Sri Pada Pilgrimage (Rathnapura route)

There are 3 main routes leading to the summit of the Sri Pada Mountain or better known as Adam’s Peak. Hatton, Rathnapura and Kuruwita are the routes. Hatton is straight, steep climb and the distance is less and therefore, it is the most popular route of all. However, Rathnapura and Kuruwita routes are a bit tough and the distance to cover to climb up to the summit is more.

If you are climbing from the Rathnapura route, you have to start your climb at Sri Palabaddala. Public transport is also available but it is advisable if you could hire a vehicle as it is more useful on your return journey after an exhausting hike. At the starting point, you will not be able to see the Adam’s peak. You have to hike a long way!!!

It is very important to pack the things you want for the pilgrimage. Best thing is to climb light. However, since this is a long journey, food and water is also important to carry. Therefore, you have to strike a balance between these two. Pack your food items in light containers. When packing, do it in a way to save space in your backpack. Do not take your sweater inside your bag. Tie it around your waist instead. Carry as much food which gives as much energy as possible. Chocolate, biscuits, dates and even banana would also be an excellent choice. However, if you are travelling during the pilgrimage season, everything is available on the way. There are a number of wayside boutiques along the route. However, due to obvious reasons, the prices are very high. Additionally, you cannot expect good hygiene conditions on these food and drinks too. Therefore, you have to strike a balance there also by selecting your own food and buying from the boutiques. Also, carry some emergency kit with you including treatments for extreme cold, wheeze, cramps and exhaustion. Few packets of glucose will come in handy. Also, carry a torch with you as the streetlights do not cover the entire path along the way.

Before you start the climb, you have to get the permission (blessing) from the Sri Sumana Saman deity who is the sole protector of the Adam’s peak and the entire surroundings. There is a temple at Sri Palabaddala and you may get the blessings as per your religion.

When you start climbing, you will feel the atmosphere is very humid and you will get exhausted quickly. The pilgrimage route consists of three different climate zones. At first it’s  so humid and sunny and you will be sweating profusely. When climbing up, you will enter another climate zone and you will feel the humidity is dropping down and you may feel comfortable and cool under the shade of huge trees in the Samanala Nature Reserve.  

Entrance to the Samanala Nature Reserve, where the 1st climate change takes place

There is another temple where the paths of Rathnapura and Kuruwita connects and when you climb past that, you may feel that you have entered into another climate zone. Now, the cold weather had started and the climate and the surrounding almost like in the Horton Plains. 

The Temple area where the 2nd climate change takes place

There is a place called “geththampana” where a huge web of white thread is formed by the devotees going there for the first time. The idea of this ritual is earlier, when the devotees going through the thick jungle, their clothes may be torn on the way. Before going to the Adam’s peak temple, they had to mend their clothes. For that, other devotees kept a stock of thread and needles. That same thing continues even if nobody needs to mend their dresses. 

A section of the web formed by white threads

The most arduous part of the climb is the top part of the mountain in which the steps are almost build at 90⁰ inclination. This part of the mountain is called “Mahagiridambe”.

On the top, you may worship, get the blessings according to your religion and the ritual is, after worshipping the Sri Pada, devotees ring the temple bell (Gantara) number of times equal to the number of times they have made their pilgrimage to Sri Pada.

Part of the temple at the top

Gantaraya

 Rising of the sun early in the morning is one of the famous and the most breath-taking sight anyone could ever see. When the crowd at the top is more, you will not be able to stay longer and asked to climb down.

If you look around, there is plenty of beauty to experience

A scenic view on the way down 

A range of mountains 

Early morning sun rays cutting the Adams peak in half

 The descend along the Rathnapura route is as difficult as the climbing. You may even need the aid of a walking stick to prevent the painful impact on your knees when climbing down. Another important tip to keep in mind is not to take longer breaks during the descend. If you do that, you will be exhausted easily and your muscle and joint pain will intensify with every step you take. Best thing is to keep going, taking small rests without even sitting down. That way, your body will get accustomed to the rhythm and the climbing down time will be less.

When you head home, you may have a bath at the Seetha Gangula on the way. The water is so cool and soothing and your fatigue will be significantly diminish after the bath. It is a ritual to have a bath there before the pilgrimage too. 

Bo-Ella

It is accessible from Kondeniya road off the Colombo – Kandy main road in the same Uthuwankanda area. Bo ella creates from the Ma Oya, in a place around 3km from the main road, along Kondeniya road. A newly built Ambalama (rest house) is there to have rest or even take a nap! Concrete steps have been built all the way down to the river. Bo ella is not a tall waterfall but the water current is so fierce in the rainy season and it will flow down covering all the rocks on either side of the river. 

