Richmond Castle

It is a castle situated in Palathota, Kaluthara which is approximately 2km from Kaluthara town. If you are travelling from Colombo, you have to take a right from the clock tower junction. There is a bus (Kethhena) which is not reliable, as it is working only on an hourly basis. There are three wheelers you can hire for a fair price. You can purchase a ticket at the entrance and later you’ll have to hand it over to the guardian in-charge.

The castle was built in a land of 46 acres bordering Kalu Ganga on the back. If you are travelling on your own vehicle, you can take it near the castle after a half a kilometre drive under the shade of rubber cultivation.

Entrance is on the right side of the castle and you will be warmly welcomed by a representative from the Department of Public Trustee. If you are taking photographs, you need to update your particulars in a log book. Then, you’ll be given a detailed description of the history of the castle and the Mudaliyar who built it. The founder, a tycoon named Nanayakkara Rajawasala Appuhamilage Don Arthur De Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardena Pandikara Mudaliyar had built this castle after witnessing an eye catching sight of a castle in India. He had requested to share the technology and the architecture from the owner of the Indian castle. However, his request was turned down sarcastically saying that a Ceylonese cannot afford that much of money to build such a masterpiece. The determined Mudaliyar had sent a set of Sri Lankan architects to India and they have studied the castle from the outside and came up with blue prints their version. Only lime and sand has been used as local raw materials. Teak and other wood have been imported from Burma; marbles and tiles were imported from India and glasses, steel and iron were imported from UK and Italy. Two ship loads of timber have been used to build this and all the imported materials were shipped from their respective countries and transported via Kalu ganga to the construction site.

Front View

Back view

Side view

All the decorations on the wood were done locally and the artwork is belonging to Kandyan era. At the main entrance to the castle, the floor is made of marble and for conservation purposes; you are not allowed to step on. Also the magnificent staircase directing to the upstairs is restricted to use. ( It looks so beautiful, strong and well preserved, one can think it will last for another 100 years!!). There is another staircase which is used by the servants and you can use it to ascend the upstairs, which consists of bedrooms and office rooms in which, photographs of memorable events of the Mudaliyars were on display. Most of them are their wedding photos. There stands a portrait of the Mudaliyar at the entrance of the balcony and the uniqueness of the creation is, from viewed in different angles, it looks like the Mudaliyar is staring straight back at you.

Mudaliyar's mystery portrait

Staircase leading upstairs on either side

One important fact from his days for us to be proud as Sri Lankans was at his time, he had donated 2,500 rupees with an ambulance to the queen of England for the treatments of the wounded soldiers at the World War I.

Another wondrous fact about the castle was the glasses of all the windows and doors look dark from the outside but from the inside, it’s laden with decorations and we can see the outside from the inside but not the other way. The castle consisted of a concert hall for musical and dancing purposes and Mudaliyar and his wife had watched the entertainment events from the balcony which can be accessed from a spiral staircase from the side of the castle. There had been an air ventilation system which leads to Kalu ganga where the wind from the same will get transferred to the concert hall.

Glass Decorations

Wooden and glass artwork

The difference between a castle and an ancestral house is in castles, the end of the roof cannot be seen in any angle of the building whereas is houses, it is not. The front garden is strewn with statues of children as the Mudaliyar loved them but had none. He loved specially boys and on his last will, he had stated that this place is to be used as a recreational centre for boys. That proves the story of the statues too. The boys’ statues were facing the direction of the castle whereas the girls’ were looking away or down. That means the Mudaliyar had rejected girls. The Mudaliyar’s family life had been shattered probably due to issues with not having children and subsequently they have separated. The wife, Mrs. Silva Wijesinghe had gone back to her parents at Colombo and lived there until she died on 1970 s. The Mudaliyar had donated all his wealth including the castle and the property to the government and lived in the Queens hotel, Kandy. He had succumbed to a heart attack in 1946. As per his last will, the Richmond Castle now is an orphanage to boys who have guardians but poverty stricken. They stay in rooms which the servants’ quarters used to be. The rooms at the ground floor are now used as Montessori classrooms. However, in Montessoris, both the girls and boys have the eligibility to study.

