kelaniya raja maha vihara ( Kelaniya Templ )

Kelaniya Temple built on the banks of the Kelaniya River is one of the most sacred sites of Sri Lanka. It is believed Buddha together with 500 Arahats (Supremely enlightened beings) visited Kelaniya on the Wesek day of the Buddhist Era 2531 and expounding of the Dhamma, the Buddhist doctrine to the inhabitants of the island. Buddha’s timely visit to the island resulted in quelling an imminent war between two kings named Chulodara and Mahodara over a jewel–encrusted throne. Buddha having preached the doctrine on the disputed throne offered to him ensued lasting peace between the two kings. The great stupa built upon the site enshrining the throne was since then called Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara.

History of Kelaniya Temple

Kelaniya Temple believed to had been built in the era prior to the chronologically recorded history of Sir Lanka (since 543 B.C) was renovated by Prince Uttiya, brother of King Devanampiyatissa following the arrival Arahat Mahinda in 307 BC. According to the Mahawansa, King Devanampiyatissa’s brother Uttiya renovated the vihara for the first time. Prince Uttiya also built the first ever residential quarters of the Buddhist monks (Sanghawasa) there.

The ancient temple was destroyed time and again by the Dravidian invaders from Southern India. Each time the temple had been reconstructed. The medieval temple was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1510 yet reconstructed by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha in the year 1967. New Temple was initiated in 1927 and completed in 1946 under the patronage of philanthropist Mrs. Helena Wijewardene.

The Bo tree and the court yard at the Kelaniya Temple

The entrance to the temple yard is over the park across the main street. The arched grill gate opens upto the lower terrace of the temple yard. The lower terrace leads four sets of flight of steps in four carinal directions to the Upper terrace which features the Image Hose, Dagaba and the Bo Tree (Peepal tree) with other buildings.

New Temple

‘Aluth Vihara Ge’ or the New Temple House section of the Kelani Viharaya is 150 feet long and 90 feet broad. It stands on a stone plinth 3 feet in height. The roof is built in the Kandyan architectural style with a design of an octagon.
‘Aluth Vihara Ge’ consists of four mage houses.
The ‘Oth Pilima Ge’, the oldest section of the temple houses a large reclining Buddha statue and two seated Buddha statues.
The ‘Ran Pilima Ge’ houses another seated Buddha statue
The ‘Ran Pilima Ge’ or the Golden Buddha Image House

Murals in Kelaniya Temple

Kelaniya Temple has none of the ancient or medieval paintings. The murals are those of the 18th century and the early 20th century.

The Duruthu Perahera (Kelani Procession)

Kelaniya Temple is the starting point of the “The Duruthu Perahera” (Kelani Procession) inaugurated in 1927 and since then that has been held on the pre – full moon day of the month of January every year. Each year hundreds of thousands of locals and thousands of foreign tourists gather at Kelaniya to enjoy the grand procession that features whip crackers, torch carriers, flag carriers, caparisoned elephants, dancers, trumpeters, drummers and numerous other participants. The Kelani Procession features three separate processions: that of the Buddha Relics and those of the three shrines dedicated to the deities of Vishnu, Kataragama and Vibishana.

“The Duruthu Perahera” (Kelani Procession) attracts hundreds and thousands of people from all provinces of Sri Lanka, and hundreds of foreign tourists trek their way to the temple purlieu to witness this spectacular pageant.

Udawalawe National Park

With herds of elephants, wild buffalo, sambar deer and leopards, this Sri Lankan national park rivals the savannah reserves of Africa. In fact, for elephant-watching, Uda Walawe often surpasses many of the most famous East African national parks. The park, which centres on the 308.2-sq-km Uda Walawe Reservoir, is lightly vegetated but it has a stark beauty and the lack of dense vegetation makes game-watching easy. It’s the one park in Sri Lanka not to miss.

The entrance to the park is 12km from the Ratnapura–Hambantota road turn-off and 21km from Embilipitiya. Visitors buy tickets in a building a further 2km on. Most people take a tour organised by their guesthouse or hotel, but a trip with one of the 4WDs waiting outside the gate should be around Rs 3500 for a half-day for up to eight people with driver. Last tickets are usually sold at 5pm. A park guide is included in the cost of admission and these guys, who all seem to have hawk-like wildlife-spotting eyes, are normally very knowledgeable about the park and its animals. A tip is expected.

Besides elephants, sambar deer and wild buffalo (although most buffalo you'll see in the park are domesticated), there are also mongooses, jackals, water monitor lizards, lots of crocodiles, sloth bears and the occasional leopard. There are 30 varieties of snakes and a wealth of birdlife – 210 species at last count; northern migrants join the residents between November and April.

