Rural village Udawadiya..

The map, purple is the waterfall – Click to enlarge

When I first stepped in to Monaragala I planned to visit all four waterfalls listed under Monaragala district and suddenly one waterfall seemed to be a mystery and was bit of a challenge considering its location called Udavadiya. I was posted to Devathura to cover up another colleague’s duty for about one month and during that period I got some information from the local population about this village called Udawadiya. According to the locals this village is at the boarder of the two districts of Uva and geographically located in an isolated gap between mountains on the southern slopes of the central hills of Sri Lanka which even does not have a proper access route. It is said that warriors of 1630 Randeniya battle later resettled themselves at this village and had been there until now and due to inter family marriages the number of deaf and dumb in the population is said to be high in Udawadiya. I decided one day I’m going to explore this place and almost after one and a half years that day arrived.

From Passara I got to Namunukula and took the Devathura/Miyanakadura road for about 3.5Km’s. I reached a junction where there was a board directing towards Tenacombara school. Though the road was motorable for about 1.5Km up to the line houses no trishaw would risk to go there J so the long walk started from this point onwards. The road was a 4WD one in bad condition as predicted and Within no time I was walking along a lonely road enjoying some stunning scenery towards the valley of Devathura and far away Monaragala. After about 1.5Km I reached few houses on the slopes of the valley and I proceeded further from this point enjoying some stunning views towards the paddy fields in the valley. Next I reached the last set of line houses and from here onwards the road was only a foot path. After getting directions I set foot towards Udawadiya and not so far away from this point I came across a cave near a stream where travelers from Udawadiya used to rest.

starting point of a 11km trail at Tennekumbura

respect!

lonely road

what a road to walk on

very bad condition

winding around hills

towards monaragala

captured

on the opposite side

gods, pay due respect

last line home stretch

four gods

resting cave, like an ambalama

The path was a lonely one and one should keep in mind to stick to the clear path rather than other branching out foot paths towards the forest. I was heading towards a gap between two peaks of the mountain range where I came across few villagers from Udawadiya carrying some stuff on their heads and going to a funeral at Tennacombara. If you look at the images you will note how difficult their lives are. After having a small chat I proceeded and reached the gap where for the first time Buttala region was offered to my camera lens and from here onwards it was a downhill journey through the small mana patch. Please keep in mind the path is not clear at this point but if you look around it could be spotted. It was a pleasure to enter the green forest and get out of the blazing sun. The path was slippery because of loosened up rocks, so one should keep in mind to be watchful while enjoying the scenic descent. It is simply spectacular to see how the paddy fields of Higurukaduwa extend up to Buttala area through a valley.

The descend through the thick forest with occasional openings with a remarkable window view ended at the village after a 2.75Km trek from the last line houses and the rock paved road was to say welcome to Udawadiya. Not so far away from that point I came across the first house which was quite nicely built and they seem to be fulfilling their electricity requirements via a solar panel. I was told that these villagers are very busy and prosperous but their main obstacle been the mode of transport. After emerging on to the newly dozered road which connects Balleketuwa side and Siyambalagune, I met a villager and got proper directions from here onwards. One of my main objectives was to hunt the hidden beauty called Udawadiya falls which also had a mini hydro project which was functional according to the villagers.

foot path is narrowing

paddyfields of Devathura

endless valley

Devathura government dispensary

more to go

life is so hard but they do survive

the gap between two peaks

very bad road conditions

the gap towards buttala was opened up

foot path

note the paddyfields extending towards buttala

scenic

lonely path

colouring up

beautiful higurukaduwa

towards hadapanagala

paved path to the village

evidence of civilization

first residence

finally reached the village

Descending few hundred meters along the road I came to a junction with a huge mango tree and there was a foot path to the left which led to Higurukaduwa but I took the right turn and headed towards the newly constructed causeway across Udavadiya oya. And there was a water canal in parallel to the main stream which diverted water from the main stream which I followed downstream in search of the waterfall. Through the bushes the beautiful cascade of Udawadiya started to immerge and I couldn’t resist it, so cautiously I did get down to the base of this beauty and started running around snapping its upper and lower parts. I was tired and was sweating a lot so the base pool was inviting me to refresh my self which I couldn’t repel. After enjoying a lonely bath I dressed up and said good bye to this beauty and headed back to the three way junction.

left will take one to higurukaduwa, right will lead to siyambalagune

rural

causeway

peaceful place

lower part of Udawadiya ella

beautiful upper part of udawadiya ella

the base

deep base pool

the temple with only a bo tree

hard life at one of the most rural villages of SL

a true tawalama carrying paddy

If one wants to reach Udawadiya from Siyambalagune it will be a 12Km 4WD ride as the locals said. Even from Ballekatuwa only one Tea lorry arrives somewhere close to the village daily. The foot path from the junction will take one too Higurukaduwa and it will be roughly 7Km’s. The path continues through the village houses and there is a clear path with occasional steps and it is a very well shaded path been bordered by plenty of jack trees. My legs started to ache within no time because of the difficult descend and after passing few houses I reached the Paddy field located in a heavenly location. It is simply the best paddy field I have ever seen. When one stands in the center of the field you can enjoy an endless view towards Buttala region and the southern oceans of Sri Lanka. According to some people I met the village consist of At least 80 family’s dispersed in a huge area though I met only very few of them. The village has only a “Bo” tree which signifies a temple for them. For the first time in my life I came across a true “Thawalama” carrying a bag of grain and it sums of the lives of these people of Udawadiya.

From the paddy fields onwards the path continued downwards and at a place where it met a mini stream it seemed to disappear. This place is a “Kos mandiya” and once you cross over you could find the lost path again. Next mile stone is the bridge made across a huge stream (probably Devathura oya) where one could enjoy a nice cool dip. Next is the village of Kosgolla where a 4WD road could be found after hurrying up my walk I reached Ilukktenna village. The last stretch to Higurukaduwa was done in a rush because it had got late and I needed to catch the last bus to Passara. The road seemed to be concreted for 1Km from Higurukaduwa and according to the locals the authorities have promised to complete the whole road up to Udawadiya. People at Higurukaduwa did mention that the children of Udawadiya do travel up and down 14Km per day just to get to a school and return back since this is the closest Sinhala school for them. After hearing that I felt so sad about these kids and I wish this write up will be an eye opener to the relevant officials of Uva province and other authorities of the government. After getting to Higurukaduwa I rested for about good 30 minutes before I left towards Passara with some unforgettable memories of Udawadiya.

a closed boutique

plenty of jack fuit

beautiful path

isolated houses

more to walk

kadulla

and their cattle

a paddyfield with a view of the southern oceans

a big wow

wish i could be like it

the difficult foot path

crossing a marshy land

finally the bridge at kosgolla

devathura oya

plenty of fruits

kosgolla

their toys are much simpler

a good road but non motarable

i was there

still going strong

upper paddyfield was the one i previously visited

notice board

Higurukaduwa paddyfields

summary of their hard life

the end destination, oops not the hospital but Higurukaduwa

Thanks for reading!