Garden

Girls' statues facing out

Girls' statues facing out

A valuable lesson we can get into our lives from Mudaliyar’s last days was there are things that money cannot buy. It is obvious that even with a majestic mansion and loads of wealth, Mudaliyar’s life had not been a happy and content one. That is why all these properties are now owned by the government and we have access to this splendid creation. Otherwise, the castle may still owned by the next generation of Silva Wijesinghes’ with all the pride and majesty.

Yapahuwa

The easiest and most convenient way of reaching to Yapahuwa by public transport is using the train. You have to get down from Maho junction. There is a train leaving for Vavniya (Yaal Devi) on 5.45am from Colombo Fort. It will take you to Maho by around 8.40 am. From there, you have to take Galtamwewa bus and it’ll be a 20 minutes ride. You will easily find the place to get down as the Yapahuwa rock could be seen and sign boards are placed by the main road.

Before you commence your hike up to the rock, we suggest you to visit the small museum down by the car park. There is a friendly and talkative caretaker from the Dept. of Archaeology who gives you ample amount of information about the history and present condition of the once magnificent kingdom.

Yapahuwa was only a kingdom for 12 years but a lot has been done for that short period of time. (We don’t have to describe, go see it for yourself) The only king ruled during this period was the King Buwanekabahu. There, you will see the evidences of proof that our ancestors were a great nation of stone craftsmen. There is a unique artefact which could be seen on the entrance which used to be a ventilation panel of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, where the sacred tooth relic kept at the era of the King Buwanekabahu. The most significant feature of the ventilation panel is the pierced carving stone plaque and you will see neat rows of cravings of swans, horses and Dharma Chakras. There are exactly the same cravings on the flip side of the stone board. This ventilation panels have been placed on either sides of the entrance to the Dalada Maligawa. The other panel is at the Colombo National Museum, we learnt. There is a board saying “No Photographs” so we obliged by the rules.

There was a military leader named “Yasa” in the Polonnaruwa era and he had been living on this rock and that time and when the King Buwanekabahu came into power, it was named as Yasa Pawwa (Pawwa means rock in Sinhalese) and then it transformed to Yaha Pawwa and then to Yapahuwa. We got all these information thanks to our friendly curator. He is more than willing to share his knowledge and experience with you, but do not linger there for so long as the sun is so hot in this area and it’ll make your climb a daunting task.

There were ruins of water canals from the outer parts of the fortress and those have been used for protection of the fortress. At the base, there is a temple and at the entrance you could see a fully blossomed Sal tree enchanting the air with its pleasant fragrance. We would advise you not to go to the bottom of the tree as there are huge Sal nuts and normally it weighs around 7kg! A falling nut can even kill you.

Then comes the most important part of the journey. Climbing up… The steps are steep and it almost rises to an angle of 70 degrees.  If you focus intensely and keep your balance well, it will be a piece of cake but there is a hand rail for support if you are not confident enough. After the steep climb, you’ll see the most fascinating part of the journey. It is the beautiful stone cravings of the entrance to a once Dalada Maligawa. The most significant of those is the lions on either side of the entrance. It is so popular and once it was used on a 10 rupee note in Sri Lanka. The replicas of these can be seen often in entrances in Sri Lankan houses. We later learnt that during British colonial period, one of the lions was shot by a British as he mistakenly identified it as a lively beast of a lion. The crafts on either side are so precise and symmetric and it will give you great angles for photography so that you can keep your cameras busy and take a rest. Then you can resume your uphill journey. The rest of the climb is not so easy and the steps are steep and not uniform. However, we are sure the climb is much easier now than the bygone era. Our ancestors were much stronger than us and the steps must have been built accordingly. The climb is a great exercise for thighs and knees and it’s a fat killer too. You’ll be sweating profusely under the scorching sun and humid weather. There are no winds to dry off your sweat so you’ll have to use your hankies.