Wildlife at Udawalawe National Park

Keeping company to the herds of elephants, the main attraction of the park are Water Buffalo, Wildboar, Spotted Deer, Sambur Deer, Jackal, Samber, Black-naped hare, mongooses, bandicoots, foxes, s the endemic Toque Macaque and Gray Langers. Sighting Leopard and other smaller cats like Fishing cat & Jungle cat would be a bonus.

Elephants at Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe is undoubtedly the best place in Sri Lanka to see wild Asian Elephants throughout the year: there are about 500 elephants in the park and they often roam in herds of up to 100. Udawalawe National Park is unique in terms of consistency in numbers of elephants roaming the park: it has no a seasonal variation in herds of elephants. The best hours to visit the park are in the mornings and evenings. Late evening also affords the photographic opportunities in the backdrop of loveliest sunsets.

Birdlife at Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe National Park is one of the best places to see Raptors in Sri Lanka and afford excellent opportunities for photography.Endemic birds include the Ceylon Junglefowl, Ceylon Spurfowl, Ceylon Green Pigeon, Ceylon Grey Hornbill, Ceylon Woodshrike and Ceylon Swallow. Among the other bird species seen are Spot-billed Pelican, Little Cormorant, Grey Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Large Egret, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Painted Stork, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Green Bee-eater, Crested Tree-swift. In forested areas Sirkeer and Blue-faced Malkohas are found.

During the migrant season of birds (Nov to March): Booted Eagle, Common Kestral, Harries, Rosy Starlings, Black-capped Kingfisher, Wood Sand Piper, Common Sand Piper, Little Ringed Plover, Whiskered Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Forest Wagtail & Citrain Wagtail.

Butterflies at Udawalawe National Park

Satin trees that abound in the park attract butterflies: beautiful Banded Peacock, Common Jezebel, Common Indian Crow and many species of ‘Yellows and Whites’ Common Mormon. In the riverine forest areas Common Blue-bottle are seen.

Reptiles at Udawalawe National Park

While the crocodiles doze off on the banks of the reservoir, the water monitor lizards are abound in the park.

Elephant Transit Home (ETH) at Udawalawe National Park

The Udawalawe Elephant Transfer Home is an Elephant orphanage located within the Udawalawe National Park. Established in 1995 by the Department of wildlife Conservation, it is home to over 40 orphaned elephants. The orphaned calves and juveniles of the park are brought into the orphanage and raised with necessary care until such time as they could be released to their habitat. Once they are released to the park, the Park authorities take upon themselves to keep constant track of the beasts till they get used to the new life in the wild. As at the year 2008, no less than sixty-five elephants had been released to the jungle.

HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK

HORTON PLAINS NATIONAL PARK, Sri Lanka is undoubtedly one of the world's best nature reserves and eco tourism venues. It is characterised by a beautiful landscape of rolling hills, covered in upper montane forest and wet patana grassland.

In general, the forests are seen on the hilltops or upper slopes the grasslands in the valleys and lower slopes, eventually giving way to wetland habitats. Spanning approximately 10,000 hectares the park is also home to a wide variety of flora (57 species, 29 endemic to Sri Lanka) and 24 species of mammal such as elk, deer, giant squirrel, wild boar, wild hare, porcupine and leopard. For bird enthusiasts, there 87 species (14 of which are endemic), including many migratory birds.

The Plains also feature many interesting attractions such as 'Bakers Falls', 'Chimmini Pool' and the famous 'World's End' (a 3700 ft sheer drop that offers fabulous views of the tea estates below and all the way out to the distant southern coastline).

History and the Description of the Horton Plains National Park:

The Horton Plains are located on Sri Lanka 's highest plateau, between altitudes of 2,000 and 2, 300m. The landscape typically consists of undulating lands covered in a tropical cloud of forests or verdant montane savannah grasslands, locally known as patannahs.Visiting Horton Plains or 'Mahaeliya' as it is traditionally named is quite popular amongst locals, who mostly come to admire the views from the park's thrilling escarpments such as World's End at weekends . For this reason we recommend that you try to organise your visit during a weekday as this ensures that you will experience the Plain's isolated serenity.

Visitors to the park can follow a 10km loop that incorporates all of the spectacular features, enabling them to enjoy them while adhering to the strict rules for environment protection and nature conservation. The best time to visit is early in the morning as this is when the air is likely to be clearest so that you can enjoy the best of the views. In the afternoons, clouds tend to descend and the area becomes submerged in mist. This is equally enthralling though and provides evidence for the evolution of this forest type. Allowing a half-day should give you plenty of time to enjoy it all at a leisurely pace.

