National Park In Sri Lanka

Wasgamuwa National Park

Wasgamuwa National Park

Wildlife safaris to Wasgamuwa National Park in Sri Lanka leave you with a sense of deja vu. Historians believe that this part of Sri Lanka was the part of a flourishing empire in the early 12th century. The sheer thrill of treading through dense forests inhabited with wild animals is simply indescribable.

Located at a distance of 225 kilometers from Colombo, the Wasgamuwa National Park is open to visitors from six in the morning to six in the evening. There are several campsites and bungalows within the park that can be reserved for wildlife viewing. India Sri Lanka tours makes arrangements for wildlife safaris to the interiors of this exotic Sri Lanka National park online.

Initially Wasgamuwa was designated as a nature reserve in the year 1938. It was much later in the year 1982 that Wasgamuwa was converted into a national park. Covered with dry mixed forests, riverine vegetation, wetlands and grasslands, Wasgamuwa offers a natural habitat for animals such as: elephants, purple-faced leaf monkeys, wild boar, barking deer, wild buffaloes and other animals.

Wasgamuwa National Park

Some birds that can be commonly spotted while on wildlife safaris to Wasgamuwa National Park are: painted stork, racket tailed drongo, lesser adjutant, yellow breasted barbet, spurfowl and jungle fowl.
In all Wasgamuwa is home to around 23 species of mammals, 8 recorded species of amphibians, 143 bird species and 17 reptile species.

Wasgamuwa National Park in Sri Lanka draws most of its water from two rivers Amban and Mahaweli that flow through these forests.

India Sri Lanka Tours offers online reservation for Wasgamuwa National Park tours. For details please fill up the form given below.

Uda Walawe National Park

Spread-eagled on riveting forest greens of Ratnapura and Monaragala in Sri Lanka, the Uda Walawe National Park is perfect for spotting the panorama of rare wildlife that flourishes in the jungles of Sri Lanka.

The Uda Walawe National Park covers an area of 306 square kilometers. The national park was established in the year 1972. The main objective behind the establishment of this sanctuary was to preserve the catchment area of the Uda Walawe River.

The entire habitat at Uda Walawe National Park is a massive green parkland covered in some areas with dense teak forests.
A natural home to animals such as Asian elephants, crocodiles, leopards,
Water buffalo, grey langurs, golden jackals et al, the Uda Walawe National Park is real treat for adventure enthusiasts.

Birds such as the Malabar Pied Hornbills, Indian Roller, Cuckoo, Hawk Eagle, White bellied Sea Eagle and more engage your attention with their unique antics while you are on wildlife safaris to the Uda Walawe National Park in Sri Lanka.

The most interesting aspect of Uda Walawe Wildlife Sanctuary tours is the fact that there is a special Elephant camp inside the wildlife sanctuary.

India Sri Lanka Tours offers online reservation for Uda Walawe National Park tours, Sri Lanka. For details please fill up the form given below.

Yala National Park

Located in the South east coast of Sri Lanka, the Yala National Park covers an area of 979 square kilometers. Only a part of the Yala National Park is open for wildlife safaris and the rest of the forest is reserved only for researchers and forest officials.

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka is known to have the largest concentration of leopards in the world. The entire landscape is strewn with freshwater lakes, open parkland and forests. In fact the numerous water holes in the Yala National Park are the ideal places to spot animals.

A part of the Yala National Park features exotic beach country near the rivers that flow through the park.
The wild animals you're likely to spot while on a wildlife safari into the Yala National Park include Asian elephants, water buffaloes, Grey langurs, toque monkey, mouse deer, stripe-necked mongoose, water monitor, wild pigs, barking deer, sloth bear, crocodile et al.

There is a large leopard population at this wildlife reserve that is also one of Sri Lanka's oldest national parks.
Also known as Ruhuna National Park Yala is home to the largest leopard population in the world.

Spot birds such as junglefowl, babblers, stone curlew, Brahminya mynah, Sirkeer Malkoha, peafowl, painted storks, orange breasted green pigeon, green bee-eater, Malabar pied hornbill and more on tours to Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.

The Kumana Swamp in the Southeast region of the Yala National Park is a nesting ground for a large number of rare and exotic waterfowl.

India Sri Lanka Tours offers online reservation for tours to Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. For details please fill up the form given below.

 Gal Oya National Park

The Gal Oya National Park gets its name from that of the river that flows through the wildlife sanctuary. Situated at a distance of 300 kilometers from the national capital - Colombo, Gal Oya National Park is spread over areas in Ampara and Badulla.

Gal Oya was established in the year 1954 so that the catchment areas of the Senanayake Samudra could be protected from evils of erosion. Essentially a eco tourism project, Gal Oya is a great place for enjoying wild boat rides and thrill filled jungle safaris.

Gal Oya National Park is spread over a land area of 62, 936 hectares. Besides its natural importance the Gal Oya National Park lies over a region that is of immense historic importance.

Vast tracts of grasslands, water holes - big and small, dense forests and tree covered hill tracts form the main highlight of the Gal Oya landscape.

The home of the Sri Lanka Swamp Crocodile and more than 430 bird species, Gal Oya National Park offers raw green tracts for nature lovers to come and explore. India Sri Lanka Tours offers packages that make it easier for you to organize your wildlife holiday to this massive animal and bird sanctuary in Sri Lanka.

Animals commonly spotted at Gal Oya National Park include Sloth bears, Asian elephants, wild boars, leopards, water buffalos, monkeys et al. Birds like the black shouldered kite, wooly necked storks, sea eagles, serpent eagles etc. are a common sight in the evergreen forests of Gal Oya National Park in Sri Lanka.

India Sri Lanka Tours offers online reservation for wildlife tours to Gal Oya National Park in Sri Lanka. For details please fill up the form given below.

Horton Plains National Park

Sprawled on Sri Lanka's highlands in the highest plateau in the Central Province, the Horton Plains National Park covers a land area of 3160 hectares and lies at an altitude of 2100 meters above the sea level.

Horton Plains National Park is cloaked in Montane rain forests and large tracts of open grasslands that at dusk serve as grazing grounds for large deer herds - a sight to behold and an experience to remember!!!

Horton Plains National Park lies on a region from where three of Sri Lanka's most important rivers originate. Rich in biodiversity, Horton Plains National Park is a botanist's delight.

The region is one of the best elephant habitats in Sri Lanka. The other animals that are commonly seen in the jungles of Horton National Park include fishing cats, black-naped hares, bear monkeys, giant squirrels, shrews et al. The park is home to a large population of reptiles and amphibians.

The best way to travel to the Horton Plains National Park is by hiring a vehicle from either Talawakale or Nuwara Eliya.

Kumana National Park in Sri Lanka.

Reaching Kumana National Park
The gateway to Kumana National Park is at Panama. The park office is located at Okanda, 22km south of Panama.

Climate of Kumana National Park
Kumuna receives 1,300 millimetres (51.18 in) of annual rainfall. The mean annual temperature is 27 degrees Celsius.

Landscape of Kumana National Park
Kumana National Park spreads over an area of 35,664 hectares. In the west, the park is bordered by River Kumubukkan Oya; to the south is south-eastern coast that runs to Panama. A 200 hectares mangrove swamp called "Kumana Villu" within the Park is subject to occasional inundation with sea water. It is at this swamp that many water birds nest, during the months of May and June. Scattered in the Kumana National Park are several water pools that are favorite spots of the wildlife: Kudawila wewa, Thummulla wewa and Kotalinda wewa.

Reptiles at Kumana National ParkKumana National Park provides excellent feeding and resting habitats for a large number of threatened wetland species, including three turtle species such as the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), and the Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivaceae). Among other threatened species of reptiles are the globally vulnerable Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris).The most sighted reptiles at Kumana National Park are Mugger Crocodile, the Indian Flap-shelled Turtle, and the Indian Black Turtle.

Birdlife at Kumana National Park
Sri Lanka records more than 430 bird species comprising endemic, resident and migrant birds. Of these, the bird watchers are able to watch over 200 species easily. The wide variety of birds found in the numerous wildlife parks of Sri Lanka makes the tropical island a prime Bird Watching destination in the world. The Kumana National Park is the most important and most popular bird sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Kumana birdlife supported by Some 20 lagoons and tank is an ornithologist’s paradise. During April–July, tens of thousands of birds migrate to the Kumana swamp area annually nearly 255 species of birds have been recorded in the National Park. Regular sightings of birds include pelicans, painted storks, spoonbills, white ibis, herons, egrets and hundreds of little cormorants. The very rare black-necked stork has also been spotted at the swamp.

Among the breeding inhabitants of the Kumana villu are the rare species such as Black-necked Stork, Lesser Adjutant, Eurasian Spoonbill, and Great Thick-knee are breeding inhabitants of the Kumana villu.

The bird species migrate here in large flocks. Asian Open bill, White-breasted Water hen, Lesser Whistling Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Weathercock, Purple Swamp hen, Duck Black-crowned Night Heron, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Spot-billed Pelican, Indian Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Common Moorhen, and Little Grebe are the bird species migrate here in large flocks.

