the view from the cave 

Lit by the sun from dawn to dusk

By Damitha Hemachandra

The morning showers sweeping across Batathota turned into a sudden burst of sunshine clearing the mountain tops around the Batathota cave temple from the mists and giving way to a rare show of Adam’s Peak that seemed to touch the sky.

Built by King Nissankamalla, Batathota cave temple is believed to be the long lost ‘Divaguhava’, where Buddha spent his afternoon during his third visit to Sri Lanka at the request of King Maniakkitha.
It is said that Buddha who visited Kelaniya, the kingdom of King Maniakkitha, was invited to leave his footprint on Adam’s Peak by god Saman.
During his visit to Adam’s Peak, Buddha spent his afternoon at a cave facing east, which received sunshine from daybreak to sunset. Many believe that Batathota cave temple is the ‘Divaguhava’ found at last.
Batathota cave temple too is lit up by the sun from dawn to dusk, thanks to a special phenomena created by nature. Five mountain peaks, which stand tall opposite the cave, reflect sunrays into the cave throughout the day illuminating the cave for nearly 12 hours a day.
The cave also matches the measurements of the aforementioned Divaguhava.
King Nissankamalla visited this cave during his visit to Adam’s Peak and built the Batathota cave temple, which stands today well protected against natural destruction.
Much of the original architecture of the building still remains while some of cave paintings are beginning to the show signs of stress with time.
The makara-thorana at the main entrance of the temple however, holds special significance since it is a structure of one of a kind. The two sides of the makara-thorana are different from each other while many similar structures display comparable sides.

The cave temple also comprises a standing, sitting and sleeping statue of Buddha built during the Polonnaruwa period and many cave paintings too have been linked to the Polonnaruwa period.

Meanwhile, recent investigations into the historical past of the Batathota cave temple have revealed additions to the main structure. Most of the statues have received retouching at later stages.

The Batathota cave temple was rediscovered in 1908 and renovated. It had been damaged by treasure hunters and nature.

Although the renovations have changed the face of the old temple, the old sal trees can be still seen in full bloom tallying with the story that ‘Divaguhava’ stands amidst a sal forest in full bloom around the year.
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Getting there....
The Batathota cave temple is situated on the Kuruwita-Erathna road leading to Adam’s Peak. A 30-minute journey takes you to the foot of the Batathota mountain and a steep climb through stone paved steps leads to the Batathota cave temple.

From the Batathota cave temple you can see numerous oil lamps shining in the temples on Adams’ Peak at night while pilgrims who reach the top of Adam’s Peak can see the lamps shining at Batathota cave temple.

You can see Buddhist flags at the temple on Adam’s Peak with the help of binoculars from Batathota.

a view from the cave 

the entrance to the cave  

Sthripura Cave hauntingly mysterious

By Damitha Hemachandra

Situated in the middle of the Batathota forest is the most interesting cave system. Although it looks like a cave straight out of a ghost story, the myths and legends behind the Sthripura cave and the journey towards it, make the cave one of the most interesting caves of all. The story of yore is that a minister of King Nissankamalla, who was ordered to oversee the construction of the Batathota cave temple, imprisoned his concubines there during his stay at Batathota.

However, one young local princess called Rathnamali, who was forced into Sthripura, refused to give up her old lover and had to pay with her life at the entrance to the cave.
It is said that the angry souls of the two young lovers haunt the cave. The villagers report seeing a female form standing at the entrance to the cave.

Getting there.............
Sthripura is sited close to the more known Batathota cave temples on Batathota range. Situated on the Kuruwita-Erathna road it is nearly 30 minutes journey from Kuruwita. However, there is no road leading to the cave and visitors have to get the help of villagers as a guide.

Do it yourself!
The ultimate challenge- Try braving the caves and challenging the nearly 700- year- old legend but don’t do it alone. The cave narrows with every step and one might need strong flashlights, ropes and tape to mark the way. Caution: Do not attempt to brave the path alone. A stranger could easily get lost