The Plains are actually named after Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, a rather selfish and bloody-minded Brit (no surprise there then) who was singularly responsible for the slaying of all of the elephants in the area between 1831 to 1837. Although there is little hope of elephants ever returning, you can at least walk around in comparative safety admiring the many other interesting creatures around and about. Of these perhaps the most worthy of a mention are the Samber Deer, a common sight at dusk and in the early hours of the morning.

In order to get the most out of your visit we recommend that an expert naturalist provided by Eco-team take you around. These guides are good company and extremely knowledgeable; having their input can add a lot more interest to the trip.

New endemic mammal found in Sri Lanka 

Mountain Mouse - Deer in Horton Plains

One of Sri Lanka 's least known mammals, the mouse-deer found in the highlands of Sri Lanka has been photographed in the wild. This may well be the only occasion in which it has been photographed to a 'publishable standard' under truly wild conditions. . For many years it was believed that Sri Lanka had one species of Mouse-deer, which was shared with Southern India . Colin Groves a British Taxonomist in June 2005 published a paper in a special supplement (No 12) of The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology whereby he distinguished three species of* Mouse-deer from Sri Lanka and India. The Indian Mouse-deer (Moschiola indica) was, split, as a new species and is now- considered .endemic to the Eastern Ghats of India. The Mouse deer found in Sri Lanka was split in to two new species. The White spotted Mouse-deer found (Moshiola meeminna) in the dry zone of Sri Lanka and the Yellow-striped: Mouse-deer (Moschiola kathygre) found in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Both species are endemic to SriLanka. Presently this raises the number of endemic mammals found in Sri Lanka to eighteen species.

Colin Groves in his paper on mouse-deer from India and Sri Lanka also stated that 'a single skull from Sri Lanka 's Hill Zone may prove to represent a fourth species'. The 'Mountain Mouse-deer' is evidently a very scarce animal. Many of the field staff Horton Plains National Park had not seen one although they regularly encounter other nocturnal mammals including leopard.

A Mountain Mouse-deer was seen under quite dramatic circumstances on Monday 25th February by wildlife populariser Gehan de Silva Wijerathne & Nadeera Weerasinghe Naturalist St Andrew's Hotel. With the permission from WLDC it was temporally held captive for research and observation  purposes and released back in to the wild on the 27 th February.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Located in south-west Sri Lanka, Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds, but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of mammals and butterflies, as well as many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians.

Brief synthesis

Encompassing the last extensive patch of primary lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka, Sinharaja Forest Reserve is situated in the south-west lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka.  Covering an area of 8,864 ha and ranging from an altitude of 300 – 1,170 meters, it consists of 6,092 ha of Forest Reserve and 2,772 ha of Proposed Forest Reserve. This narrow strip of undulating terrain encompasses a series of ridges and valleys that are crisscrossed by an intricate network of streams. Draining to both the south and north, this detailed matrix of waterways flow into the Gin River on the southern boundary of the property and Kalu River via the Napola Dola, Koskulana Ganga and Kudawa Ganga on its northern boundary. Annual rainfall over the last 60 years has ranged from 3614 - 5006 mm with most of the precipitation during the south-west monsoon (May-July) and the north-east monsoon (November- January).

Sri Lanka is home to 830 endemic species, of which 217 trees and woody climbers are found in the low land wet zone. Of these, 139 (64%) have been recorded in the reserve including 16 rare species. Faunal endemism is particularly high for birds with 19 (95%) of 20 species recorded in the property being endemic to Sri Lanka. Endemism among mammals and butterflies is also greater than 50%. A number of threatened, endangered and rare species occur within the reserve including: leopard (Panthera pardus), Indian elephant (Elephas maxiumus), endemic purple-faced Langur (Presbytis senex), Sri Lanka wood pigeon (Columba torringtoni), green-billed Coucal (Centropus chlororrhynchus), Sri Lanka white-headed starling (Sturnus senex), Sri Lanka blue magpie (Cissa ornate), ashy-headed babbler (Garrulax cinereifrons) and Sri Lanka broad-billed roller (Eurystomus orientalis irisi). 

Criterion (ix): Sinharaja is the last remaining relatively undisturbed remnant of tropical humid evergreen forest in Sri Lanka. The property’s flora is a relic of Gondwanaland and provides an important component to our scientific understanding of continental drift and an outstanding site for the study of the processes of biological evolution. A geological feature of considerable interest is the presence of the Sinharaja basic zone, with the reserve located within the transition zone of two important rock types characteristic of Sri Lanka; the south-western group and the highland group. 