Among the rare birds that migrate to the swamp include Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Malabar Trogon, Red-faced Malkoha, and Sirkeer Malkoha. Pacific Golden Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Common Snipe, and Pintail Snipe are the common wading birds at the Park.

Mammals at Kumana National Park
Apart from being abound with the birdlife, Kumana is also home to some of the mammals found in the adjacent Yala National Park such as Elephants, Leopards, Golden Jackal, Wild Boar, European Otter as well as the endangered Fishing Cat.

Coastal wetlands of Kumana National Park
Coastal wetlands of Kumana have its inhabitants engaged in lagoon fishing and rice cultivation.

The planned coastal road from Kirinda to Panama
The bird population has taken a dip at Kumana National Park in recent years. Environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts have expressed their concern over a road planned to be constructed from Kirinda to Panama which will run along the coastline of the park disturbing the habitat of the birdlife.

Minneriya National Park in Sri Lanka

Location of Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park is located 182 km away from Colombo in the North Central Plains of Sri Lanka. The major city closest to Minneriya National Park is Polonnaruwa.

Reaching Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park can be reached off Habarana - Polonnaruwa road. The office and the entrance point of Minneriya National Park is located at Ambagaswewa.

Minneriya Rainwater reservoir
The renovated vast ancient Minneriya Rainwater Reservoir that irrigates the considerable area of the district of Polonnaruwa is the focal point of the Minneriya National Park.

Best time to visit Minneriya National Park
Being part of the elephant corridor which joins up with Kaudulla and Wasgomuwa parks, Minneriya National Park affords the opportunity to sight herds of Elephants throughout the year.May to October is the best period to visit Minneriya National Park in view of the famous Gathering of the wild elephants. Gathering is the largest known meeting place of Asian Elephants in the world. During this period herds up to 300 elephants are seen at the 8,890 hectare park within a few square kilometers of the Minneriya Reservoir.In August and September each year during the dry season, wild elephants from the surrounding wilderness in search of food and water, makes their way to the shores of the Minneriya Reservoir adjoining the Minneriya National Park. Huge herd of elephants, sometimes numbering up to 300, converge together within a few square kilometers of the lake. This Elephant Gathering is a thrilling spectacle that would be remembered for rest of the life of all those who were fortunate to witness it.

The Climate and altitude at Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park that covers an area of 8,889 hectares is of tropical monsoon climate: annual rainfall is about 1146mm and mean annual temperature is 27.5 centigrade. The altitude ranges from100m to 885m at the top of Nilgala peak.

Accommodation options at Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park has no accommodation facilities within its boundaries. The cities close to Minneriya National Park- Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Habrana and Giritale- are clustered with luxury hotels and lodges.

Vegetation at Minneriya National Park
The vegetation of the park consists of tropical dry mixed evergreen forests, abandoned chena lands, grasslands and wetlands. The open grasslands and old chena lands are dominated by the many species of small shrub.

The abandoned chenas are dominated by kukuruman (Randia dumetorum), keppettia (Croton sp.) wara (Calotropis Gigantea) and grasses i.e. katu-una (Bambusa bambos), wali indi (Phonenix zeylanica), illuk (Imerata Cylindirca) and pohon (Panicum Maximum). The phytoplankton is dominated by Microcystis and Melosira.Among the large trees are palu (Manilkara Hexandra), Satin (Chloroxylon Swietenia), milla (Vitex Altissima), Kalumediriya (Diospyros Quaesita), halmilla (Berrya Cordifolia), weera (Drypets Sepiaria).

Mammals at Minneriya National Park
Among the 24 species of mammals resident in the park are Elephants, Leopards, Sloth Bear, Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Buffalo, Wild Pig, Grey Langers, Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, three species of Mongoose, Porcupine & Indian Pangolin.

Birds at Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park has recorded over 170 species of birds. From Migrating waders like Woodsand Piper, Common Sandpiper & Kentish Plovers to forest birds like Malabar-pied Hornbills, Rufus Woodpecker the globally endangered Lesser Adjutant and the endemics Sri Lanka Grey Horn-bill, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Brown-capped Babbler and Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl are some of the highlights.

Amphibians & Reptiles at Minneriya National Park
Among the nine species of Amphibians at Minneriya National Park are the endemic and endangered Slender Wood Frog and the Common Tree Frog. Of the 25 species of reptiles recorded in the park 8 are endemic including the Red-lipped Lizard. Water and Land Monitors are also seen here. The Mugger Crocodile can be seen near the tank. Many species of fresh water fish are found in the Minneriya reservoir.

Bundala National Park in Sri Lanka

Reaching Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park can be reached by A2 main motor road that runs from Colombo to Hambantota


Climate at the Bundala National Park
The general Climate of Bundala National Park is hot and dry. While the average Temperature is 27 degrees Celsius, the annual rainfall varies between 900mm to 1300mm. Dry season' falls between May and September.Best time to visit is September to March: during this period migratory birds arrive at the park.

Landscape at the Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park spread an area of 6216 that consists of mainly of dry thorny scrublands, marshes and four brackish lagoons. The terrain is generally flat with sand dunes bordering the coastline.

Birdlife at the Bundala National Park
Each and every species of water bird found in Sri Lanka is believed to visit Bundala National Park . Nearly 200 species of birds have been recorded within the park, out of which 58 species are migratory birds.

During September and March, hoards of migrants arrive in Bundala; among them are Marsh and Curlew Sandpiper, Curlew and Greenshank Golden and Kentish Plover, Large and Lesser Sandplovers. While the Broad-billed Sandpipper and Red-necked Phalarope are the rare visitors, the most famous migratory bird is greater flamingo. Hoards of flamingoes are one of the most common sights. In this period over 10,000 shore birds might be feeding at any one day.

The lagoons at the park attract a great variety of aquatic birds: among them are ibis, pelicans, painted storks, Black-necked Stork, terns, gulls, sand-pipers, snipes, teals, egrets and spoonbills. Endemic birds include the Brown-capped Babbler, Ceylon Woodshrike and Ceylon Junglefowl.

Mammals at the Bundala National Park
Bundala is home to 32 species of mammals. Among them are civets, wild boars, Grey & Ruddy mongoose, porcupine, giant Indian palm squirrels, black-naped hares, Spotted Deer, Wild buffalo, the endemic, jackal and fishing & Rusty Spotted cats. While most commonly seen mammals are the hordes of grey langur and Toque Macaque.

Elephants at the Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park shelters a small population of Elephants that varies between 25 and 60 depending on the season.

Amphibians & Reptiles at the Bundala National Park
Bundala National Park is a habitat for several species of Reptiles. Bundala abounds with estuarine crocodile and mugger crocodile. The coastal area attracts Loggerhead Turtle, Green Turtle, Hawk's bill turtle and Olive Ridley: four out of Sri Lanka's five marine turtle species, which come ashore to lay their eggs Between October and January. Watching egg laying turtles in the night, on the beaches of Bundala is a sight that no visitor would forget in his lifetime.

Vegetation at the Bundala National Park
Among the 383 species of plants that have been recorded in Bundala, six are endemic species. Seven are nationally threatened. The prominent species are Weera (Drypetes Sepiaria), Palu( Manikara Hexandra), Satin (Chloroxylon Sweitenia), Kohomba (Azadirachta Indica) and Divul (Limonia acidissima). The dominant scrub is Andara.

Conservation measures proposed at Bundala National Park
CEA conservation management plan and IUCN’s biodiversity assessment report have proposed several management initiatives for the Bundala National Park. These demand re-demarcation of the boundaries of the park, relocating groups of inhabitants living within the park and arresting the spread of invasive alien species, creating an irrigation structure and management of livestock grazing within the park.

Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka.

Reaching Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya can be reached from Colombo via Kandy, the gateway to Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Colombo-Kandy-Nuwara Eliya is the most scenic highland motor road of Sri Lanka. Though the city of Nuwara Eliya has no Railway station, the highland railway line of dramatic scenery that winds past the city of Nanu Oya makes the journey by train possible. The journey to Nuwara Eliya from Kandy by train as well as by car is equally spectacular.The alternative route to Nuwara Eliya from Colombo is via Hatton located in the southern area of the Central Highlands.

Spring in Nuwara Eliya

The salubrious climate has made Nuwara Eliya into a sanatorium that attracts Sri Lankan tourists as well as the foreign tourists to the seasonal event during February to April. Golf tournaments, horse racing, motor cross, clay pigeon shooting and carnival features high in the festivities. The downside of the season is the accommodation rates that shoot up above all. With thousands of local tourists flocking to Nuwara Eliya filling up hotels and guest houses that provide budget accommodation in the season, narrowing the accommodation options, foreign tourists would find it necessary to have the hotel bookings well in advance.

The establishment of the city of Nuwara Eliya.

Though Nuwara Eliya had been inhabited during the early period of the kingdom of Kandy, the existence of the spectacular “Eliya” (Sinhala: opening or clearing) valley set amidst the wooded green mountains wasn’t known to the Colonial British until the accidental discovery by the colonial civil servant John Davy in the year 1819. However it took another decade for the British to realize the potential. Governor Edward Barnes converted Nuwara Eliya into a commercial and a coffee –planting center during the 1830s. In the year 1847 the great colonial explorer Samuel Baker introduced the gardening of English vegetable at Nuwara-Eliya. To date Nuwara Eliya, the leading producer of European vegetables in Sri Lanka, distribute its all vegetable products to the rest of the island.