The villagers fondly call the female spirit, Kantamari, and say that she doesn’t think twice to try her anger out on anyone who comes within her vicinity. Yet the most interesting is the adamant refusal of the villagers to trespass inside the pond in the cave. According to our able young guide, Rukmal, anyone who continues into the cave across the pond is bound to never return and none have been brave to take the risk. One look into the depths of the cave that narrows at every step as you advance, making you crawl after the first few meters, you will find that it is now a famous haunt of large numbers of bats. This could be another reason why the villagers and visitors keep away from it. However, the main reason why no one bothers to visit the cave is the trying journey. One wrong step and you’ll find yourself slipping into a nearly 300 metre fall!
It is a crawl up the mountain through stones, fallen trees and steep slopes, fighting blood sucking leeches and sometimes pouring rain at every step.
Despite every attempt to keep away the leeches at bay and getting scratches from fallen trees, I found myself with several scratches on my face, hands and legs, with leeches all over.
Yet, the view from the cave entrance towards the five mountain peaks which surround the Batathota range is spectacular and breathtaking and worth every scratch, fall and leech bite, I thought.
Kunudiya Parvathaya, Varanagala Peak, Adav Kanda, Lasyakanda, Parathala Kanda and the Adam’s Peak stand majestically opposite the cave entrance. Standing at the cave entrance surrounded by forest and looking over the mountain range one can forget all the atrocities of a wicked minister of yore for a moment, one who decided to make Sthripura his temporary home.

stone pestle 

Through the passage of time

By Damitha Hemachandra

Daily Mirror of November 14, 2002

It is as old as Kandyan history or perhaps older. It was home to more than eight generations of Elapathas. Situated on the banks of the Walawe River, Elapatha Walauwa still stands as it is used to more than 400 years ago. A bumpy and rocky road took us to the Walauwa, which stands on high ground.


Surrounded by ancient trees, the first glance of the Walauwa gives the impression of an ancient man surrounded by all his old companions.

However, time has changed his face. The once lime-smooth floor has been replaced with floor tiles.

The old verandah, which used to surround the whole house, is now restricted to the front with added bedrooms for the new generations to sleep in.

The dignity of the ancient Elapatha Walauwa still remains with its simple but elegant wood-worked door and window frames, its Sinhala ulu laid roof, its antiques, huge barns and shady courtyards.

The sitting area of the house has been altered over the years. “Most of the furniture is scattered around the many generations with few remaining at the Walauwa today,” the present owner of the Walauwa, Samudra Elapatha said.
Many attractions remain in the courtyard and one of them is the huge barn with three parts to store different kinds of paddy.

The barn is made out of Jak wood and is smoked to keep the insects out. It stands on six stone pillars away from mice and rats. During the harvest season, it is the tradition to light three bonfires and fill the barn with smoke. Thus, the paddy lasts long and in good condition. A ladder is used to reach the doors of the barn.

Another attraction is the old acid bath. It was imported to Sri Lanka nearly 250 years back containing acid for the budding rubber industry at that time. The container, which is made out of stone, is now used to nurture paddy seeds.

The old lamp collection adds light to the antique collection. An array of lamps used during various periods still hangs although unused. Many are made out of metal while the comparatively new ones are of glass.

Grindstones and pestles, which are abandoned in the courtyard, too are from various time periods.

The once over-taxed and massive pestles lie to rest in the shade today and only come to life during the harvest season. The pestle is designed to be used by three or four people at one time. They walked around the pestle singing folk songs ‘to make the work glide by’.

Farming and mining instruments were stored under the barn as it was the rainy season some lie scattered until their service is required.

Another interesting collection is the hansi putu, found almost everywhere in the Walauwa. These hansi putu have their own story to tell and one can see the evolution of their carpentry style by comparing one with the other.

The house itself is a showpiece of evolution as there have been many changes with time to which every lady of the house has added her own contribution.

The Elapatha Walauwa is ancient, full of secrets, surprises and stories of intrigue. It was standing when the country was governed by a king, when a coup was organised to oust the king, when the British took over. It has sheltered generations of Elapathas, famous and infamous, including the famous Elapatha Mudliyar. It saw so much and it heard so much and it could relate stories of love, fame and agony if its walls could speak. If only they could…


(http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/features/20011117passage_of_time.htm)

Charmed by ancient beauty

Daily Mirror – September 5, 2002

The story of this little brown church began even before World War I, when St. Andrew’s was another picturesque church on a hill, covered by the rising mists of Haputale. Most of its parishioners were well-to-do families of British and local planters.

The atmosphere of this little parish seemed timeless and peaceful then. Life flowed placidly in the little parish scattered with many happy weddings and christenings and a few melancholy funerals now and then.