Criterion (x): Endemism within the property is extremely high. Protecting the last viable remnant of Sri Lanka’s tropical lowland rainforest, Sinharaja is home to at least 139 endemic plant species within two main types of forest: remnants of Dipterocarpus in the valleys and on the lower slopes, and secondary forest and scrub where the original forest cover has been removed. Sixteen of the endemic plant species within the property are considered rare, including endemic palms Loxococcus rupicola and Atalantia rotundifolia.

Faunal endemism is also high, particularly for mammals, birds and butterflies, exceeding 50%. Nineteen (95%) of Sri Lanka’s 20 endemic birds are present in the property, which is also home to leopard and Indian elephant, both of which are threatened species.

Integrity

Sinharaja Forest Reserve forms a sufficiently large conservation unit for the in-situ conservation of rare and endangered species while sustaining the on-going biological evolutionary processes for which it was inscribed. Surrounded by 13 other adjacent natural forest areas that provide an added layer of protection to the property the boundaries however, require further definition and demarcation.

Efforts are also being made by the management agency to further enhance the conservation status of the reserve through regulation of land uses occurring in the area surrounding the property, which hopes to further reduce the impact of intensive land use on the values of Sinharaja. Illicit timber felling, gemming and poaching continue to be of concern with regards to the impacts on the values and integrity of the property, but the high level of public support for nature conservation and the large number of government bodies involved in regulation and proposal approval, results in strong opposition to resource exploitation proposals.

Long Description

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is situated in the south-west lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka. Most of the area was originally declared a forest reserve on 1875 under the Waste Lands Ordinance and notified in the Ceylon Government, whereas the rest was notified a proposed forest reserve in the early 20th century. Sinharaja Forest Reserve, comprising the existing and proposed forest reserves, was declared a biosphere reserve in 1978.

This narrow strip of undulating terrain consists of a series of ridges and valleys. Two main types of forest can be recognized: remnants of Dipterocarpus forest occur in valleys and on their lower slopes; secondary forest and scrub occur where the original forest cover has been removed by shifting cultivation and in other places the forest has been replaced by rubber and tea plantations. Mesua-Doona forest is the climax vegetation in most of the reserve. Of Sri Lanka's 830 endemic species, 217 trees and woody climbers are found in the lowland wet zone. Other rare endemics are the palm, the latter being restricted to Sinhagala. A variety of plants of known benefit to man are present, of which palm (for jaggery, a sugar substitute), wewal, cardamom, dun (for varnish and incense) and weniwal (for medicinal purposes) are used intensively by villagers.

Endemism is high, particularly for birds, mammals and butterflies. Threatened mammals are leopard and Indian elephant. Birds considered to be endangered or rare are Sri Lanka wood pigeon, green-billed coucal, Sri Lanka white-headed starling, Sri Lanka blue magpie, ashy-headed babbler and red-faced malkoha. Of interest is the presence of the Sri Lanka broad-billed roller. Reptiles and amphibia include the python, which is vulnerable, and a number of endemic species. Noteworthy species include the rarest of all agamids on the island, the rough-nose horned lizard and a rare endemic microhylid. Threatened freshwater fish are combtail, smooth-breasted snakehead, black ruby barb, cherry barb and red-tail goby. Sri Lankan five-bar sword, which is considered to be very rare, is not uncommon in Sinharaja at certain times of the year.

The Sinharaja region has long featured in the legends and lore of the people of Sri Lanka. Its name, literally meaning lion (sinha ) king (raja ), perhaps refers to the original 'king-sized or royal forest of the Sinhalese', a people of the legendary 'lion-race' of Sri Lanka, or to the home of a legendary lion of Sri Lanka.

There are two villages within the south-west of the reserve, and about 52 families live in the north-western sector. At least 20 other settlements occur on the periphery, an unknown number of which have been illegally established on state land without approval from the relevant authorities.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is the last viable remnant of Sri Lanka's tropical lowland rainforest; over 60% of the trees are endemic and many of these are rare; and there are 21 endemic bird species as well as a number of rare insects, reptiles and amphibians.

Historical Description

Notified a national heritage wilderness area on 21 October 1988 (Gazette No. 528/14). Most of the area was originally declared a forest reserve on 3 May 1875 under the Waste Lands Ordinance and notified in the Ceylon Government Gazette No. 4046, dated 8 May 1875, while the rest was notified a proposed forest reserve in the early 20th century. Sinharaja Forest Reserve, comprising the existing and proposed forest reserves, was declared a biosphere reserve in April 1978, and inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1988.+