Following the Coffee Blight in Sri Lanka during the 1870s, the plantation of tea was introduced by Sir James Taylor resulting in development of Nuwara Eliya district into the heart of the tea growing central highlands of Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon. The first plantation on experimental stages was established in 1867 at the Loolakandara Estate situated between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. In the year 1885 the highland railway track was extended to Nanu Oya, a town 5km south of Nuwara Eliya.

Victoria Park at Nuwara Eliya
In the center of the town is local Central Market. South of the market is Victoria Park spreading to an expanse of 27 acres with well maintained shrubs and trees. The cluster of exceedingly tall eucalyptuses is a main feature therein. Victoria Park, though in close proximity to the city center, is an ornithological hot spot where the birders would spend long hours. River Nanu Oya that runs through the Victoria park and a number of lakes within it supports the endemic birds of Sri Lanka as well as migrant birds from Himalayan are seen at the park. Among the birds are Kashmir flycatcher, Indian blue robin, pied thrush, dull-blue flycatcher, yellow-eared bulbul and dull-blue flycatcher.

Race Course and Golf Course at Nuwara Eliya

To the south of the park is racecourse. Behind the race course is Lake Gregory. Nuwara Eliya’s all green sylvan golf course is located just opposite the Victoria Park. Built in 1891 by the British colonialists in Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, 18-hole golf course is well maintained by Nuwara Eliya golf club. The club rents golf equipment and charges a fee for playing at its golf course.

Single Tree Mountain

A path from the race course leads to Single Tree Mountain that affords a bird eye-view of the surrounding hills. Single Tree Mountain unravels the spectacular sceneries of the entire town of Nuwara Eliya including Pidurutalagala Mountain, Haggala Mountain, Lake Gregory as well as Northern section of Horton Plains.

Pedro and Labookelle tea estates at Nuwara Eliya

Pedro and Labookelle tea estates afford the opportunities to get on-site knowledge on tea industry of Sri Lanka.
Located 3 km east of Nuwara Eliya, beneath a flank of Mount Pedro is the Pedro Tea estate. The resident guide at the estate explains and elaborates on the process of growing and manufacturing Ceylon Tea. Labookelle Tea Estate located 20 km north of Nuwara Eliya, is set at an elevation of 2000 meters. The expansive estate is fully geared to host the visitors with a tour around property. The café is a fine place to enjoy a cup of Ceylon tea while having a slice of cake.

Soft adventure at Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya’s scenic mountainous terrain affords hiking possibilities. Mount Pedro or Pidurutalgala rising to a height of 2555meters above the sea level, though the summit isn’t open to the public, offers hiking opportunities. Waterfalls around Nuwara Eliya make the hiking and trekking all the more pleasant: Ramboda fall; Devon Falls; Lakshapna Falls. Turf club also located within the city affords all horse riding and pony riding. Boating opportunities are made possible by the boat house at Lake Gregory.

Horton Plains

Horton Plains National Park, A UNESCO World Heritage perched on the edge of the Central Highlands midway between Nuwara Eliya and Haputale, another hill country retreat, the highest plateau of Sri Lanka at 2000 feet, is a paradise of birders, nature lovers and hikers. The escarpment that falls sheer for over 1050 meters in the park at the southern edge of the highlands to the lowlands below, called World’s End, is an excursion that wouldn’t be missed at all by the holiday makers at Nuwara Eliya.

Since the grand view from the World’s End is clouded with mist 10 am onwards, particularly during April to September, timing on arrival at the escarpment needs to be planned. Horton Plains can be reached from Haputale too.





Highlight place in Nuwara eliya

Nuwara Eliya Golf Club

Walking distance from the town center, built in 1891 the club offers 18 hole course for a green fee of about Rs 1500. Could rent clubs, shoes and buy old balls.

Hakgala Botanical Gardens - Nuwara Eliya

10 km southeast of Nuwara Eliya, sprawling at the base of the Hakgala Rock at an elevation of 5000-6000 ft is Hakgala Botanical Gardens established in 1861 by Mr G.H.W. Thawaites then director of Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya.

Originally established to grow Cinchona, the source of Quinine, the anti-malarial drug, Hakgala soon became a host to a wide array of foreign species. The roses that bloom during April to August steal the limelight at Hakgala. The hill is wooded with a range of foreign trees: Cypresses from California; fine old ceders; enormous tree ferns; stands of Japanese camphor; and pines and eucalyptus; bark-shedding Australian melaleucas.

Hakgala Botanical Gardens is host to considerable flock of enedemic montane bird species including dull-blue flycatcher, Sri Lanka whistling thrush and Sri Lanka bush warbler.

Gregory Lake Nuwara Eliya

Lake Gregory spreading an area of 91.2 hectares was built British colonial governor Governor William Gregory for the purpose of making use of water from River Nanuoya that flows past Nuwara Eliya. Boating opportunities for the visitors are made possible by the boat house at Lake Gregory.

Victoria Park at Nuwara Eliya

In the center of the town is local Central Market. South of the market is Victoria Park spreading to an expanse of 27 acres with well maintained shrubs and trees. The cluster of exceedingly tall eucalyptuses is a main feature therein. Victoria Park, though in close proximity to the city center, is an ornithological hot spot where the birders would spend long hours. River Nanu Oya that runs through the Victoria park and a number of lakes within it supports the endemic birds of Sri Lanka as well as migrant birds from Himalayan are seen at the park. Among the birds are Kashmir flycatcher, Indian blue robin, pied thrush, dull-blue flycatcher, yellow-eared bulbul and dull-blue flycatcher.

Kelaniya Temple IN Sri Lanka

Kelaniya Temple, Sri Lanka
 
Kelaniya Temple is located at the city of Kelaniya, 12km east of the city of Colombo.

Reaching Kelaniya Temple

Kelaniya Temple can be reached by A1 main motor road running from Colombo to Kandy and Railway.

The sanctity of the Kelaniya Temple and the site

Kelaniya Temple built on the banks of the Kelaniya River is one of the most sacred sites of Sri Lanka. It is believed Buddha together with 500 Arahats (Supremely enlightened beings) visited Kelaniya on the Wesek day of the Buddhist Era 2531 and expounding of the Dhamma, the Buddhist doctrine to the inhabitants of the island. Buddha’s timely visit to the island resulted in quelling an imminent war between two kings named Chulodara and Mahodara over a jewel–encrusted throne. Buddha having preached the doctrine on the disputed throne offered to him ensued lasting peace between the two kings. The great stupa built upon the site enshrining the throne was since then called Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara.

History of Kelaniya Temple

Kelaniya Temple believed to had been built in the era prior to the chronologically recorded history of Sir Lanka (since 543 B.C) was renovated by Prince Uttiya, brother of King Devanampiyatissa following the arrival Arahat Mahinda in 307 BC. According to the Mahawansa, King Devanampiyatissa's brother Uttiya renovated the vihara for the first time. Prince Uttiya also built the first ever residential quarters of the Buddhist monks (Sanghawasa) there.

The ancient temple was destroyed time and again by the Dravidian invaders from Southern India. Each time the temple had been reconstructed. The medieval temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1510 yet reconstructed by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha in the year 1967. New Temple was initiated in 1927 and completed in 1946 under the patronage of philanthropist Mrs. Helena Wijewardene.

The Bo tree and the court yard at the Kelaniya Temple
The entrance to the temple yard is over the park across the main street. The arched grill gate opens upto the lower terrace of the temple yard. The lower terrace leads four sets of flight of steps in four carinal directions to the Upper terrace which features the Image Hose, Dagaba and the Bo Tree (Peepal tree) with other buildings.

New Temple

'Aluth Vihara Ge' or the New Temple House section of the Kelani Viharaya is 150 feet long and 90 feet broad. It stands on a stone plinth 3 feet in height. The roof is built in the Kandyan architectural style with a design of an octagon.
'Aluth Vihara Ge' consists of four mage houses.
The 'Oth Pilima Ge', the oldest section of the temple houses a large reclining Buddha statue and two seated Buddha statues.
The 'Ran Pilima Ge' houses another seated Buddha statue
The ‘Ran Pilima Ge' or the Golden Buddha Image House

Murals in Kelaniya Temple

Kelaniya Temple has none of the ancient or medieval paintings. The murals are those of the 18th century and the early 20th century.

The Duruthu Perahera (Kelani Procession)

Kelaniya Temple is the starting point of the "The Duruthu Perahera'' (Kelani Procession) inaugurated in 1927 and since then that has been held on the pre - full moon day of the month of January every year. Each year hundreds of thousands of locals and thousands of foreign tourists gather at Kelaniya to enjoy the grand procession that features whip crackers, torch carriers, flag carriers, caparisoned Elephants, dancers, trumpeters, drummers and numerous other participants. The Kelani Procession features three separate processions: that of the Buddha Relics and those of the three shrines dedicated to the deities of Vishnu, Kataragama and Vibishana.

