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Katagamuwa, Kataragama, Kochchipatana, Kumana, Okanda, Paada Yatra, Pahala Poththana, Panama, Pilinnawa, Pottuvil, Uda Poththana, Warahana, Yala, Yala Block 2, Longer than 3, June, Dry Zone, National Park, Culture, Hiking, 2011, Natural Bath, Trekking

Author: mithila (23 Trips)

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From the very first day I heard about the centuries old tradition of Pada Yatra  and the opprtunity it provide to walk across Yala and Kumana, I wanted to do this walk. Eventhough Pada Yatra is mainly a religious and cultural event, my main interest was getting close to the wilderness of Kumana and Yala, to walk the terrain that one could only traverse in a 4WD otherwise.

As with many other excursions, this was limited to a dream due to logistical reasons and lack of infirmation to properly plan it out. Eventhough Pada Yatra had been taking place for centuries, there was very little information available to the general public. Communities who take part in this major cultural & religious event relay on experience and information passed down from one generation to another. As a result there is very little written on it.

Once again Lakdasun made it happen!

In 2010 couple of Lakdasun members lead by Priyanjan participated in Pada Yatra. As usual the resulting discussions in the forum provided every little bit of information one would need regarding the cultural event as well as the walk. In 2011 Priyanjan planned his North to South excursion along the full Pada Yatra route all the way from Jaffna. I couldn’t have got a better opprtunity to do this walk than joining Priyanjan at Okanda to do the last stretch!

After a month of walking from Jaffna, Priyanjan was supposed to start the last stretch from Okanda (Kumana) on 24th of June.  Therefore I left home on the 23rd night and caught the night bus to Pottuvil from Colombo. A group of five other Lakdasun members lead by Chaturanga also joined me. After a long journey through the night, we were at Pottuvil by 5.45 in the morning on the 24th.

Thanks to Theshantha ( and Lakdasun again!) we had a truck waiting for us at Pottuvil to take us to Okanda. The early morning drive to Okanda from Pottuvil passing Panama was fantastic!

At Pottuvil 5.45 in the morning. A truck was waiting there to take us to Okanda

Towards Panama on Brand new Tarmac

Sun rise over a lake close to Panama

Golden Goose! – A black winged Stilt

Early morning at Panama Wewa – Daily routine has already started

Dirt Road to Okanda from Panama

We met Priyanjan at Kumana entrance. First thing we did was to take a close look at what was in backpacks and to reduce as much weight as possible! We had approximately 80km to walk from Okanda, mostly through dry, harsh environment of Kumana and Yala (particularly block II) so every additional gram of wieght mattered.

It was the first few days of Pada Yatra so not many pilgrims had entered the park. We were given a number tag at the park entrance for tracking purposes.

After re-pack and a quick breakfast we started walking at around 8.00 a.m.

The surrounding was so was nice and beautiful. Sky was deep blue and the trail was sandy and white. Our first planned stop was at “Bagura”. Enjoying the beauty of kumana we steadily walked towards the destination.

Kumana National Park Entrance at Okanda

The sky was deep blue and the trail was sandy and white

As the sun rose, the surrounding began to heat up. Gradually the walk became tiring. Soft sand of the jeep track which looked so beautiful a hour or so ago was creating drag on every step we took. We realized the gravity of task ahead of us with in the first two hours of the walk. Within the first couple of hours, one realizes the value of leaving as much things as possible and carrying as much water as possible. Lukily we were well informed and reasonably prepared. With couple of short breaks we reached Bagura a little past noon.

Beauty of Kumana – walking across this landscape was a wonderful experience	Weaver bird nests
Dead and Dry!	Light became harsh and the walk became tough
Passing the giant hearth	Towards Bagura

9km out of 80km done! and more importantly that 9km did set the right expectations on what the most of the remaining 71km was going to be like!

In the burning heat,  shade of trees at Bagura was heavenly. We had some sweek cakes for lunch and relaxed for couple of hours. Bagura is a designated rest area for Pilgrims and there is a fresh water well at Bagura.