The Place where Saradiyel Jumped off to the other side

Bo-Ella

It is said that Saradiyel used to jump over the waterfall to escape from the police and the police would abandon the chase fearing to jump over the waterfall like Saradiyel. One policeman had got himself killed by trying that. Since the water is flown down with such a force, there is a deep pool created underneath the waterfall and many lives have been lost trying to swim near the waterfall and therefore, it is advisable not to choose such places for bathing.

There are shady spots with huge Kumbuk trees where you can have your snacks or meals.

Landscape along the river

 The whole area looks so serene and quiet in a working day (we heard that it is full of people in weekends) and you will get a glimpse of the mighty mountain Alagalla from Bo-ella waterfall. 

Saradiyel rock

Located in a walking distance from Uthuwankanda in Colombo Kandy road, Saradiyel rock was the famous Sri Lankan Robin Hood Saradiyel’s hideout. Climbing up to the mountain is not a difficult task and if you are travelling in a private vehicle, you can take all the way up to the middle of the mountain where you have enough space to park the vehicle and hike up. The only challenge is the beat up the heat. Therefore, it is advisable to take ample amount of water with you.

On top of the main rock, there is another boulder which looks like a fist. Climbing up there is an arduous task and there you’ll need rock climbing techniques. However, there is not enough room to keep more than 3-4 people on the top.

Top of the rock

Scene from the top of the mountain

View of the Colombo - Kandy road from the top

When climbing down, you can find a cave and a secret passage which leads all the way down to Ma-Oya which is flowing under a bridge in Mawanella. The cave is full of bats and their droppings and the air is putrid with the smell of the bat droppings. If you can beat the stench and if you do not have the claustrophobia you can see a flat rock which Saradiyel used as his bed. The secret passage could be visible but it is advisable not to go in as there is a risk of being lost as nobody has ever used the passage after Saradiyel’s era.

Cave entrance

Down the rock, there is a newly built Saradiyel Village which is maintained under the supervision of a well-known doctor in Mawanella area. 

Mini retirement in Polonnaruwa

We took a Polonnaruwa bound bus @4.15 am from Colombo and reached our destination around 10.30 am. There are buses working in half an hourly basis and they are really fast! (Otherwise, how could we cover a span of 240.km in six hours? Don’t forget there are traffics in major cities like Kurunegala and ever busy junctions like Peliyagoda. After reaching Pololnnaruwa, the next bus to catch was Diyasenpura which is starting from Kaduruwela. We learnt that the bus is not working regularly. However, we were lucky enough to catch the bus leaving from 11.00am at the hospital junction. Our destination was the Lankapura Maha Vidyalaya where one of our friends teaching there. First thing which noticed of the school children was the simplicity of their lifestyle. I wish I could go to school again, this time to a school like this where children do not know about a competition and rivalry. Instead, they help each other and living like brothers and sisters of a closely knitted family. The principal and teachers are treating them like their own children. They seem to know about every individual child personally and would do anything to help a child to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

School premises; a heaven under the scorching sun

Somawathie Temple

We hired a van from Lankapura and drove through beautiful surroundings on our way to Somawathie temple which is 25km from Lankapura. There were small villages where multi ethnic groups living in harmony and the next; it was the beautiful greenish paddy fields far as the eyes can see. On the next, a huge reservoir nourishing the paddy fields and finally, it was a thick jungle where we saw bunches of peacocks like crows in the streets of Colombo.

A lake;  on the way

On the way to Somawathie Temple

 We saw a wild elephant on the way. He seemed a little nervous by our presence and shied away deeper into the jungle. Somawathie temple is located in the middle of Somawathie natural reserve and there is a road leading to Seruvila some 54.km away. We went to see the newly built bridge for the purpose of getting to the other side of the mighty Mahaweli River.

Somawathie Stupa

Statues circling the stupa

Sun down in juxtapose with statues

At Somawathie, constructions were under way to some buildings of new rest houses for both bhikkus and for devotees. All the new buildings were built raised above the ground level and connected with a network of bridges, probably to get away from the wild elephants that come to worship the sthupa. We saw an elephant very nearby to the temple. He seemed oblivious to the constructions and the human presence, and was peacefully munching some leaves.

Coming back

We spent the night in a temple in Lankapura with the courtesy of the chief incumbent thera. We had dinner at one of our friend’s place and the dinner was mostly filled with pleasant conversations of their agricultural lifestyle.

Village tour

On the next day, we had a bicycle tour around the village and breathed in the beauty of the village life with paddy fields. We were able to talk to few farmers. 

Paddy fields with saplings

Early morning dew drops on the saplings

Hut and the coconut tree, posing nicely for the photograph

They were very genuine and even though we were strangers from the city, they treated us like their own neighbours. After having breakfast back at the temple, we packed our bags to explore our next place on our way back home.