"The Duruthu Perahera'' (Kelani Procession) attracts hundreds and thousands of people from all provinces of Sri Lanka, and hundreds of foreign tourists trek their way to the temple purlieu to witness this spectacular pageant.

Nagadipa (Nagadeepa), Sri Lanka

Location

Nagadeepa (Nagadipa) or Nainativu is one of the islands of the cluster of islands in the Palk Bay off the Jaffna peninsula.

Reaching Nagadeepa (Nagadipa)

The access to Nagadeepa is from the village of Kurikattuwan (Kurikadduwan) of the island of Punkudutivu: by a 20 minute boat ride over the Palk Bay. The island of Punkudutivu is connected by a causeway over the Palk Bay to Kayts, the largest island of the cluster. Kayts is in turn reached by a longer causeway, again over the Palk Bay from the city Jaffna. The total distance (land+ sea) from Jaffna to Nagadeepa 30 km.

Jaffna city located 404km north of Colombo in the northernmost Peninsula of Sri Lanka is reached by A3 main road that link to A9 main northern motor road.

Landing at the island of Nagadeepa (Nagadipa)

The sandy island of Nagadeepa, sheltered by Coconut palm groves as well as Palmyrah palm trees, features two main jetties set apart by a distance of no more than 300 meters: one of the jetties brings into the immediate vicinity, the Hindu Kovil at the beach while the other leads straight to the Nagadeepa Vihara, also in close proximity of the beach. The boats reaching the island opt for one or other jetty depending on the passengers brought in from Jaffna: should there be more Hindus, it will be moored at the jetty close to the Hindu Kovil; should there be more Buddhist passengers, the boat would be moored at the jetty closer to the Buddhist temple.

The stretch of beach between the Buddhist Temple and Hindu Kovil

On the motorable coastal road running past the Hindu Kovil and Buddhist Temple is a string of stalls that has formed a mini bazzar stretching for about hundred meters between the two shrines. While the population of the island is approximately 2,500 Sri Lankan Tamils and about 250

Muslims, the islands sees thousands of Sinhalese Buddhists on pilgrimage to the Buddhist temple, which is considered as one of the 16 holiest Buddhist Sites of Sri Lanka by virtue of being a location Buddha had visited in the 6th century B.C.

History of Nagadeepa (Nagadipa)

Nagadipa or Naka-diva is first mentioned in the Pali chronicles of Ceylon in connection with the story of the Buddha's second visit to Sri Lanka in the 6th century B.C. According to the Mahavamsa (ch.1.vv 44-70) the Buddha during this visit pacified two Naga kings of Nagadipa who were arrayed in battle over a gem-set throne. In the ancient chronicles the pre-historic Naga tribes are represented as non-human beings enriched with an advanced civilization.

Buddhist Temple Nagadeepa (Nagadipa)

The ancient temple encompassing the image houses and the stupa in which the gem-set throne was enshrined had been destroyed. Buddhist temple therein is a modern one. Unlike thousands of other stupas in the country, the modern Nagadeepa stupa is painted in silver in an attempt to protect its limestone structure from the relentless sea-wind.

There are two shrine rooms at the premises: behind the stupa is the main shrine room; the smaller shrine room features a bronze Buddha statue

Trincomalee In Sri Lanka

Trincomalee, one of the finest natural deep-water harbors in the world is located 257 km north-east of Colombo, capital city of Sri Lanka. Trincomalee is home to fine beaches of Nilaveli, Uppaveli and off-shore Pigeon Island. Recently Trincomalee has become popular as a Whale Watching destination too. The Dive centers at Nilaveli, Uppaveli support the tourists to enjoy their holidays in diving, snorkeling and swimming. Trincomalee district, called Gokanna or Gokarna in the historical chronicles and inscriptions, being studded with a multitude of ruins of ancient Buddhist temples, is a major Sinhalese Buddhist cultural and archeological site of Sri Lanka. The seven hot springs at Kanniyai located just 8km from Trincomalee attract regular crowds throughout the year in view of the therapeutic properties of water therein varying in temperature from one well to the other.

Trincomalee, in history

Gokarna in Trincomalee, Mantota in Mannar and Dambakolapattuna in Jaffna, among other sea-ports of Sri Lanka, had been great ports of ancient Three Sinhala since 543 B.C. Trincomalee or Gokanna or Gokarna or Siri Gonamala as the ancient sea-port town was recorded in the historical chronicles of Sri Lanka, is the harbor where Prince Panduvasudeva, King Vijya’s nephew sailed into Sri Lanka from Sinhapura, India. “Badda Kachchayana who later became the queen of King Panduwasdeva (505-474 B.C.) with her party of royal maidens too landed in Siri Gonamala harbor. She was a sister of Prince Digha, the founder of Dighavapi.

In an essay entitled, Aryan settlements and early kings, published in the Concise History of Ceylon by Sri Lanka’s foremost historian a pre-eminent archeologist Dr. Senarath Paranavithana writing about the king who ruled Ceylon (Sri Lanka) after the first king Vijaya said, “Panduvasdeva with thirty two followers, it is said, arrived in Ceylon in the guise of mendicant monks. They landed at the mouth of the Mahakandara River at the port of Gokanna, the modern Trincomalee according to the commentator of the chronicle (Mahavamsa)”.

E. T. Kannangara, in “Jaffna and the Sinhala heritage” wrote, Trincomalee during the periods of the Sinhala kings was one of the chief trading centers in Sri Lanka. Sri Gokarna, Siri Gokanna, Sri Gonapura, Siri Gonamala, Gonagamaka Pattana, Gonagama-Patuna, and much earlier Gokannatitta were some of the names attached to this place in the chronicles. The present Sinhala name Thirikunamala is apparently a derivation from Siri Gonamala. The conversion of the name follows the pattern that Sinhala names Somapura, Kokavila, Mampe and Valigama Madakalapuva being converted into Sampur, Kokuvil, Manipay, Valikamam and Mattakalapu.

The conversion of Gokarna to ‘Tirukonamalai’ first appears in a Tamil inscription dated to 10th or 11th century A.D. Buddhist Vihara at Gokanna called Sri Gokarna Vihara built in the reign of King Mahasen (276-303 A.C.) was the earliest religious edifice in Trincomalee. Being on a rock it was also called Vehera Gala (Vihara on a rock). Gokanna Buddhist Vihare temple was expanded by King Agbo V (718-724 AD) and demolished by the Portuguese to build a fortress in the 16th century. Gokanna Vihare is one of the 74 Buddhist sites identified at Trincomalee district by the Department of Archeology of Sri Lanka. Swami Rock, the highest point in Fort Frederick is an ancient site where there had been Buddhist shrines.

Some of the other locations are as follows.

Velgam Vehera Buddhist monastery
Velgam Vehera ancient Buddhist monastery is located 16 km north-west of Trincomaleeoff the Trincomalee - Horowupothana road. An inscription on a rock halfway up the hill on the summit on which are the remains of a stupa belongs to the reign of Batiya Maharaja or King Bhatika Tissa II (circa 149 A.D.). It records the gift of revenue from certain fields to the Abagara Vihare (Abhagiri or Amaragiri Vihare) at Velgama by a General named Abaya. Dr. Paranavithana was of the view that this record proved that the name by which the shrine was known in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It was Dr. Paranavithana’s view that the date of the original foundation of the vihare was no doubt considerably earlier than the reign of King Bhatika Tissa II.

Galmetiyawa in the Kinniya AGA’s division: below the Galmetiyawa reservoir some four miles off the 102nd mile on the Trincomalee road. A Buddha statue sculptured in marble was found here. Although the statue appeared to have been worn out by the action of flowing water it was beautifully sculptured in the Amaravati style. Around the statue were the remains of ancient buildings. Bricks and pieces of pottery were lying around.

Ancient site at Kuchchaveli: The torso of a limestone Buddha statue was found at this site. The statue is a beautiful work in the Amaravati style. Pieces of flat tiles and bricks were found in large quantities. It is possible that there was a monastic establishment of the Anuradhapura period at this site. On a boulder of rock at the foot of a hillock is a sculpture consisting of 16 dagaba presentations. The Buddha statue was transferred to the Archaeological Museum in Trincomalee.

Ancient site at Kantalai: (Tract 13 of Kantalai sugar farm) At this site two broken Buddha statues were found along with guard stones. There were also pieces of bricks and tiles. The Buddha statue depicted as seated under the nine hooded Muchalinda Naga Raajaya (about four feet in height) has been transferred to the Archaeological Museum in Trincomalee.
Ancient site Mahaweli river ford in Koddiyar Pattu: Here are the remains of a structure with 42 pillars. On one of these pillars is an inscription.

Sri Gajaba Len Vihara: On an eminence strewn with large boulders at a site on the right bank of the Morawewa colony are several drip ledged caves. In three of these there are Brahmi inscriptions.

Ancient site at Etabendiwewa: (on a by-road between 87th and 88th mile post on the Horowupotana—Trincomalee road).There are remains of a dagaba built on a square terrace which has been vandalised. On each of the four sides of the terrace is a flight of steps with plain guard stones and a moonstone. West of the dagaba are the ruins of a building.