Bagura Oya and the Wooden Bridge

A well earned rest at Bagura

Bagura Kalapuwa – In the rainy season this will turn in to a sea

Blessings for safe passage

We fetched water from the well, purified it with Alum and Chlorine, filled the water bottles  and set out despite the heat.  We did not forget to make some Jeevani solution as well. The next target was to reach Madame Thota (මඩමෙ තොට), Kumbukkan Oya at the border of Kumana before the night fall.

There was almost 12km to reach Kumbukkan Oya, the designated night halting place. Apart from the last 1km or so before the river which was well shaded, the rest of the trail was similar to what we tackled up to Bagura; sandy, dry and hot!

From Bagura we walked passed the site of Thunmulla wildlife department bungalow and several  open areas and water holes such as Kotalindawala, Andaraka Kalapuwa and Yakala Kalapuwa (Open the trail map in Google Earth, Priyanjan has added images of all these places in GE)

By the time we reached Kumana Villuwa it was late after noon. Kumana villuwa was a sight to see in that beautiful light. The beauty of Kumana villuwa along with our almost worn out legs compelled us to spend about 15 minutes there.

Most Pilgrims don’t seem to find the walk as difficult as we did. Is it faith, practice, preparation or simply having the right expectations	Did I say it was dry?
Sand Dunes. The sea is just on the other side	An occasional onlooker
වීර	Passing Yakala Kalapuwa (යාකල කලපුව)
Towards Kumana Villuwa	Kumana Villuwa – the Oasis in the middle of Kumana
Kumana Villuwa and Coconut trees marking the now abandoned kumana village	We spent some time here enjoying the tranquility and beauty of kumana villuwa

Walk from Kumana villuwa to Madame Thota in the banks of Kumbukkan oya was not that difficult. Of course my legs did not want to walk any more from Kumana villuwa so I was literally dragging my feet 🙂

Approaching Madame Thota (මඩමෙ තොට) at Kumbukkan Oya

Kuda Kabiliththa Devalaya

We settled down in the bank of the river to spend the night.

Day 2

Early morning on the following day we started our walk by crossing Kumbukkan Oya to enter Yala Block II. Next major milesotone was Menik Ganga at the opposite border of block 2 which was 30km from where we were. Pilgrims would generally spend two days walking this distance with a night park at Navaladi/Pahala Poththana fresh water wells (a.k.a Pahala Poththana camp site).

However our plan was to try and do this stretch in a single day and earn a full rest day at Menik Ganga. It was a demanding task. To accomplish our objective, we had to reach Navaladi wells before noon so that we can rest their during the mid day and do the second stretch in the afternoon when heat subside. There is 14km from Kumbukkan Oya to Navaladi wells and further 16km from there to Menik Ganga.

Crossing Kumbukkan Oya was a breeze since the river mouth had been cleared the day before and the water level was very low. We were told that the water level had been at chest height few hours before we arrived at Kumbukkan oya the day before .

The first 6km from Kumbukkan oya was mostly through open areas and scrubs. It really helped that we staretd early. By 9 a.m. the heat was so high that we could feel the rising heat from the ground hitting the face!

Crossing Kumbukkan Oya – Time 5.45 a.m.	Walking through scrubs towards open areas
Sunrise over tree tops	Vast open areas of Yala Block II – The trick is to cover as much as possible before it heats up!
Two Long Shadows – 6.30 in the morning at Ettarakke Eliya	Passing Karambe Aru

By the time we reached Karambe Aru it was 7.00 in the morning. We took some rest there particulalry to make sure that I get my feet properly dressed with plasters to avoid water blisters.  Continuous walking in heat is a perfect formula to get water blisters all over your feet. Even though I was wearing a light pair of sandles which I had used for some time, there were certain points which showed vulnerability. The best way to deal with blisters is to avoid them. To avoid them one should carefully dress vulnerable points with layers of platers and maintain the plaster cover. It was particularly difficult to maintain plasters in this stretch since there were couple of water crossings.