The interior of the church is small but comfortable and well furnished. The pews and kneelers are richly laid with red velvet and leather to suit the blissful lifestyle of those bygone days. The sides of the pews are decorated with beautiful woodcarvings.

The pulpit and the confessional room too are richly laid with velvet and adorned with woodcarvings which belong to the Victorian architectural school.

The altar is surrounded by stained glass windows imported from Scotland and depict the significant events in the life of Jesus.

A small but tastefully done wood railing separates the altar from the other parts of the church. The pulpit still stands majestically with the Bible stand, which holds bibles two centuries old.

An ancient marble baptismal font, now rarely used, and which was brought down from England, stands at the end of the church.

The walls of the church tell the story of changing times.

They tell of an era of war, death, bloodshed and hurt caused by the loss of loved ones.

Most of the tablets on the church wall were erected in honour of planters who lost their lives during World War I while some were erected in honour of parishioners who lost their lives while crossing the seven seas towards England on a journey homewards.

A few lately established tablets tell the story of lives lost through play and folly in the happy years of reconstruction and hopes for the dawn of independence in 1947, when several carefree youth were drowned while sea bathing at Mount Lavinia.

During both World Wars, the little brown church saw the fall and burial of most of its parishioners. The dire funeral ceremonies then outnumbered the gay and breezy baptisms and weddings.

After the granting of independence to Sri Lanka, most of the parishioners returned to their motherland, leaving little-England to face a tragic death.

They left behind their dead in the burial grounds of St. Andrews. Yet, here they rest undisturbed, guarded by the weeping willows and pines. Walking through the cemetery of St. Andrew’s the tombstones hide many untold, tragic stories of love, life and loss.

After Independence, the church faced numerous changes. The faces of parishioners changed rapidly and so did the faces of St. Andrew’s Church.

The faces of the rich planters disappeared while the number of middle class parishioners increased. The church does not have a priest in charge today but mass is said only on Sundays by a visiting priest to a gathering of 20-30 members.

Charmed by the delicate elegance and the serene beauty of the church, Christians from all over the country as well as abroad, come to St. Andrews to celebrate their weddings.

Children and descendants of colonial planters in Sri Lanka as well as Sri Lankans now living in foreign lands, inspired by tales of colonial Sri Lanka related to them by their ancestors, visit St. Andrew’s to get married.

On such days, the little brown church retains some of its original charm and beauty of the days of yore. But soon the visitors leave her lonely again, just like the colonial parishioners who did so more than 50 years back.

St. Andrew’s was a gift by the British government in Ceylon to the Church of Scotland for the benefit of Protestants and Christians of all other denominations.

An old church report states that the foundation stone of the church was laid on Wednesday April 7 in 1869, by the “Officer Administrative of the Government of Ceylon, Lieutenant General S.J. Hodgson in the presence of a large crowd.”

Construction of the small parish church was completed by the end of the same year and it was declared open for the use of the public on September 19, a Sunday, by revenue officer, G. Middleton, with the assistance of Rev. Joseph Bernart.

The report also states that Mr. Middleton spent a day at Nuwara Eliya before arriving in Haputale early on Sunday morning and then attended the inauguration function of St. Andrew’s. He stayed over at the Haputale Hotel in the Haputale pass, before returning to Colombo.

Out on a limb

By Damitha Hemachandra
Daily Mirror of October 24, 2002)

How many times have you seen a man or a woman with a physical impairment, get into a bus or stand near a bus stop, begging for a few rupees to assist themselves and their families? Have you ever wondered whether this should be their fate, with injured pride and dignity, begging for assistance because they lost a limb?

Sri Lanka has 290,000 people who have lost their hands and feet to the ongoing war of 17 years.

Another 920 lose their limbs yearly due to accidents and medical reasons. No matter how huge the numbers seem, Sri Lankan society is just not ready to admit the fact that physical impairment is no reason for these people to lead a life that is different from ours.

The Sri Lankan social structure is yet to be modified to make space for a population with physical impairment to lead a normal life.

Rupapala lost his right foot during a motorbike accident in 1978 and since then he has been growing vegetables to support his family. “It was a living hell during the first few years with no one to support me. I used crutches and a wheel chair and travelling was almost impossible,” he said. “I had to travel with my wife to all the places I went to, as I could not enter many of the buildings. No one would pay any attention as I am a disabled person,” he said. The situation is the same today after nearly 23 years.