Parakrama Samudraya

One has to pass the Polonnaruwa town and take a left along a canal which carrying the water from the Parakrama Samudraya reservoir. Even though we were under scorching sun, we never felt it because we were mesmerized by the beauty and the vastness of the lake. The environment was so calm and quite other than the gentle lapping of the waves. 

Parakrama Samudraya

Parakrama Samudraya 2

We met a lonely elderly gentleman who came to catch some fish for his meal. There was a canoe, puddled by able young men and our old gentleman explained how they catch fish laying a net and trapping a herd of fish. He further said it is for commercial purpose. We took some photographs of him trying in vain to catch a fish which he hadn’t succeeded on the past 2-3 hours since he came to the lake. We wished him luck and long-life and bid farewell. He taught that the life is not always fair, but we felt that it is still good.

Our old gentleman - the dark sky shows the uncertainty of the weather; a catch for this poor person is equally uncertain, just like the sky

Waiting all alone for a fish to catch his bait, the empty space above the water supports his loneliness. 

Exploring the ancient city

The rest of the day was spent on exploring the ruins of ancient city of Polonnarwa era. It is a sad fact to see a proper conservation is not being carried out as we saw some ancient brick walls strewn on either side of the main road and vendors have converted them into makeshift stalls.

A dead tree, still doing it's duty; making a wonderful scenery

A pond, well preserved. Please let us protect these!!

Reclining Buddha statue at the Gal Viharaya - never losing the tranquility

Road is free and open for a ride!!!

The best thing you could do is to hire a bicycle which you could afford for a maximum Rs.350 per day and you can take your time and roam around the ruins.

We took a bus around 3.00 pm and reached Colombo by 8.30 pm

Summing up

It was a wonderful travelling experience, being away from the busy city and stay two days with serene village life. It will be in our memories for the rest of our lives. The people in the village are surprisingly genuine and do not have high hopes. Their lifestyle is so simple and they seem enjoying the simplicity of their lives to the fullest. They further convinced us there are a lot of things money cannot buy and as people from the city, we envy them on every single moment spent in their tranquil lives. 

Galle Fort

It is the most easily accessible and one of the most remarkable hotspots in travelling. The ancient city of Galle is so popular because of the Dutch fort surrounding magnificent buildings dated back in the sixteen hundreds. If you are interested in the architecture, photography and the sea breeze all together, there is no place else than the Galle Fort.

Thanks to the Southern Expressway, you can reach Galle in one and half hours. However, we decided to take our same old Galle Road and the plan was to use the highway for the return journey. If you are getting there by bus, the final stopping point of the bus is near the fort. When you entered  through the ancient, but still strong stone walls, you will find yourself in a place like in  Hollywood movies. There are enormous numbers of alleys connected together making a network. The best way is to take one of the alleys leading to the right and get to the clock tower and circle along the fort.

Entrance to the Fort

There is a staircase leading to the outer part of the fort and it is a vantage point to view the entire city of Galle on one side and the breath-taking ocean on the other. You can walk along the outer fort all the way near to the lighthouse standing almost on the opposite side of the outer fort. On the way you will come across great shooting angles of the ocean which is as blue and clear as the sky above. There are even places where you can scale down the fort and dip into the sea. It is advisable to do this only when the sea is calm as there were no lifeguards present around the vicinity.

View of one of the land sides

Scenic view from the Fort

Scenic view from the Fort 2

Lighthouse

Walk along the outer fort will have to be discontinued at the lighthouse and you can take any of the many alleys leading to whatever place you want to be. The buildings and the surroundings are so beautiful you may not want to leave the place in a hurry. Other important hangout you must visit is the Marine museum and Dutch museum. The latter is a privately owned one but the entrance is free. The former requires 500/= to 625/= if you are a foreigner.

The Dutch Museum consists of various types of pottery, cutlery, ancient utensils, stones, weapons and even there are people doing old deeds such as knitting using Beeralu. The other museum is the Marine museum which is  a state owned one and the building itself is over 300 years old where it was a warehouse during the Dutch period. If you are interested in history, there are detailed descriptions on the artefacts.  Another magnificent building we came across was the All Saints Church. It is also more than 300 years old building but standing tall against all the other buildings like it is the god that serves the others.

Traditional crafts (live in action) - Dutch Museum

A Raft (Marine Museum)

Replica of an ancient ship. A cross section of it's hull lies nearby (Marine Museum)

Bodhisathwa statue (Marine Museum)

Apart from that, the place is full of souvenir shops and dining places. The target customers are the foreigners in most of these businesses. Therefore, the price of the products/services offered is a little bit on the higher side J

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.