Gaveen Prabhasara

Couple of my favourite places in Sri Lanka

Being a person who love in-country trips, be it leisure, adventure or otherwise I've had my fair share of visits to locations of Sri Lankas amazing natural beauty. I wanted to write this up because I'm dying these days for a few trips away, specially to the ruins of ancient kingdoms in Anurdhapura, Polonnaruwa, etc. and Trinco, Koneshvaram and so on. I've never been the biggest fan of escaping to cold Nuwara Eliya, chill out and immerse in a different culture. It's not that I dislike it. But a walk to Ranmasu Uyana or a swim in Nilaweli always attracts me more.

Even after a fair amount of travel and repeated visits, there are places in Sri Lanka that I simply can't get enough of. I yearn to return to this places almost always. Here's my top four. Before you venture to the Wikipedia and other online resources, please note that they are not always accurate (like I had to remind you that).

4. Paahiyangala

Located much closer to Colombo than any of the other three, is the Sri Lankas largest natural cave; The "Paahiyan Lena". It's one place quite closer and the one place I can't seem to get to often enough. I've been there only once, when I've literally spent days in the other three sites listed here. It's named after the travelling Buddhist monk Fa Hsien who is believed to have visited Sri Lanka in his journey of the world. Paahiyangala literally meaning Fa Hsien Rock is the mighty rock that holds the cave. It is also the archaeological site where the evidence of the Sri Lankas earliest modern man was found (or was it amount all South Asian countries?). It has since been a Buddhist monastery for a long time. The climate there is just nice.

3. Seegiriya

It's the pride of Sri Lanka. Seegiriya is also an ancient rock fortress amount other things. It's sheer historical value and the marvel of ancient engineering & irrigation skills have earned it the state of a world heritage. Seegiriya is believed to be the castle/rock fortress of King Kashyapa. However it's being debated that it was not a castle but a pleasure palace or something else. Archaeological evidence has pointed that before and after the occupation by the royals, Seegiriya was a monastery or a haven for enlightenment seekers. Some folklore points the history of the site to pre-date Sri Lankas written history, to the realms of King Kuwera and Emperor Ravana. Since these areas of histories have never been proven or supported by archaeological evidence, it's hard to pursuit the claims. However one thing remains certain. That the origins of human occupation of the mighty rock or how it's grandeur came to being is still unknown.

Think of this. One great rock. Breathtaking planning. Unfathomable engineering. Holds the mirror wall, frescos and a flight of stairs through the throat of a giant statue of a lion. Fountains and gardens of water fountains. A city. A great city complete with inner and outer walls, moats and the rest. If these don't intrigue you, just remind yourself that all these were done at least in the 4th century AD. Europe was still in disarray, tribesmen and clans fighting for supremacy. Mayans are around in Americas. Yet an isolated tiny island nation builds a carefully engineered great city around a rock with frigging pond on the terrace and water gardens. Go figure.

If you plan to visit Sri Lanka and see one historical site, Go to Seegiriya (meaning either Lions Rock or Lions Throat).

2. Ranmasu Uyana

Literally meaning the "Gold Fish Garden", the remnants of a once magnificent garden/park of the royals is located by the Isurumuniya temple in Anuradhapura. Other than the strange stone carving on one of the rocks facing Thisa Wewa (Thisa Tank) the place is quite the normal historical site you'll find. Explainations regarding that particular carving range from an intergalactic map theory to a bizarre Stargate theory. Whatever it's the case it seems quite out of place and unusual. I haven't seen any glyphs similar to that in any other stone carvings in Sri Lanka. Then again I'm no archaeologist.

But my attractions to the place is not even remotely related to the fact that I'm a big Stargate fan. :) The placement is quite relaxing. It's just a few steps away from Isurumuniya temple. It stays facing Thisa wewa from where the wind blows. The sunset there is something I'll always remember. I had this great shot where the gang our our friends were watching the golden sunset. Unfortunately the negative is quite damaged and the printed copy has somewhat faded away. But I'll never forget that scenery in my life. That's why every time I'm in A'pura I get the urge to visit Ran Masu Uyana by the sunset.

1. Ussangoda
Perhaps my favourite place to be. Strangely it's a seemingly barren land with red tough soil and a very slim amount of vegetation. It's located by the sea in the southern coastal belt of our island. Since I just updated the Wikipedia page, let me just paste a few things from there:

Ussangoda is note for unusual placement by soil structure, flora, location. There are many folk stories related to this site which include different takes about the land. General belief is that it is a part of a meteor or a proximity to a meteor hit ground zero. The main rationale for this belief is the soils brick-like hard quality with a reddish colour which is unique to this patch of land. Some rocks and soil layers contain what some speculate to be remnants of an extreme heat (caused by an event such as a meteor hit). It is also suspected that the soil has a high concentration of minerals/metals giving it's unique colour. In several places, especially by the sea facing areas rocks and soil can be observed clearly having multiple layers usually with distinct colourization. It is however unclear whether these speculations have been tested in any proper scientific study at all. It can be also noticed that Ussangoda is located geographically closer to another archaeological site "Miniha Gal Kanda", where evidence for pre-historic human existence has been found.

There are several mythologies related to the area. The site is considered a sacred / forbidden ground for general affairs in local lore. One popular mythological belief is that Ussangoda is a ground of the local demi-god "Mangara". Other beliefs range from religiously rooted backgrounds to the unwritten/alternate history related to Ravana. The validity of these beliefs remain largely untested to date.

And here's a few more pictures.

I don't exactly know why, but I have a strange attraction and a deep sense of bonding to that place. I still remember the first time I visited there as a kid more than a decade ago. It was windy, a slight drizzle was falling, the Sun was behind clouds. When I stood on that ground I could see the plain span of red soiled land every direction. I was standing in the middle of it. I could hear and smell the sea. I could feel the rain on my face and the wind kept at me. A very large bird flew by. I little of lightning in the air.The wind, rain and the sea; a few things I really love combined together to make me feel humbled.

There is something magical indeed there. :)

Ok, that's it. That's the list with some personal accounts. If you plan to visit any of these places, do so. They are great places, just like the load of amazing destinations Sri Lanka boasts about. When you leave take back your memories and snapshots but please leave the places untouched. They are for everyone.

As you may have noticed, all of the four locations have some mystery in the air and some relationship to the history. But that's not why I yearn to be there. It's not just the scenic beauty, the mystery or the historical value. It's a mixture of all this and that mixed together with great memories. Now that I left out my nostalgia and told you about these wonderful places, I feel much better. But I'm pretty sure it'll not stop me from yearning after a few hours, to be there again.

Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons. Copyrights by the respective copyright holders.

   

Click here to download:

Couple_of_my_favourite_places_.zip (1666 KB)

Loading mentions Retweet