Ancient site Pulmodai: About 1 1/2 miles away from the Ilmenite factory is an ancient site where there are a number of caves. In one cave is a Brahmi inscription. Close by is a pillared building with the torso of a Buddha statue.

Trincomalee had been home to numerous Buddhist temples and Vihara (Monasteries) since the reign of King Dutugamunu (161-137 BC). The Hero of the nation, King Dutugamunu is believed to have built many viharas and monasteries at Gokanna in the second century B.C. A map prepared in 1982 by M.H.Sirisoma, Department of Archaeology listed 276 sites of ‘archaeological interest’ in the northern and eastern provinces.

Triyaya, Weligam Vehera and Seruwila Raja Maha Vihara and Kuchchaveli are three living Buddhist heritage sites of the Trincomalee district. Modern Hindu shrine named Koneswaram Kovil was erected in the Nineteen forties.” The so called historic kovil was built only recently after dismantling the ancient Buddhist Temple at the same place. There are people who have seen the Buddhist temple in the forties,” Professor Nalin de Silva, 25th July 2003.

Trincomalee during Anurdhapura era and Polonnaruwa era

The city of Trincomalee had served as a major conduit for Sri Lanka’s seaborne trade during the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

Captain Robert Knox, 1659 at Trincomalee
Captain Robert Knox Snr. accompanied by his son Robert Knox, Jnr. set sail by 'Anne' in London on January 21, 1658 on a trading expedition to East Indies under the British East India Company. After a voyage of about one year and nine months, the crew encountered stormy Weather along the Coromandel Coast and Bay of Bengal. With the mast broken and the sails torn, “Anne” landed near Kottiar Bay (estuary of Mahaweli Ganga,) on November 19, 1659. The crew of the ship was invited to ashore and was taken captive on the orders from the King Rajasinghe II of Kandy (1629-1687 A.D.) in Kandy.

Trincomalee during the colonial era

Trincomalee’s strategic location has made it flash point during the colonial era. Trincomalee’s long military began in 1617 when five Danish ships sailed into Koddiyar Bay under a commander named Ove Giedde. King Rajasinghe the second having a lively appreciation of the Port 's value, Giedde's negotiations proved fruitless; and he sailed away, leaving one wreck behind.
The Portuguese, already having sway in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, now set themselves upon capturing Trincomaleeand in 1624 completed the construction of a fort there.

This fortlet - it had but three bastions –built by the Portuguese in 1624, was taken by the Dutch in 1639 only to be abandoned soon afterwards. In 1675, the fort was re-fortified and named Fort Frederick after Frederick the Great. It is part of those walls and gate that still stand, as the next focal point of interest in Trincomalee besides the harbor.

Trincomalee and Dutch East India Company

E. T. Kannangara, in “Jaffna and the Sinhala heritage” referring to more recent times says in the treaty between the Sinhala king and the Dutch East India Company signed in 1766 A.C. Batticaloa is mentioned as Puliyanduwa and Trincomalee as Thirikunamala in the treaty.

In 1795, a British fleet lay off Trincomalee, ostensibly come to protect the Dutch against the French, but under secret orders to capture Trincomalee at all events, for its growing strategic importance. The bedevilled Dutch, unsure where loyalty-or expediency-lay, hesitated. But Colonel James Stuart, opening a practicable breach in the walls after a four-day bombardment, clinched the matter. And Trincomalee became - England's first possession in Ceylon. By the British takeover in 1795, the city had changed hands another seven times.

Trincomalee harbor during the Second World War

The British and the Allied Powers chose it as the chief naval base for the entire South East Asia and Far East Command during World War 11, The Japanese attack at Trincomalee's harbor in 1942 wasn’t successful in spite of a suicide attack on the Trincomalee fuel tanks. Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon, did not face a real threat of an invasion by the Japanese at any point during the war.

Ambakke Viharaya

The village of Embekka (also written as Ambakka , Ambakke , Embakka , Embakke , Embekke) is found in the area known as Udunuwara in the Kandy district. It is situated about three kilometres from the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens.

The beautiful devale, which was built during the 14th century is believed to have been built by King Wickremabahu III, who reigned in Gampola from 1357 to 1374, in honour of the God of Kataragama. The king is said to have built it on the invitation of his queen. The site comprises the devale, digge and the centre where hewisi were played.

The carved wooden pillars in the temple are believed to have come from a royal audience hall in the city. They are said to be the finest such carvings belonging to the Kandyan era, and have earned the devale much acclaim from artists. The carvings include lions, swans, bulls, elephants, double-headed eagles, leaf patterns, wrestling men, soldiers, horse riders, dancing women, mermaids and lotus motifs. There are altogether 128 carvings in these pillars and what is unique about them is that all these carvings are different from each other. Some believe these carvings to have been done by an artisan known as Devendra Mulachari.

There are 16 wooden pillars at the entrance to the devale. The 52 feet, 10 inches long and 25 feet, 9 inches wide digge has 32 square-shaped pillars. The wood known as gammalu has been used here, while other types of wood such as ginisapu, na and pihibiya have been used in the other sections. Most of these intricately carved wooden pillars have stone pillars as their base. The UNESCO has identified these marvellous but elaborate carvings on wooden pillars to be the finest products of woodcarvings to be found in any part of the world.

The most impressive feature of the devale is its roof. It does not have one central beam, but 26 smaller rafters are fixed to the roof through huge wooden nails, resembling spokes in the wheel of a cart. It is the only place in Sri Lanka where such a construction can be witnessed.

The main devale is a 28 feet long, 23 feet and 7 inches wide two-storeyed building. The smaller devale is built close to it. The entrance is through a large doorway built of wood and there is a verandah spreading on three sides of the building.

Among the carvings, there are 125 series of decorations, 256 liyawel, 64 lotus designs in Pekada, 30 decorative patterns on timber, roof members, making a total of 514 such exquisite carvings.

The other constructions which can be seen at the Embekka Devala site are vahalkada, image house, kitchen and granary. They are located within a wall. The ambalama (resting place) and throne are located outside these premises, but also belong to the devale. 

Sri Pada: Buddhisms Most sacred Mountain

Mount Sinai was considered sacred at a much earlier date, Mt. Fuji surpasses it in beauty and height, and Mt. Kilash evokes a far greater sense of mystery. Nevertheless, no other mountain has been revered by so many people, from such a variety of religions, for so many centuries as Sri Pada has. In Sanskrit literature Sri Pada is called variously Mount Lanka, Ratnagiri (Mountain of Gems), Malayagiri or Mount Rohana. This last name, like its Arab and Persian equivalent, Al Rohoun, is derived from the name of the south western district of Sri Lanka where Sri Pada is situated. In several Tamil works it is known as Svargarohanam ( The Assent to Heaven) while the Portuguese called it Pico de Adam and the English Adam's Peak. In the Mahavamsa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka written in the 5th century CE, it is called Samantakuta ( Samanta's Abode) while in modern Sinhalese it is often called Samanelakhanda (Saman's Mountain). Long before Buddhism came to Sri Lanka in about 246 BCE Sri Pada was revered as the abode the god called Samanta, or sometimes Saman or Sumana. This local mountain god was destined to go on to great things. The Theravada Buddhists of Sri Lanka later made Samanta the guardian of their land and their religion. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, a movement that began in south India from where it soon spread to the island, Samanta developed into Samantabhadra, one of the four principle bodhisattvas of Mahayana. Like his later manifestation, Samanta is usually depicted crowned and bejewelled, holding a lotus in his right hand and accompanied by a white elephant. At Weligama, an ancient port on Sri Lanka's south coast, there is a 12 ft high statue of Samantabhadra carved out of a huge moss-covered bolder. Pilgrims from India and northern Sri Lanka disembarking at Weligama were greeted by this bodhisattva's serene countenance as they set out on the long trek to Sri Pada. Today there is still a shrine to Samanta on the top of the mountain and another larger one near Ratnapura, some 19 kilometres from its foot. The name Sri Pada, while correctly referring only to the sacred (sri) footprint (pada) on its summit, is the most commonly used name for the mountain today.

Sri Pada soars upwards to a height of 7360 feet from the very edge of the central highlands and viewed from the southwest looks like a pinnacle on a verdant castle wall. For about half the year it is oftenhidden in cloud and the torrential rains that rush down its steep sides during this time makes visiting the summit almost impossible. This abundant precipitation feeds Sri Lanka's four main rivers which all have their sources on the mountain's lower slopes. Over the aeons these rains have also washed nearly a thousand feet of rock and soil off Sri Pada and its surrounding peaks and the alluvial deposits that extend from its foot towards the south and east are one of the world's richest gem mining areas. Here are found rubies, topaz, garnets, cats eye, aquamarine, Alexanderite and sapphires ranging in colour from yellow to blue. Like the mountain itself many legends are told about these gems. The Arabs believed they were the crystallised tears Adam and Eve shed when they were expelled from Paradise. The story the Chinese told about them was even more beautiful. They said that when the Buddha visited Sri Lanka he found the people poor and given to theft. So out of compassion and to turn them to virtue he sprinkled the island with sweet dew which crystallised into gems thus freeing the people from poverty by giving them a commodity to trade with.