On the top of the rock, there are some ruins of the king’s palace and a dagoba. Also there is a pond that used to supply water and now it is in a sorry state with murky water. There is a little place to rest at the top but there is a nice cave which can hold around 20 at a time, just below the top of the rock. There is ample space to sit and have a sip of water.

Climbing down is as difficult as the climbing up as you need to concentrate and control your footsteps. The stairs are steep and you’ll be pulled down effortlessly by the gravitational force. You specially have to focus on your rhythm of movement. If you are not holding on to a support, one miss step, you’ll be on the bottom of the stairs in no time…

You can have your lunch at the Maho town. We later learnt that Maho is famous for Pol Rotti which we didn’t have a chance to try out. So when you visit, make sure you give it a go. There are trains heading to Colombo on 12.50 pm (intercity coming from Batticoloa) and a slow train leaves at 1.00 pm. If you missed both, then next train will be at 4.00 pm. Well, if you want to spend more time at Yapahuwa or Maho, you have that luxury too. 

Delgamuwa Raja Maha Viharaya

This is another ancient temple in Kuruwita in which the sacred tooth relic had been hidden from Portogese in a grinding stone. The stone is still protected safely inside the temple after more than 500 years. The vicinity surrounding the temple had been invaded by human habitats and most of the temple had been rebuilt. However, the majesty of the bygone era is still remains in the architecture.

Diwaguhawa

This is another ancient cave situated in Rathnapura district not far from Batadombalena. This cave is known as Batathotalena and  Bagawalena too. This is a sacred place where devotees coming all across the country to worship and get blessings. It is also one of the sixteen most sacred places (solosmasthana) in Sri Lanka. If you are going in a vehicle, you have to park it on the vehicle park at the bottom of the mountain in which the cave located. You will have to take a steep path to go up and it is not so difficult as the steps are built on most of the journey up. There are various types of vendors on either side of the path begging you to buy something from them. You don't have to worry about them as you can buy anything you want on the way back. Why carry an extra weight on an uphill journey?? At the time when we visit there, a construction was on progress to build up a resting house for the monks. As a contribution, you can take a can of concrete stones up. We suggest you to take one (or two if you can) up. It's a great deed and good measure to check your fitness level!

As you enter the cave, first thing you feel is the dampness inside the air and the floor. It is due to the water coming down from the top of the cave. The water is collected on to a pond in which a statue of a huge frog is built in the middle. 

 There is a set of people who act as guardians of the cave temple and when you go inside, you will be able to listen to a lecture in Sinhalese about the history of the cave. An excerpt of his lecture is as follows.

"When the lord Buddha had visited Sri Lanka on Kelaniya, he also paid his blessings on the Adam's peak, mostly known as Sri Padaya. On the way back, to subside his fatigue, he rested himself with another 500 monks in this cave. He did it in the noon time and hence the name derived as Divaguhawa (the cave of the noon). 
After that, King Nissankamalla from the Polonnaruwa era had built a Buddha statue here and after some time, this cave has been lost in the jungle without a human touch. According to a myth, at the era of king Nissankamalla, there had been a visit of a king Lambakarna from India and he was accompanied by an Anthahpuraya ( a group of wives for the king). There was one wife who was so fond of king Nissankamalla and when the other wives got to know this, they bad mouthed to the king against this woman. The king had killed her and later she had born as a demon and lived in this cave preventing from anyone entering the cave premises. 

After that, in 15th October 1995, most venerable Balangoda Ananda Maithree thera had discovered this place, covered in a thick jungle. Another myth says at the time of discovery, there had been problems from demons and some supernatural forces. Also on the pond below, there were thousands of frogs forming a barrier to enter into this place. Later, the thera had built a statue of a large frog and performed an alms giving for 100 monks and 50 Silmanis and then only the evil forces ceased. As a tribute to Balangoda Ananda Maithree Thera, there is a statue of himself inside. "

There is a Ghantara ( a huge bell) and the sri pada mountain is visible on this vantage point. You may ring the bell similar to the times you have visited the sri pada. 