Also thanks to Priyanjan I was able to change my foot ware couple of times. That too helped a lot particularly the seasoned sandles Priyanjan had worn from Trinco downwards were very useful.

Passing Karambe Aru we reached vast open areas of Uda Gajaba eliya. Time was 8.00 in the morning but the heat of the sun was already high in the open muddy bare lands of Gajaba Eliya.

Muddy	…and dry in some sections
Stretches with Thorny bushes needed some additional care when walking	කෝප්‍රල් කටු – The needles resemble the insignia of Corporal and hence the name

Passing open areas of Gajaba Eliya, we entered more scrubby forest. While the presence of large trees occasionally provided the much needed shelter from the simmering heat, underfoot conditions became more difficult with long stretches of deep,hot,soft sand.

Entering the scrub forest

Hot, deep, soft sand which covered considerably long stretches did not help at all!

We battled through the scrubs, dragged down by the sand for about 4km and reached open areas of Etheliwela Kalapuwa. Time was quarter past nine but the dry open stretch looked and felt like a desert!

Dry open stretch of Etheliwela Eliya looked and felt like a desert

Left Behind

After Etheliwela Eliya it was again a brief scrub forest and then we were in Pahala Poththana where we had to cross some what deep water to avoid a long walk around the water body. Crossing over and a brief walk took us to Navaladi/Pahala Poththana rest area.

Water Crossing at Pahala Poththana

After the water crossing – Those layers and layers of plasters did the job very well. I finished the walk with no water blisters

It was just 10.30 in the morning but heat was already unbearable. We settled down under a huge Dun tree to spend time until the heat subsides in the afternoon.

We boiled some water and purified some more with Alum and Chlorine. Chaturanga and his colleagues had come prepared for some serious cooking so a heavy lunch was ready in no time!

Cooking Rice and Boiling Water	Lunch!
Place of God	Three Fresh water wells at Navaladi

We left Pahala Poththana around 2.30p.m. Heat was still high but at least it was on the declining trend! There was 16km to reach Menik Ganga from where we were.

From Pahala Poththana, after a brief walk in a forest patch, we reached Uda Poththana, another vast open area. We had to cross some water again and re-dress my feet with plasters!

Back on Track after more than 4 hour break at Navaladi/Pahala Poththana Wells. Occasional large trees like this provide much needed shade for short breaks	Time was 3.00 p.m. We were approaching Uda Poththana Open area
Water Crossing at Uda Poththana Lawaya	Uda Poththana

After Uda Poththana, it was a long walk through the forest. Heat was low now and walk through the forest was slightly easier.

Long walk through the scrub forest

We stopped every hour or so to take a short rest

By the time we came out of the forest in to the open areas of Pilinnawa Eliya, it was late in the afternoon. Light was fast diminishing and we saw few groups of Pilgrims who had decided to spend the night at Pilinnawa Eliya without proceeding to Menik Ganga due to night fall.

We were however determined to reach Menik Ganga. It was about 5km to Menik ganga from Pilinnawa. We continued our walk along the jeep track in the dark with the help of head lamps.

We almost missed Katupila Ara crossing point where the Pada Yatra route takes a short cut through Yala Wela and deviate from the jeep track. Lukily, there were couple of army personnel setting up a water point for Pilgrims who showed us the right way. They had also marked the path through Yala Wela which helped us reach Menik Ganga without further trouble.

At Menik Ganga we reached an Army point where they had setup a “Dan sala” to offer plain tea to Pilgrims. We decided to spend the night there.

Walk in the dark with aid of head lamps	Signs showing us the way through Yala Wela
At the bank of Menik Ganga – We decided to spend the night here	Fire!

 

Day 3

The following day was the well earned rest day for us. We woke up early in the morning. Guys who chose to sleep outside have had a time with mosquitoes while Priyanjan and I slept in the small tent we brought.

On the first light of the day we packed up and moved little further upstream on Menik Ganga bank to find a place where we could dip in water for the whole day! Roughly a kilometer along the river from the point we reached Menik Ganga towards Warahana was a designated camping ground during Pada Yatra so we had plenty of choice in terms of camping locations.

