This ancient temple situated in the deep south in the interior from Tangalle is thought to have been constructed by King Saddhatissa in the 3rd Century BC and renovated and added onto by subsequent kings. It is also thought that it was built by King Kavantissa, who was King Dutugemunu and King Saddatissa;s father. It is thought he had a Buddha stature erected in one of the caves and caused a lamp with mustard oil to be lit. Situated on a rock similar to Sigiriya was at time confused by Europeans as Siri Pada. Built on a 205 M high natural rock , it consists of 3 levels, the lower temple, the bomaluwa at the second level and the upper viharaya. The Bo tree is reputed to be a sapling from the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura. This site sports ancient rock steps which are both vertical and horizontal. The cave inscriptions date back to 1st and 2nd Century early brahmin.
The Caves are adorned with paintings in the Kandyan tradition and reminiscent of the Dambulla rock temple .
The climb to the top is not very challenging. The first flight of steps takes one to the Bo maluwa and chaitya. Another flight of steps takes one to the 4 caves. Another tricky set of stairs take one to the top with the chaitya. A new look out platform has been constructed which gives a wide view of the surrounding area.
The roads to the side is well carpeted with ample parking at the site and the usual vendors ready to sell refreshing herbal drinks
Kanneliya forest reserve is a rainforest bordering the famous singharaja rainforest. It is in the Galle district about 120km from Colombo. Its a super place to spend a day walking among many indigenous plants and breathing some of the most oxygenated air in the country. Previously this was part of the state plywood corporation until 1988 and subject to extensive logging. This actually helped in transforming this forest to a rainforest allowing sunlight to fall on the ground enabling many species of plants to grow. Also the trails are broad and tarred making the trails easy to navigate and making sure people stay on the track.
It is advisable to visit the place on a weekday and avoid holidays. The guides are self employed people from the village. They are very knowledgeable about the various flora and fauna in the reserve. They are very good at spotting the various fauna which the casual observer would other wise miss. They bring the village level knowledge passed through the generations in identifying plants and their uses. Most plants are medicinal and used in traditional medication practice. No plastic is allowed into the reserve and no one is allowed in without a guide. This is one of those rare places which is frequented by large groups of people but there isn’t any litter at all to be seen. This is testimony to the efficacy of the guides.
The walk is through the forest canopy and is a very cool and pleasant walk. A bathing spot has been created just inside the reserve so that hikers can, if required, take a nice dip in the cool water after the hike
The reserve is home to 17% of lowland endemic floral species and of the 319 woody species 52 are endemic to SriLanka. 220 faunal species in the reserve 41 are endemic species. Of the 26 endemic birds in Sri Lanka 20 can be found here. Some plants such as the Hal tree grows only in the southern province. It is reputed to be the most energy producing food in Sri Lanka and was the staple food of the Dutugemunu Army.
The short tour covering a waterfall and the giant tree is about a 8km walk for the round trip and takes about 3 1/2 hours. The hike to the second waterfall and the highest point on the reserve is another 3km and 6km respectively one way. These trails are not open on holidays due to the lack of guides. The track is senior citizen friendly as long as they can manage the length of the walk on a gentle incline.
The cost of the ticket is Rs120 per head for locals and the guide costs from Rs900 to Rs1200 depending on the trails selected.
Urban Gypsy Sri Lanka 