There is a shrine inside the cave and a reclining Buddha statue which belongs to Polonnaruwa era.It has been refurbished several times. The outer walls of the shrine is covered with paintings which belongs to an era under which Sri Lanka has been under English invasion. This is what I observed by looking at the paintings specially the one below. It has an inscription saying Buddha Warsha 2450 which says year 1906 which was under British ruling. Therefore, this cave had been discovered for some period of time between Polonnaruwa era and the present. 

Batadombalena

Batadombalena is one of the pre-historic places where the famous Balangoda Manawaya or the Balangoda Man had lived. This cave is situated about 5km from the Kuruwita town which is a suburb of Rathnapura. You need to hike up a mountain with thick jungle to get there so we strongly advice you to come prepared for the hike. Especially, this place is full of leeches who  eagerly waiting for your blood. Therefore, we advise you to take some soap with you to chase away the fellows. It is advisable to wear a short with sandals or slippers because you need to travel through small streams from time to time. There is only a board from the Department of Archaeology and a board showing the way up. If you are travelling in a vehicle, you need to park it by the boutique near the path leading to the jungle and start your hike. It is advisable you take some water bottles along with you. 

On your way up, you are invading the territory of leeches, giant hakarallas, giant ants and spiders. Believe me, other than the leeches, all the others are harmless even though they look creepy. Leave the guys alone and be on your way. You will find a small stream of water running parallel to the path and the water is so clear and clean you think you could even drink! You will not see the sunlight for most of the journey as you are going through a thick jungle. The ground and the surrounding rocks are ever wet due to the same reason. 

Once you go up passing the thick jungle, you will be amazed to see a rubber plantation. At that time, you might think that you have taken a wrong turn but do not change course, go right up and you will find the cave, magnificently rising on it's all pride of thousands years of history. The sad fact is apparently, this area had been cleared recently to cultivate rubber. If this cave also surrounded with a thick jungle, that will be more beautiful and also will give more protection to the ancient caves as the direct sunlight could fast track the decaying/ peeling off process of the rocks.  

You will find an excavation site in the main cave. Inside the main cave, it is so cool and the cave is so huge it could accommodate around 1000 people at a time. If you are interested in rock/cave expedition, you will find a lot of varieties inside. There are crevices inside the cave some are so deep you can walk right in. 

Outside the caves, you will find a small waterfall which is falling down from the top of the caves. If you walk to the other side of the rock, you will find some nice photo angles of the rocks and the waterfalls. However, be careful as the rocks are extremely slippery. We advise you to wear a slippers/sandals with a better grip and do not step on to the dead leaves as they could cover the crevices between boulders. One loose step, you will be 10-15 down probably breaking a limb or bang your head on a rock for the worst case!

On the way back, go through on the stream for a change! The water is so cool so they could sooth your aching soles and believe me, it's fun...In some places, it's challenging as you have to jump from rock to rock etc...If you are not feeling not confident, you can always take the ground path. It is advisable you keep your foot only on the rocks which are submerged under water. The rocks which have emerged from water are extremely slippery.
The rest of the hike back down is fast and easy. You just have to lift your feet. The gravitational force will eventually take you down. 

As a general advise, please do not litter the virgin jungle with your stuff. Do not harm the creatures as they do not harm you. Even the leeches case, do not kill them, just take them off from your skin and throw away. Please do not enter this place under the influence of alcohol. Balance is a much needed skill needed on this hike... 

Maha Saman Devalaya - Rathnapura

This is the major Devalayas in the Sabaragamuwa province. Annual perahara is also performed as a centuries old tradition. This is situated in Rathnapura, along the Panadura - Rathnapura highway, around 90km from Colombo. We strongly recommend you to go in a weekday because if you go on a weekend, obviously it is crowded and you will have to walk with a throng of devotees who are coming to visit this place from all over the country. Additionally, there is a museum on Devala premises and it is closed on weekends (so we didn't have the chance to go in). 

Devalaya is built on a higher level giving a panoramic view of the premises all around. It is protected with a parapet wall with a thickness of 2 feet and the wall is protected with a roof. 