Public transport as well as private buses, do not have facilities for a disabled person to travel. Although there is a different seat for the physically impaired, the steps in buses make it difficult for the physically impaired to get into the bus. Almost every building is without a slanted route for wheel chairs to enter and the physically impaired person has to use crutches to enter a building, which in turn makes him depend on another person. The situation could be worse for a person without hands. In Sri Lanka, private and public institutions are designed for people with a normal physical structure making it impossible for a person with a physical impairment to be independent.

Children can be most unfortunate if they are physically impaired. Under the Sri Lankan educational system, there are different schools for the physically handicapped “as if they have different IQ status,” explains a former director of the National Institute of Education.

A disabled child should be able to study in a normal school with normal children, sit for exams like others, seek higher education with them and in short ‘should be able to dream normal dreams like a normal child.’

Is this possible in Sri Lanka today? Can a physically handicapped child dream of being a lawyer or a doctor in Sri Lanka?

Is any private or public institution making an attempt to employ a physically disabled person at their institution? If you became handicapped today while you were employed, you could find yourself out of work and struggling to make ends meet, just like Rupapala did 23 years ago.

“A few years after losing my leg, I heard of the Jaipur Foot Programme and I came to the Jaipur Foot Centre in the late 1980s for assistance. This was just as they started,” Rupapala said.

During the last 15 years, the Jaipur Foot Programme has produced 15,000 artificial limbs for Sri Lankans who are physically impaired. Today, it is the only such place Sri Lanka can boast of.

“Most of the limbs are supplied free to the patients if we can find a donor. Soldiers, who lose their limbs at the battlefront receive government assistance to get an artificial limb but other individuals do not get any assistance from the government,” said the secretary of the Jaipur Foot Association, C. Siriwardhana. The patients are supplied free accommodation and food as long as the treatment lasts inclusive of the fixing of the artificial limb.

Rupapala remembers the first time he received an artificial leg.

“The physiotherapist made me do a lot of exercise to make my limb gain the right shape,” he said. According to the manager in charge of artificial limb production at the Jaipur Foot Association, M.N.K. Karunasena, this is done to prepare the stump and to make the stump into the right shape for the artificial limb.

“The lower end of the stump or the limb should be smaller or thinner than the upper end of the stump and should be without contraction,” he explained.

The patient has to do various exercises before the process of designing or making an artificial limb. When the stump is the right shape, the mould of the stump is taken using Plaster of Paris.

This mould is used to make the hard socket and the soft socket of the limb.

According to Mr. Karunasena, the soft socket is made out of soft rubber while the hard socket is made out of material ranging from aluminium or plastic. After preparing the limb, the patient’s foot is prepared according to the right size.

“If a patient has one remaining natural foot, we use its size to guide us with the artificial one but if he or she has lost both, we might have to decide the best size we think the patient would be able to manage with,” he said.

After preparing the limb, he or she has to be trained for a better walking style or method. This can take three days to three weeks depending on the situation of he patient. Rupapala was at the Jaipur Foot Centre for the fourth time to get his artificial limb fixed.” The limb may break after a few years of use,” he said. “Then I have to come back for another one.” There were other beginners limping their way trying to walk with their new artificial limb. One was Kithsiri who lost his leg in a landmine explosion last year. He was walking with a smile on his face trying to brave the pain.

“It is hard to walk during the first few days, especially as this is my first artificial leg,” he said. “I have finished my 12 years in the army and I am planning to return to a normal life with the help of the training I receive at Ranavirusevena,” he said. Soldiers who lose their limbs at the battlefront receive more facilities and also training at Ranavirusevena compared to a normal civilian who might have lost his or her leg or hand from an accident.

Soldiers are trained to face life and to develop various professional skills, which can be executed with an artificial limb. “We feel that every person with a physical impairment should receive that treatment at a private or government institution,” a volunteer at the Jaipur Foot Centre said.

Today everyone has to travel to Colombo to get an artificial limb. Think of a person living in Anuradhapura or Polonnaruwa or a landmine victim from Vuvuniya.

They might have to travel 24 hours to get to Colombo then stay in Colombo at least for another two to three weeks for physiotherapy and limb preparation and spend another 24 hours to get back home. Sometimes these people travel all the way to Colombo just to get their artificial limb fixed or repaired which only takes about two hours.

To make life a little bit easier for the patients living far away from the capital, the Jaipur Foot Association began a mobile service last month. “Our first mission was held at Polonnaruwa and we attended to nearly 50 patients within a week,” Mr. Siriwardhana explained. Forty-one new patients received artificial limbs.

