ganga and Gin Ganga are some of them. There are some dazzling waterfalls also in this forest like Neluwa and Doovili Ella. This hilly reserve area has a few medium level peaks which provide excellent vantage points for explorers. Hinipitigala, Mulawella, Sinhagala and Kosgulana are some of them.

The best period to visit the forest is between December - April and August - September.

The above picture was taken from one of the highest peaks within the range known as Mulawella (about 760m).

I will bring more about this amazing place very soon. Till then, please visit following sites to learn more about Sinharaja.

• www.sinharaja.net
• www.sinharaja.4t.com
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
• UNESCO World Heritage sites

This post was selected for Kottu Section of week end news paper, The Sunday Leader.