Sri Pada is surrounded by exceptionally dense forest, much of it now making up the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. This is not the lush steamy cover one usually associates with the tropics but a cool misty forest similar to that found in the lower reaches of the Himalayas. Giant trees hang heavy with moss, rhododendrons put forth large red blossoms and rare orchids like the Regal and the Chandraraja grow in the dark moist loam. Although not actually growing on Sri Pada's slopes but in the forests further north and west, Sri Lanka's famous spices have long been associated with the sacred mountain too. The Arabs believed that these sweet spices grew from cuttings and seeds which Adam bought with him from Paradise. A 14th century Persian poem says that Allah created all Sri Lanka's spices and flowers so that Adam's transition from Paradise to earth would be less painful. In the past Sri Pada's forests were the home of numerous elephants and the animal was so identified with the mountain that it came to be seen as the mount of Samanta. In 1840 Major Skinner, the famous engineer, actually reported finding elephant droppings on the very top of Sri Pada early one morning. But with the establishment of the coffee plantations in the 1850's these majestic creatures were completely shot out although pilgrims still occasionally report seeing Samanta's white elephant as they make the nocturnal journey up the mountain. Of the two animals still associated with Sri Pada the first is the butterfly. Sri Lanka is the home of numerous species of glorious butterflies and once a year they form into long chains, sometimes consisting of hundreds of the creatures, and fly through the countryside. Popular legend says that they are all going to Sri Pada to pay homage to the Buddha's footprint. The other animal associated with the sacred mountain, the leech, is far less pleasant. Ibn Batuta, the Moroccan traveller who visited Sri Lanka in 1344, like many people before and since, was appalled by the tenacity and ferocity of these leeches and mentioned that pilgrims would carry lemons to keep them at bay. Today the jungle besides the paths that lead up the mountain is cut back at the beginning of each the pilgrim season thus lessening this problem. But rest for a moment on a rock at the jungle's edge or walk into it to answer the call of nature and hundreds of ravenous leeches will be waiting.
         However it not Sri Pada's geological particularities or natural beauty that has made it so famous but something else altogether. On the summit of the mountain is a boulder with a mysterious mark or indentation on it resembling a human footprint. Since from perhaps as early as the first century BCE the Sinhalese believed this mark to be the footprint of the Buddha himself. According to the Mahavamsa, the Buddha visited the island three times. During his last sojourn he flew from Kelaniya to Sri Pada, leaving the impression of his foot on the mountain top, and then left for Dighavapi. Whether the Buddha's journey to Sri Lanka is true or not as a metaphor it is very true. The Buddha's teaching has left its impression on every aspect of Sri Lankan life as surely and as indelibly as if it had been engraved in stone. Legend says that after King Valagambha was driven from his throne in 104 BCE, he lived in a remote forest wilderness for 14 years. On one occasion while stalking a deer he was led up the mountain and discovered the sacred footprint. The gods revealed to him that it had been made by the Buddha. The legend of the Buddha's visits to Sri Lanka is not, it should be noted, confined to the Theravada tradition. The Lankavatara Sutra, the seminal text of the Ch'an and Zen schools of Buddhism, was supposedly taught by the Buddha while residing on Malayagiri, "which shone like a jewel lotus, immaculate and shining in splendour". The Chrakasamvara Tantra mentions the Buddha flying to Lanka and leaving the impression of his foot on a mountain which it doesn't name but which at least one contemporary Tibetan scholar has mistakenly identified as Mount Kailash in the western Himalayas. While Buddhists knew that this mysterious footprint had been made by the Buddha in succeeding centuries other faiths, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity were to lay claim to it also. A 15th century Chinese work says the footprint was made by Pwan-ko, the primordial man of Chinese mythology. South Indian Hindus believed it had been made by Shiva. Moses of Chorene never saw the footprint himself but proclaimed that it had been made by the Devil. The Portuguese could never quite make up their minds whether it had been made by Adam, St Thomas or the eunuch of Candace, Queen of Sheba, although they never doubted its veracity. Ibn Batuta mentioned that sometime before his visit the Chinese had come and cut the mark of the big toe out of the rock and enshrined in a temple in China "where it is visited by people from the farthest parts of the land". An early Thai king sent monks to Sri Lanka to make an impression of the footprint and then had copies made in bronze and distributed all around his kingdom. (see above: copy of the Buddha's Footprint from Sri Pada, Sukhodaya style, 14th century). The famous statue of the Buddha from Sukhodaya with its beautiful flowing lines, does not depict him walking, as is commonly supposed, but him making the mark of his foot on Sri Pada.

With shipping lanes through south east Asia becoming more reliable after the 5th century CE this became the favoured route for Indian and Chinese Buddhist monks and nuns going to each others country. Such missionaries and pilgrims often stopped off in Sri Lanka to visit the island's many shrines. The famous Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien stayed in Sri Lanka in 411-12 and mentions Sri Pada in his travelogue, although it is not clear whether he actually went there. The Indian monk Punyopaya "climbed Mount Lanka" while on his way to China in 655. At about the same time the Kashmiri monk Vajrabodhi visited Sri Lanka and after a six month stay in Anuradapura, set out for Sri Pada. "When at last he reached the foot of the mountain, he found the country wild, inhabited by wild beasts and extraordinary rich in precious stones." Like many pilgrims Vajrabodhi was moved by the spectacular view from the mountain's top. "After long waiting, he was able to climb to the summit and contemplate the impression of the Buddha's foot. From the top he saw to the north west the kingdom of Ceylon and on the other side the ocean". In 1411 the grand fleet of the emperor of China commanded by the eunuch admiral Ch'ing-ho, arrived in Galle harbour to offer gifts to the sacred footprint on the emperor behalf. According to the inscription Ch'ing-ho later set up to record his mission, the gifts included " 1000 pieces of gold, 5000 pieces of silver, 50 rolls of embroided multicolored silk, 4 pairs of jewelled banners, 5 antique incense burners, 6 pairs of gold lotuses, 2,5000 catties of perfumed oil" and numerous other things. In 1423 a large group of Thai and Cambodian monks who were in Sri Lanka studying and collecting texts climbed the sacred mountain before returning to their homelands. The leader of this group made a copy of the footprint and took back to Thailand with him. At the beginning of the 16th century the Portuguese conquered Sri Lanka's maritime provinces and forbade Buddhists living under their jurisdiction and those coming from overseas from going to Sri Pada. By way of contrast, the king of Kandy in whose realm the mountain was situated, allowed Christians to enter his territory to make the pilgrimage. When the Dutch took over the maritime provinces in 1656 they proved to be less bigoted than the Portuguese but fear that pilgrims might act as spies for the king of Kandy led them, if not to ban, then at least to discourage visits by levying a heavy tax on pilgrims .For nearly two centuries Sinhalese Buddhists living in the low country could see the sacred mountain, worship it from afar but not go there.

The first western reference to Sri Pada is in Ptolemy's Geography where it is called Valspada and the first specifically Christian mention of it is found in Valentinus' Pistis Sophia. In this 2nd century Gnostic work Jesus is represented as saying to the Virgin Mary that he had appointed the angel Kalapataras as guardian over the mark "impressed by the foot of Adam and placed him in charge of the books of Adam written by Enoch in Paradise". There are only occasional Christian references to the mountain in the proceeding centuries. Macro Polo did not visit Sri Lanka specifically to make a pilgrimage to Sri Pada; he was on a diplomatic mission for Kublai Khan at the time, although he was the earliest European to leave a reasonably accurate account of it. "In this island there is a very high mountain, so rocky and precipitous that the ascent to the top is impracticable, as it is said, excepting by the assistance of iron chains employed for the purpose. By means of these some persons attain the summit, where the tomb of Adam, our first parent, is reported to be found. Such is the account given by the Saracens. But the idolaters assert that it contains the body of Sogomon Barchan ( Sakyamuni Buddha), the founder of their religious system, and whom they revere as a holy personage". Some 35 years after Marco Polo, Friar Odoric of Postenau returning to Europe from China broke his journey in Sri Lanka to make a pilgrimage to the sacred mountain. While climbing up he was shown the famous Fountains of Paradise, said to have been formed by the tears of Adam and Eve. However, the good friar was not impressed. The fountains looked to him like ordinary mountain springs and although the water was crystal clear, it was full of leeches. In about 1348 another European monk, the legate of Pope Clement V1 to China, Goivanni de Marignolli, climbed Sri Pada. He wrote of it, "It is a pinnacle of surpassing height, which, on account of the clouds, could rarely be seen; but it lighted up one morning just before the sun rose, so that they beheld it like the brightest flame. It was the highest mountain on the face of the earth and some thought that Paradise existed there". Coming from his cold gloomy medieval cloister to the eternal spring of Sri Lanka, de Marignolli had no difficulty believing that Paradise was nearby but he was not one to swallow everything he was told. He estimated that Paradise was in fact 40 miles further north of the mountain. The climate of religious tolerance in Sri Lanka was also very different to what de Marignolli was used to. "The Buddhist monks on the mountain and elsewhere are very holy, though they have not the Faith... They welcomed me into their monasteries and treated me as one of their own".