“If someone can obtain an artificial limb within three days without undergoing hardship and not having been away from their homes, that would be our dream come true,” he said. “This could be easily done if the government takes the necessary steps to combine the Artificial Limb Programme with the general hospitals around the country.”

But the government is more of a hindrance than of help today.

Equipment and items necessary to manufacture Jaipur artificial limbs are imported under heavy taxation and few or no support is shown from the side of the government to the Jaipur Foot Programme.

“There is no programme available to support the physically disabled in Sri Lanka, no social security, nothing,” a volunteer at the Jaipur Foot Centre said.

“Every little bit of work is done by NGOs and social workers.”

Meanwhile, the physically impaired are left to fight their battle alone and cope with social stigma and indifference. The legal framework of the country does little to ensure the human rights and special rights of the disabled. The regulations and rules are merely left to the books due to the ignorance of the people. With a huge deficit in social support for the physically impaired population, life flows painfully for Rupapala, Kithsiri and thousands of others like them.

“If I only knew that my employer did not have the right to sack me just because I lost my limb, I would have fought for my rights,” Rupapala explains. But after 23 years it really does not matter anymore.

The little garden with the vegetable patches will always be a strength to him.

Misty past of Saman Devale

By Damitha Hemachandra

It has been a place of worship and miracles since time immemorial. First built by King Parakramabahu II, many centuries ago to fulfil a vow made by one of his ministers, Sabaragamuwa Saman Devalaya has withstood the worship of devotees as it has the abuse of the enemy throughout the centuries.

Legend has it that the Saman Devalaya was first built in 1270 by a minister who came to Sabaragamuwa to do gem- mining for the king. His first few attempts were fruitless and he was advised to make a vow at the hilltop where the present Saman Devalaya stands.
The attempt by the minister was successful after making the vow. The minister , true to his word, advised the king to build a shrine to god Saman who is believed to be the god protecting Sabaragamuwa. Many gem miners, who arrive in Sabaragamuwa the province of gems, even today make vows or 'bara' to Sumana Saman praying for good luck.

The Saman Devalaya was originally awarded 365 'Pidavili Gam' or villages, which were to supply essential items to the devalaya rituals while there were 40 'Ninda Gam', which supplied the devalaya with its income from King Parakramabahu II. However, according to the present Saman Devalaya Secretary , K.M.D.Mudiyanse Korala, most of these villages are lost today and cannot be identified except Eknaligoda, which does not function as a pidavili gama at the moment. " Most of them are lost to the estate culture," he said.
During the Kotte Era, Saman Devalaya received more homage from the king of the country, King Parakramabahu VI. He added more space and strength to the devalaya also granting the devalaya more Ninda Gam and Pidavili Gam.

However, the political and social situation in the country changed with foreign invasions which threatened Sri Lanka. The Saman Devalaya played a great role in protecting the cultural heritage of this country.
The Dantha Datuwa or the Tooth Relic of the Buddha was transferred to Delgama Raja Maha Viharaya and was hidden inside a grinding stone. During that period of fear, the Saman Devalaya proudly hosted the Esala Perahera which was held to honour the Tooth Relic.
The perahera procession of the Saman Devalaya was combined with the Dalada Perahera and both were held together, under the patronage of King Rajasingha. Many items were added to the perahera such as Mahababa Kolama, which is believed to symbolize King Rajasingha.

However, the Sabaragamuwa area of the country too was soon captured by the Portuguese in 1618 and the protector itself became the victim. They destroyed the Devalaya and stupa and built a rampart on the devalaya premises which was surrounded by the Kalu ganga. Even today, the ruins of the old Devalaya could be found in the Kalu ganga and around the present devalaya premises.

The Saman Devalaya became safe ground for the enemy and remained so until King Rajasingha II rescued Sabaragamuwa from the Portuguese and re-built the Saman Devalaya in the early 17th century. The newly built devalaya was protected with two protection walls which belong to the Kandyan Era. But the king was not financially strong to rebuild the devalaya with the elaborate wood carvings and wood pillars it used to have. Many of the wood and stone carvings were replaced by much simpler and modest stone pillars while much attention was given to their maintenance.