Inside the Devalaya, you cannot take photographs without special permission from the guards.You will find an amazing stone inside a cabinet, which is keep on growing like a vine!. Since this is a solid rock, it doesn't need any support and it grows in a helical path. There is an ancient gun used to signal the commencement of the Perahara and we got to know it is still working. You will probably find many artifacts in the museum but remember to go in a weekday. 
There are allocated times where the daily Thewawas of the Devalaya is being held. The Kapu Mahaththayas or the guardians of the devalaya are reciting in a unique tone where I didn't here as such in another Devalayas in Sri Lanka. 

In the outside of the Devalaya, there is a place where a stage is made some 20 feet above the ground level. It is used to keep the Karanduwa (from the stage) on top of the leading tusker (ground level) of the devala perahara. 

There is a shrine for Buddha as well. It is situated in juxtapose of two shrubs neatly cut into a shape of an elephant. 

Ambulgama Temple - Sri Lanka

History:

You can find a history of this temple by the website of this temple

Click here

How to get there??

If you are taking the High Level road, you can use the 293 bus route starting from Homagama. From there, it will be a half an hour journey to the Ambulgama temple. You can get down straightaway at the temple so that you don’t have to walk. If you are taking the low level road, get down from Ambulgama junction and turn right (from Colombo) and you will have to walk 200m to  get there.

We would recommend that it is better if you could start your climb as early as possible. When the sun rises, you will get tired easily. Also avoid rainy days as the steps and rocks become slippery.

Climb

There are different levels of climbing and at the first level; you will find several Buddha status in different postures. The largest one being a standing pose and may be you can offer flowers/ light an oil lamp to start the climb (if you remember to bring along those stuff). In here you can see a nice scenery down but keep on climbing, there is more to come…

Next there is a “Pattini Devalaya” a shrine, offered for the Pattini deity

After you climb from the Pattini devalaya, you will find a mini Mihinthale. In a rock there are statues of Arahath Mahinda and his team of Bhikkus who first visited Sri Lanka to spread the noble message of Lord Buddha. In a little downwards, there is the King Devanampiyathissa whom Arahath Mahinda came across when he is out to deer hunting. If you observe more closely, there is a statue of that escaping deer.

Near those statues, you can find a cave and hardly there is sunshine coming down and it’ll be wet and cool even when you visit there in a hot sunny day. The less light and the reverberations of your voices through the caves will give you an eerie feeling.

Down there, it leads to another replica. It is of a Paththirippuwa in Dalada Maligawa, Kandy and as of now, it is still under construction.

You can turn back and start your climb up and this time, you will have to be quiet as there are some wasp combs on a huge rock. It seems that the little fellas have abandoned those but to be on the safe side, keep your mouths shut…

Underneath those caves, there is another set of colourful Buddha statues and do not forget to worship and offer a few coins into the “pin pettiya”.(by offering coins Buddhists believe that they will have the blessings of that sacred place)

Then comes the most difficult part of the climb but don’t worry there is a guard rail to keep you from falling same time guiding the way up. Watch your step specially if it is a rainy day. As you climb up, you will find another standing Buddha statue facing the infinite stretch of beautiful landscape of Colombo district. You will be amazed about the greenery and the mountains which the highly commercialized Colombo district has. Down there you can see a branch of Kelani river flowing gracefully. There are beautiful huts which used as brick stoves. You can stay as long as you want enjoying the beauty down there.

When you walk across the summit of the mountain, you will find another Buddha statue facing the opposite direction of the 1^st Buddha statue.

 From there also you will get a beautiful scene but this time your photos may have been polluted with some factories scattering around the mountains. That gives us a feeling how the natural beauty is wasted and we cannot be sure how long we are to enjoy the scenery of the rest of the virgin landscape.

Climbing down is a not a daunting task and if you feel tired, there is a small boutique on the opposite site of the road to have refreshments. We would recommend buying few packets of tasty murukku from there to enjoy on the way your journey back home.

If you are a photography enthusiast, this is a heaven to have some nice shots. We would suggest you to take along a wide angle lens and of course a telephoto lens to take closer shots down the hill. If you visit there at the times of sunrise and sunset, we are sure that you will capture splendid images of the sun and the surroundings.