However, by the late middle ages European interest in Sri Pada had nearly faded away. When Fra Mauro drew his celebrated mappa mundi in Venice in 1459 on it he included a picture of Sri Pada and its sacred footprint, not for its religious but for its geographical significance. The situation had not changed though amongst the Christians of South India. Supposedly evangelised by St Thomas in about 59 CE but more probably the descendants of Nestorian Christian merchants originally from Persia, these people had been coming and indeed continued to come to the sacred mountain for centuries. After the Portuguese conquest of Sri Lanka, Sinhalese forcibly converted to Catholicism began joining these Indians on the yearly pilgrimage. In 1803 Robert Percival was able to write, "The Roman Catholic priests, with their usual industry, have taken advantage of the current superstition to forward the propagation of their own tenets; and a chapel which has been erected on the mountain is yearly frequented by vast numbers of black Christians of the Portuguese and Malabar race". In 1684 Daniel Pathey, a German solider in the Dutch East India Company, became the first European since medieval times to climb Sri Pada and give a firsthand description of it. Since then there have been numerous other accounts of the mountain. One that deserves a mention because of the way its no-nonsense rationalism contrasts with the piety and sense of wonder of earlier accounts, is that written in 1819 by the first Englishman to make the ascent, Dr Henry Marshall. " The area of the summit of the peak is 72 feet long and 54 broad, and is enclosed by a parapet wall five feet high... in the middle of this area is a large rock of Kabooe or iron-stone upon which is the mark of Adam's left foot, called Sri Pada by the Singhalese; but it requires a great deal of help from imagination to trace it out. This sacred footprint is covered over with a small building formed of the most durable wood 12 feet long, 9 broad and 4 to the tiles with which it is surmounted. Upon the inside it is enclosed by a frame of copper fitted to its shape, and ornamented with numerous jewels set in four rows, but not of the best or most precious gems the island has been known to produce, for to me they looked very like glass. We were not, I regret to say ,provided with an 'Union Jack' but we fired three volleys, to the great astonishment of the Buddhists as a memorial to them that a British armed party had reached the summit... Sound lungs and hard feet are indispensable to the performance of such a trip, for in many places we had climbed barefoot over the iron-stone. As to palankins, they are quite out of the question. There may be some risk in ascending Adam's Peak in heavy rain but surely not in fine weather".

The third great world religion to hold Sri Pada sacred is Islam. All Muslims accept that after Adam was cast out of Paradise he left the mark of his foot on the top of a mountain. There was however a difference of opinion in ancient Islam about exactly where Paradise was. Some said it was on earth while others contended that it was in heaven. It was this second school's opinion that eventually prevailed. Paradise was in heaven and when Adam was expelled his foot first touched the earth at its loftiest point which was Sri Pada. Al Tabari in his great history of the world, asserts that the mountain was so high that "when Adam was cast upon it, his feet touched it while his head was in heaven and he heard the prayer and praise-giving of the angels". This apparently annoyed the angels and "they eventually complained to Allah in their various prayers and Allah therefore, lowered Adam (completely) down to earth". When Ibn Batuta was in Shiraz in Persia he was shown the grave of Shaikh Abu Abdullah Khafif, supposedly the first Muslin to go to Sri Pada in the year 929 CE. "Previously the infidels (Buddhists) prevented the Muslims from visiting it, vexed them, and neither dinned with them nor had any dealings with them." However, the Shaikh, who had lived in Chilaw for some years and had gained a reputation amongst the Sinhalese for holiness was finally allowed to join a group of pilgrims going to the mountain. At one point in the journey the party found itself in a jungle wilderness without any food. To save themselves they killed a baby elephant and eat it, though the Shaikhs advised against this and refused to partake of the meat. That night as the party slept a herd of elephants appeared, sniffed each person and crushed to death all those on whom they smelt the flesh of their kin. The chief elephant then put the Shaikh on his back and took him to the nearest village. "From that time the infidels began to honour the Muslims and up to this day they revere the Shaikh and call him the Great Shaikh". However, despite what Ibn Batuta was told the evidence shows that Muslims were making the pilgrimage to Sri Pada before the time of Abu Abdullah Khafif . Sulaiman, an Arab trader is known to have gone to Sri Pada in 850 and Al Qazwini who died in 1282 quotes a hadith of the Prophet which says, "The best spot where the camel knelt down is Mecca, thereafter this mosque of mine (i.e. Medina) and Al Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) and the island of Sarandib where our father Adam had descended". If this hadith is authentic it would show that Muslim reverence of Sri Pada began with the Prophet Mohammed himself. Since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 Sri Lanka's Muslims have become more orthodox and more determined to stand apart from their fellow countrymen and consequently few now visit Sri Pada. But old traditions die hard. Recently an acquaintance of mine while half way up the mountain, encountered two men in distinct Middle Eastern attire. He talked with them and was told that they were both from Oman and while on business in Colombo had decided to go to Sri Pada. One of the Omanis also said that his grandfather had made the pilgrimage in the 1930's.

Hindu reverence for Sri Pada and its sacred footprint was mainly confined to South India and even there does not seem to have been very strong or widespread. Ibn Batuta was accompanied on his pilgrimage by four Hindu yogis who went yearly, four Brahmins and ten companions of the king of Jaffna, indicating that at least in the 14th century it was popular with Hindus living in the northern part of Sri Lanka. Hindus actually controlled the shrines on the sacred mountain at one time. In 1581 the crown prince of Kandy murdered his father and proclaimed himself King Rajasinghe I. When he asked the Buddhist monks how he could expunge the evil kamma he had made they, to their credit, told him that like everyone else he would have to take responsibility for his own actions. This was not what he wanted to hear. The brahmin priests on the other hand were only to willing to perform a puja to help the king ease his guilty conscience and so he converted to Hinduism. The Buddhist monks were driven off Sri Pada, it was handed to the brahmin priests and they administered it for the next 160 years.

How did Sri Pada and its mysterious footprint become so widely known from such an early period? Sri Lanka is situated right on the main sea route between east and west, the so called Silk Road of the Sea. From at least the 3d century BCE Arab ships were sailing to the south and east coasts of India and four hundred years later Roman ships were joining them. From perhaps the 4th or 5th CE century Chinese and Javanese were coming to India from the other direction. When all these mariners sailed passed Sri Lanka or landed on its shores they could see the sacred mountain quite clearly. The Mahabharata describes Sri Pada from the sea as "an exceedingly wondrous sight, which is endowed with supreme splendour". Idris, court geographer to King Roger of Sicily, writing in 1154 says "...it is so elevated that it can be seen several journeys out to sea". Ibn Batuta wrote that he saw the mountain "rising into the heavens like a pillar of smoke" nine days out. While this is certainly an exaggeration it is true that Sri Pada can be seen rising above the horizon nearly eighty miles before the coastline comes into view. For those sailing across the Indian Ocean from the barren coasts of Ethiopia or Arabia the mountains blue-green spire must have been a welcome sign that they were about to arrive in a safe harbour. For centuries navigators used Sri Pada to get a bearing. It was these men, sailors, merchants and adventures who took the legends and stories about Sri Pada to the furthermost corners of the known world.

Sri Pada's religious associations, its height and its great natural beauty have long made it a favourite with writers and poets and its glories are celebrated in the literature of a dozen languages. The most famous such work is the Sumantakutavannana, a Pali poem composed in the 13th cent by Veheda Thera. Some twenty of the poems' verses are devoted to praising the mountains silvan beauty. The Salalihini Sandesa (15th cent) is a similar work but in Sinhalese while the Suvul Sandesa (16th cent) is a poem beseeching Samanta to protect Sri Lanka and her king. Sri Pada often figures in the Sanskrit literature of India. The Anargharaghava, a 9th century retelling of the Ramayana, has Rama in his magic chariot flying back to Ayudha pointing towards the south and saying to Sita, "There appears to view the Island of Simhala, a blue lotus arising from the ocean, made even more beautiful by the filaments of the Mount of Jewels". There is a delightful verse in the Sukitmuktavali where gems from the foot of the mountain, about to be carried away to be made into king's crowns and queen's diadems bid a cheerful farewell to the mountain. In the 9th century play the Balaramayana, the king of Sri Lanka is called "the Lord of the Mountain of Jewels, Rohana". The Rajataragani, written in Kashmir in the 11th century, includes a tale about the mythological King Meghavahana who came to Sri Lanka to receive homage from Vibhisana the lord of the Raksasas and then climbed Sri Pada. In other works Sri Pada is used as an exotic destination or a colourful backdrop. In The Thousand and One Nights, written in Persia between the 9th and 13th centuries, it is one of the strange places that Sinbad visited. "I made, by way of devotion, a pilgrimage to the place where Adam was confined after his banishment from Paradise, and had curiosity to go to the top of the mountain". In the Tamil epic Manimekela one character describes her pilgrimage to Sri Lanka "where stands the lofty Mount Samanta, on whose summit are the footprints of the Buddha, that ship of righteousness for traversing the ocean of birth and death". The sacred mountain also gets a mention in the old Malay version of the Ramayana, in Buzurg Ibn Shahriyar's Book of the Wonders of India and even in the 14th century apocryphal Voyages and Travels of Sir John Manderville. Sri Pada's most recent appearance in literature is in Arthur C Clarks science fiction novel Fountains of Paradise.