A shrine room as well as a devalaya for goddess Paththini was built adjoining to the main Saman devalaya. Simple frescoes of spirits and gods were done on walls of the Saman devalaya using colours like blue, black, yellow and red. The whole building was made using clay and stone dust while some parts of the devalaya were made of clay and bamboo. Although made out of clay, the devalaya structure stands majestic even today braving nature. Thousands of devotees gather at Saman Devalaya to pay their homage to a once great chief of Sabaragamuwa, who was raised to the status of a god. The Esala Perahera of the Saman Devalaya is held every August in honour of god Saman, the god in charge of the Sabaragamuwa Province and the Samanala mountain which holds the footprint of the Buddha.

ruins @ site 

A spiritual rendezvous

By Damitha Hemachandra

Huge trees, creepers and stone pillars scattered around Arankale speak of an intriguing civilisation, a bygone era, while rare species of insects, found in abundance, tell of a rich, biological heritage. However, Arankale is not an old kingdom or a palace which once sheltered a mighty king. The whole forest was designed for another purpose.
It was built to shelter the Buddhist monks who spent their time in meditation to reach the ultimate state a human can ever reach.

The vast forest land was scattered with patanagara or apartments designed for meditation, bathing ponds providing hot and cold water, a hall designed for walking and a two kilometre walking path designed for the monks to meditate while walking.
The special characteristic of the patanagara is that each was surrounded by a water canal perhaps to keep the interior of the apartments cool. Some apartments stand alone while some are twin apartments.The twin apartments are connected together via a stone bridge.


The cave which Arhath Maliyadeva used centuries ago
The walking path and the walking hall was designed to provide much needed exercise to the monks who spent most of their time in meditation. The thissamahapaya was designed as a hostel for the monks and they also used it as a dharmasala, where they preached to the public who provided them with food, medicine and clothing.

The Arankale monastery was improved upon by King Jethatissa. The Arankale forest land was chosen as the suitable place, considering the security it provided. The land is surrounded by the ancient dolukanda, dunkanda and madukanda mountains and are full of trees with medicinal and timber value.

After King Jethatissa, King Mahasen and King Buddadasa too added their touch to the monastery. It is believed that King Buddadasa, who was also a specialist in ayurveda, instructed the planting of medicinal plants around the monastery. Today none of this remain except for the ancient trees and creepers which protect the monastery from the greedy eyes of treasure hunters and tree cutters. However, the Buddhist monks still use these grounds for meditation. Eighteen bikkhus attached to the Arankale Maliyadeva Senasana continue with their meditation using the new and old meditation apartments available to them.

Most of them are situated deep in the forest far away from the attachments of today's commercialised world. The deep silence which pervades the walking path, the ruins and the meditation apartments is capable of healing the most untamed soul. Ruined staircases lead to an open space conveying the secret message of nibbana. A creeper or a pusvela may cross the trail of the walking path telling a centuries old story of rejection and solitude.

This rejection and solitude has attracted other kinds of inhabitants. Numerous species of reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and other types of insects are a common sight to anyone who visits Arankale. One cannot miss the sight of butterflies dancing among the sunbeams at daybreak. This is also a ground for bird watching in the mornings.
One can easily observe a Bird Wing Butterfly or an Ankatussa resting, among the trees of the Arankale.

Arankale has become an archaeological site, a biological hotspot and a garden of medicinal plants subject to the changing character of nature. Walking through the path at the end of the day one can catch a glimpse of the yellow robe of a bikkhu on his way to the pond or retreating to his meditation grounds after a walk. The sight takes you 800 years back, when Arhath Maliyadeva, the last Arhath of Sri Lanka, spent his time meditating at Arankale.

The Magic at Morning Side

By Damitha Hemachandra & Devaka Randeniya

The long awaited rains have come to Rakwana at last, adding mist to the mountain peaks, greenery to the forest and more volume and noise to the numerous waterfalls found on the way to Morning Side.

is an uphill ride to Morning Side, passing various landscapes and sceneries of paddy fields being made into Liyadhi by farmers or lush tea estates being picked by pluckers, or, it could be mountain peaks rising one over the other to greet the clouds. The mist had settled down for the morning after a good night's shower and Adam's Peak was visible in the far horizon over the settling mist and other mountain peaks. According to a passer by it is a rare scenery to catch.


