Within one month of my journey to Kehelpothdoruwegala I needed to revisit at Knuckles mountain range from Deanstone (ඩීන්ස්ටන්) area. We gathered at Hunnasgiriya town (Three from Colombo and two from Moneragala) started our journey from there. Loolwaththa (ලූල්වත්ත) CTB bus reached at Deanstone Conservation Center around 9am. After having brief visit at DCC we headed to Dothalugala (දෝතලුගල) trail.

Kingdom of Magama which is also guarded by lord Katharagama is one of the most visited areas by Sri Lankans and most of the time they only manage to visit few places which are commonly known. First of all Hasitha’s report was the guide I used to plan my journey and succeeded with what I attempted in! Im not going to mention anything related to the history of Magama kingdom in detail since Hasitha has done a good job in his report! As the title says this is a summery on Kataragama, please do enjoy the images!

So without even informing Mrs.Mayakaduwa I started my journey towards Bambarakanda. I left home around 4.30 and came to Kaduwela by a Three-wheeler and got in to a Badulla CTB Bus. Neither bus nor me in a hurry so we slowly reached Kalupahana(just before the 172nd Mile post) around 10.30am(It stopped for breakfast at Pelmadulla).Then I took a TukTuk and reached the Bambarakanda rest around 11.00 am.

Neelagiri hela been the only prominent rocky mountain around Lahugala was on my list for many months not because of it been a mountain but the archeological value it had. Last year when I visited Neelagiri Sthupa I was told that there’s plenty to see around Neelagiriya in addition to the huge extensive complex of Neelagiri seya. The forest which engulfs this area extends for miles with ancient buildings belonging to Neelagiri monastery. I got the opportunity to re visit the gigantic sthupa with few of my colleagues few days back and when we reached the sthupa I met Amila who was on duty. My first question was “do you know how to get to the ruins at Neelagiri hela?” and he promptly replied by saying If I wanted he could show me the way.

he name Kehelpothdoruwegala (Rock shaped like a plantain sheath gutter) came to my knowledge in 2012 February in our Yahangala climbing. We have noticed a giant standing in front of Yahangala (1220m) and got to know it as Kehelpothdoruwegala. But the day of conquering came after one and half years of Yahangala climbing.

We got off the train from Badulla in the morning after a long 12 hour journey. The list of “must do” in Uva province was getting longer ever since Ashan started roaming in Uva and his reports started flooding into the Lakdasun forum. We were hoping to cover a few of those places and 5 of us were on a hiking trip, hoping to do 3 trails in 3 days. Our accommodation was close to Passara so we quickly did shopping and got into a Passara bus.

The sun was out and it was around 6.45am when we set off and I heard a dog shouting from the top of his voice to find out it was actually a puppy tied into a pole. He was making a big fuss wanting to be free and run about, looking very sad. I felt very sorry for the fellow but there was nothing I could do for him. The surrounding was lush green as the railway track lies through the Horton Plains.

This is an isolated mountain range which is situated in Anuradhapura District closer to Medawachchiya (මැදවච්චිය) and Kabithigollawa (කැබතිගොල්ලෑව). It’s highest point is about 121m high and whole mountain covers by the forest. Most of the maps of Sri Lanka show this mountain. First I noticed it’s name when I was studying social science at school. Later when I started to travel, I had a curiosity to visit there.

Arangala is a mountain I came across while browsing through Chalitha’s profile on Facebook and since then I also wanted to be there and enjoy the magical scenery around Mathale and Dambulla! This gigantic rock is also called Nalanda rock since it is located close to Nalanda village. And also been at the center of the island it holds a special place compared to other peaks. Arangala also has a past history related to Weera Keppetipola and Gongale goda banda who formed troops at this mountain.

This is a journey which I treasured a lot and at the end of it I was left with many unanswered questions. Few weeks back there was a news clip from a TV channel shared around Facebook about some paintings in Ella, Karandagolla. The uniqueness of it was enough to stimulate me to go in search of these paintings within few weeks! The monk at Karandagolla was my main resource person who found a guide and arranged everything. Let me share with you my little adventure and reveal few secrets of a forgotten era.

We came through Southern Highway and turned from Baddegama out. Then we came to Neluwa through Nagoda, Udugama, Hiniduma and Thawalama. From Neluwa you have to drive another16 KM on an extremely narrow road, through Kosmulla.

The perfectly square-shaped rocks had been put together by a very thin layer of a special mixture (about 1cm) and it’s really surprising that she’s been standing all these years. The mastermind behind this magnificent structure is Mr. P. K. Appuhamy, who was a resident of Keppetipola born in 1870 and died at 1951.