WHAT TO SEE

The Asent
From the bus stop to the summit the Hatton path is about 3 kilometres long and if there are no delays, takes about four hours to climb. For some way both sides of the path are lined with stalls and shops selling all manner of things. Among the junk for sale you will notice small booklets of poems, songs and verses that have traditionally been sung by pilgrims making the assent. The assent proper starts at the great Makhura Gateway some way from the bus stop. Beyond this point you will notice that much of the path consists of cement or rough stones stairs and that the whole way is illuminated with electric lights. The story behind the electrification of the path is an interesting one.

Since the inauguration of the Norton Bridge Hydro Scheme in 1924 the project had been plagued by one problem after another, delays, strikes and several bad accidents. When the contractors eventually requested to pull out it looked as if the project would never be completed. Finally on the 2nd November 1947 Sir John Kotelawala, then minister of works and later to become prime minister, made a vow to Samanta that if the project was finished soon and without further mishaps, he would electrify the paths up the mountain. The workers' morale shot up, accidents ceased, the scheme was successfully completed and Sir John was able to fulfil his vow.

Before the light were installed pilgrims had to provide their own illumination, candles or hurricane lamps and before that "tubes filled with a resinous substance... giving out a strong flaming blaze when lighted". William Skeen describe the dramatic impression created by these burning torches as he looked down from the summit during his visit to Sri Pada in the 1860's. "The heavens above were clear, the stars were shining bright, and the glorious full-orbed moon was scarcely passed its zenith. From the Peak, ablaze with light to Heramitipana station similarly lighted up, the whole of the pilgrims path was filled as it were, with a living chain of fire, connecting the two points together and formed by the torches of the multitudes going to and fro".

As you proceed you will pass numerous danasalas offering shelter, medical assistance and sometimes food and water to pilgrims. The tradition of offering hospitality to pilgrims is an ancient one in Sri Lanka. The Mahavamsa records this concerning King Vijayabahu (1058-1114). "Saying ,'Let no one endure hardship who goeth along the difficult pathways to worship the Footprint of the Chief of Sages on Samantakuta Mountain', he caused the village of Gilimalaya which abounds in rice fields and other lands, to be granted to supply pilgrims with food. And at the Kadatigama road and at the Uva road he built rest houses". Pilgrims going to Sri Pada traditionally greet each other by saying 'Karunava' meaning 'Compassion to you'. If you say this to the people you meet you are sure to get a warm smile and a similar greeting in return.

The Sama Chatiya
After a while you will come to the Sama Chatiya, the World Peace Pagoda. This stupa was built by the famous Japanese Buddhist monk Ven Nichi Fuji in 1976 and is maintained by several Japanese monks. At night there is little to see but during the day the brilliant white stupa stands out dramatically against the vast grey cliff behind it.

The Bhagava Cave
About 150 feet from the summit, just next to the last tea shop, is the Bhagava Cave. To get there climb on to the retaining wall and just walk into the undergrowth for a few yards. For centuries this cave was the only refuge for pilgrims caught on the mountain at night and for those seeking shelter from storms. Acetic monks used to spend the nine months of the off season up here, completely isolated from the world below, living off wild fruit, herbs and moss. There are two inscriptions on the wall of the Bhagava Cave. The first was written by King Nissankamalla (1187-1196) when he climbed Sri Pada during one of the many tours he made of his kingdom. This inscription records the improvements he made to the path up the mountain and the generous gifts he offered to its shrines. To the left of the inscription is the figure of a man in the gesture of reverence, probably a portrait of the king. Further to the left is yet another inscription. Written in Arabic in the 13th century it reads, "Mohammed, may Allah bless him...the father of Mankind". There is another cave on the slopes of Sri Pada, the Divaguha, where the Buddha is said to have rested. It is referred to in many ancient sources but to this day it has not been located.

The Sacred Footprint
There is little to see on the top of Sri Pada, a few buildings, the belfry with the bell that people traditionally ring once for each time they have made the pilgrimage, the shrine to Samanta and right next to it, the shrine over the sacred footprint. It is to worship at this last place that people throughout the centuries have risked hardship and danger to come to Sri Pada. Nearly as much has been written about the sacred footprint as has been about the mountain itself. According to Giovani de Marigolli, "The size, I mean the length thereof, is two and a half of our palms, about half a Prague ell. And I was not the only one to measure it , for so did another pilgrim, a Saracen from Spain". Robert Knox, an Englishman who lived in Sri Lanka in the 17th century, wrote that it was "about two feet long". John Ribeyeo in his account of Sri Lanka presented to the king of Portugal in 1687 claimed that the footprint "could not be more perfect had it been done in wax" and in 1859 James Emerson Tennent described it as "a natural hollow artificially enlarged, exhibiting the rude outline of a foot about five foot long". Obviously peoples perception of the sacred footprint differ according to their expectations and their faith, or lack thereof. Look carefully and see what you think of it. Remember also that the footprint is an object of great religious significance to Buddhists so an attitude of quiet respect while near it and indeed throughout your stay on the summit is appropriate.

The View and The Sunrise
Sri Pada is not actually very high but its steep sides and the many lower mountains surrounding it give the impression of exceptional loftiness. It is sometimes possible to watch from above as clouds silently drift past. James Emerson Tennent's description says it all. "The panorama from the summit of Adam's Peak is perhaps the grandest in the world, as no other mountain, although surpassing it in altitude , presents the same unobstructed view over land and sea. Around it, to the north and east, the traveller looks down on the zone of lofty hills that encircle the Kandyan kingdom, whilst to the westward the eye is carried far over undulating plains, threaded by rivers like cords of silver, till in the purple distance the glitter of the sunbeams on the sea mark the line of the Indian Ocean"

Every morning a series of intriguing phenomena can be observed from the summit of Sri Pada. Just before sunrise everyone will assemble on the eastern side of the summit waiting for the sun. When it appears it seems to leap over the horizon rather than rise gradually. At this moment the more pious people will shout 'Sadhu!' an exclamation meaning 'It is good'. The Sinhalese say that the sun is paying homage to the Buddha's footprint. Then everyone will move to the western side of the mountain. Join them and you will see the perfectly triangular shadow of the mountain laying over the landscape. Sometimes if there is a light mist the shadow will appear to stand upright. Within moments, as the sun climbs higher, the shadow will move rapidly towards the base of the mountain and finally disappear. This phenomena is supposed to occur in only one other place in the world, somewhere in Arizona.

The Ancient Chains
Go to the stairs leading down to Ratnapura and descend about a hundred feet. You will notice that soon the stairs become very steep. Everywhere else the hand rails are helpful, here they are absolutely necessary. On the right you will notice large chains riveted into the rock. In the thousand or so years that the Ratnapura path was the only way up the mountain these chains assisted the final assent and they are mentioned in most ancient accounts of Sri Pada. The Muslims believed they were put here by Alexander the Great. The Zaffer Namah Sekanderi, a 15th century Persian poem celebrating the exploits of Alexander says "he fixed thereto chains with rings and rivets made of iron and brass, the remains of which exist even today, so that travellers, by their assistance, are enabled to climb the mountain and obtain glory by finding the sepulchre of Adam". In actual fact they were probably first put here by an early Sinhalese king and replaced when needed over the centuries. In 1815 Major Forbes witnessed a tragic but at that time not uncommon accident at this very place. "Several natives were blown over the precipice, and yet continued clinging to one of the chains during a heavy gust of wind; but in such a situation, no assistance could be rendered, and they all perished".

 How to get there

There are 6 trails to Sri Pada Mountain. They are as follows,

• Ratnapura / Palabaddala way
• Hatton / Nallathanni way
• Kuruvita / Erathana way
• Muray waththa
• Mookuwatha
• Malinboda

Of all these ways which lead to the mountain of Sri Padaya, most of the worshipers use only Nallathanni and Palabaddala Routes. But the Kuruvita /Erathna route is also getting popular because of the beauty of it’s natural environment. We will give you a detailed description of the three main routes to Sri Pada , so before the season ends “WORSHIP THE HOLIEST MOUNTAIN”

RATNAPURA /PALABADDALA ROUTE.

Starting from Ratnapura town you have to go to Plalabaddala from where the climb starts. It is about 11 Kilometers from Palabaddala to Sri Padaya.
There are 37 Kilometers from Ratanapura town to sri palabaddala.
From Ratnapura there is a bus service to Palabaddala. The schedule of buses is as follows.

First bus starts at 6.30 in the morning.
No of the Bus is 477.
Every 30 minutes there are buses until 19.15 PM (7.15 pm)
Last bus is at 19.15(7.15PM)

For more details you can contact Ratnapura Deport on 045-2222281.