The skyline grew more vibrant with the sunrise and now mountain peaks were visible against the grey sky no matter where we went. Nature seems to have spent its vigour on Morning Side to create a dream heaven on earth. The uphill ride was a spiralling one as we closed in on Morning Side. There were 'Ten Bends' or 'Vangu Dahaya' to be won over. Each bend had its own surprise. There were 12 waterfalls we passed during the drive through 10 bends. There are 17 waterfalls to be seen throughout the entire journey to Rakwana. Rakwana receives comparatively less attention from the urban population and the results are obvious. There are less vehicles, less pollution and less commercialisation. It was hard to spot a vehicle on the road to Morning Side during half an hour of travelling.

The only vehicle to pass was a fully packed truck which was used as a bus by the Morning Side residents. The neat, carpeted road suddenly changes into a stone laid rugged road, through a tea estate and the uphill climb becomes more challenging than ever. The old road was originally built by the British and is still maintained in its original fashion.


There stands a forest on the top of the mountain waiting to be conquered. After few minutes of struggle by vehicle, there is no choice but to walk up the hill. The path did not look too promising and the drizzle promised more leeches. After a 30 minute walk through the tea estate and passing two small waterfalls we reached the entrance to the forest-Illumbakanda. The entrance looked gloomy in the rising rain and mist.

It was a two hour walk through the leech filled forest to the I llumbakanda watta' forestland but the scenery from the top was breathtaking. The Sooriyakanda rises in all its majesty from one side while numerous mountain peaks including Adam's Peak fill the opposite skyline. Illumbakanda'looks like a baby giant surrounded by its elders.

It was another one and a half hour walk down and this could become longer depending on the number of leeches you have to pick from your legs. The mist had now risen to cover the peaks from our view and traces of the dream heaven were denied to us

Haththikuchchi-journey through time

By Damitha Hemachandra

Built nearly thousand and two hundred years ago Hasthikuchchi or Elephant’s Belly valley looks a rock fortress than a monastery.
Once the house to tens and thousands of Arhaths in deep meditation the monastery complex is ruins today except for few everlasting stone caves and a image house built in the Anuradhapura era during the fifth or ninth century BC.

Although the playground of a large group of torque monkeys today Hasthikuchchi housed a well-known king and a Arhanth of Mahavihara fame.
The history relates that prodigy monk Arhanth Buddhagosa made Hasthikuchchi his main aboard at later period of his life to avoid the political disputes surrounding the ever-powerful Mahavihara, the first monastery in the country.
Many Arhaths, who were originally based in Mahavihara, had taken to monasteries situated far from the capital Anuradhapura to avoid the conflicts between the Mahavihara and the king.
The historians records a high out flow of Arhanth to wild monasteries in search of peace of mind and it was suspected that Hasthikuchchi is one of the main such monasteries based around Anuradhapura.
However Hasthikuchchi is more known with the name of a King who sacrificed his head to a poor man to reach his objective, Nibbana.
King Sirisangabo who regime the country during 247-249 A.D was over thrown by his friend Gotabaya and sought a monastic life. Although his place of retreat was long thought to be Attanagalla Raja Maha Viharaya the modern archeologists had long been questioning the originality of the Attanagalla theory.
It was pointed that King Sirisangabo meditated near a pond, which does not see the rays of sun nor moon while the meditating king could see the Ruwanwelisaya from his retreat.
Armed with new evidence historians are now holding Hasthikuchchi as the retreat of King Sirisangabo. They believe that the king who left his kingdom and escaped assassination would have sought relief with the Bikkhus and Arhanths who were living at Hasthikuchchi.
“There is solid evidence that there existed a well established monastery by the ninth century AD,” Archeological Department authorities at site said.
Even today the ruins of a chapter house, image house, audience hall and meditation houses could be found scattered among the serene mountains.
However the most interesting is the double platform meditation house built by connecting two stone platforms by a bridge. Although in ruins today the double platform mediation house situated isolated from the main monastery complex had been used to practice walking posture of meditation by two.
Another unique characteristic is the image house, which houses a lime based status of a sleeping Buddha built in a later time than the Anuradhapura era, proving that the monastery Hasthikuchchi had long lived the Anuradhapura kingdom.
Yet the most mysterious is the 18 feet deep natural pond situated in the top of the Hasthikuchchi rock mountain. The village myth says that the pond continues to be cool and filled with water despite any drought and the myth was proven to be no myth as the pond is filed with glittering cool waters even today despite the heavy drought in the area, which had dried out the fame of almost all the tanks and ponds in the area.