Good Morning!	Little tent saved us from Mosquitoes
Beautiful Mekin Ganga beside the location we chose to move our camp to	This is where we spent most of the day three – Enjoying the well earned rest day in the river

About 1km along the river from the point we reached Menik Ganga towards warahana is designated camping ground during Pada Yatra

Place of God – Some groups may spend couple of days here after the long walk, some walking all the way from Jaffna. If you are interested in the culture aspect of Pada Yatra plan to spend some time here with the pilgrims.

Our Camping Location of the Third day – Just couple hundrad meters away from where we spend the second night

Cooking! – Even though Priyanjan and I had planned for zero cooking Chaturanga and the team were well prepared for it!

 

Day 4

Fourth day walk was by far the easiest out of all five days we walked. We only had to cover 8km, all of which along the jeep track through well shaded Riverine forest. It was a piece of cake compared to the terrain we tackled before!

Well shaded track to Warahana	While walking towards Warahana we did not forget to reach the river from time to time and enjoy the serene beauty of it
Reflection!	A tarantula we came across – It was hunting termites when we found it

By 10 a.m. we were at Warahana. Chaturanga and the team decided to continue to Kataragama on the same day while the two of us, the old folk, decieded to spend the rest of the day again in the river!

We set up our tent at a nice location in the river bank and spent the rest of the day in water watching  fishing action of a white bellied sea eagle. It was so peaceful and refreshing. We were also lucky to receive some tasty ආමි බත් ගෙඩි for lunch and dinner from the Warahana camp !

Looooong dip for the second consecutive day	The sea eagle which entertained us for hours with acrobatic fishing
Our tent at Warahana – again in the bank of Menik Ganga	ආමි බත් ගෙඩිය
The veteran – Collapsible bucket which helped us in water purification throughout the journey

 

Day 5

On the fifth and the final day we queued up early with Pilgrims and waited until the gate was open for us to cross Warahana bridge and enter block 3 of Yala. The gate is only open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is not allowed to stay over night beyond Warahana until you move out of the national park via the Katagamuwa entrance.

Total distance to Kataragama is roughly 20km from Warahana.

From Warahan to Katagamuwa Entrance it was around 7km. All of that was  a walk along the jeep track through scrub forest typical in Yala block 1 & 3.

Waiting for the Gate to open	Crossing over to Yala Block 3 – Warahana Bridge
Directions	Blossoms
Sithulpawwa	Dead and Decaying

Walking out of Yala – Katagamuwa

At Katagamuwa Entrance – Yala National Park

Leaving Yala, we continued our walk along the gravel roads through Katagamuwa Sanctuary on Sithulpawwa road towards Kochchipatana (7km from Katagamuwa). Kochchipatana is the night halting place for the pilgrims who generally spread the walk from Warahana to Kataragama across two days.

It was 10 in the morning by the time we reached Kochchipatana. None of the pilgrim seemed to have arrived by that time. Preperations were underway to welcome the first large groups of pilgrims. There was a kovil at Kochchipatana.

Sithulpawwa Road through Katagamuwa Sanctuary	Katagamuwa Sanctuary (Click Image to Enlarge)
Signs of Civilization close to Kochchipatana	Kovil at Kochchipatana

Passing Kochchipatana we entered tarred road towards Kataragama. With a stop at a small “kade” to have some short eats and a drink, we arrived at Kataragama Devalaya by 12.30 p.m. Preperations for the annual festival and Perehara was at full swing. We ended our walk there visualizing what it will look like in the coming days when thousands of Pilgrims, who come walking in Pada Yatra and some others who chose to use more modern and easier modes all to get here for the Perehera!

From Gravel road to tarred roads	Where we stopped for some short eats and a drink
80km Vs 800km – I must do the 800km walk before I die!	Approaching Kataragama Sacred city
At the destination – Kataragama Devalaya	Preparations for the festival