Random visit at places in ancient Seethawaka kingdom

During this journey I needed to visit at places in Warakapola-Karawanaella, Galapitamada-Nelundeniya and Ruwanwella-Galigamuwa roads. Ancient Seethawaka kingdom was situated over this area. Although I had a tight schedule before the journey, the evening shower ruined some of my plans. Somehow I was able to visit at following places.

Day-1

1. Dorawaka pre historical cave (දොරවක ලෙන)
2. Pethangoda garden (පෙතන්ගොඩ උයන) and Wangedi-Molgas Ella (වන්ගෙඩි මෝල්ගස් ඇල්ල)
3. Manikkadawara ancient Tampiti temple (මැණික්කඩවර ටැම්පිටි විහාරය) and remaining of Portuguese castle
4. Holombuwa Sthreepura cave temple (හොලොම්බුව ස්ත්රීකපුර විහාරය)
5. Dadigama Kotawehera (දැදිගම කොට වෙහෙර), archeology museum and Dadigama temple

Day-2

1. Brandi Kovil (බ්රැදන්ඩි කෝවිල)
2. Tomb of King Rajasingha (රාජසිoහ සොහොන)
3. Ancient Britain Castle of Ruwanwella
4. Palngamuwa suspension bridge (පාලම්ගමුව සoගිලි පාලම) and Hakurugala cave temple (හකුරුගල රජමහා විහාරය)
5. Manella waterfall (මානැල්ල)

Places of visit – Black star = Dorawaka cave, Purple star = Pethangoda garden, Red star = Manikkadawara temple, Brown star = Holombuwa temple, Green star = Dadigama. Orange star = Britain castle, Yellow star = Palangamuwa Bridge, Blue star = Manella fall – Click Map to Enlarge

Places of visit – Black star = Brandi kovil, Red star = Rajasingha tomb – Click Image to Enlarge

Dorawaka pre historical cave

Importance of this cave is it has about 30 sketch drawings belonging to pre historical era.

You have to get Madeniya (මාදෙනිය) bus from Warakapola town. (Alternative bus is Warakapola-Ruwanwella bus and has to get a three-wheeler from the junction where Madeniya road starts). If you tell the conductor or driver they will drop you in front of the road towards the cave. Actually this road starts in front of a boutique. Then you have to walk about 2km, initially it is a concrete road and later it becomes a footpath way within a rubber estate. Vehicles can be driven to a certain extent.

It likes an inverted ‘V’ shape. 82 feet long, 55feet high.

Drawings were numbered by the archeology department

Brahmin letters and symbols belong to pre-historical period

Belongs to B.C 8-10

Sketch of a Tusker

If you need a closer view of letters and drawings, have to jump over this fence

Newly built Kuti

Following the cave we walked back to the main road and got the bus towards Pethangoda. (First have to go to the junction where Madeniya road meets Karawanalla road and then Karawanalla/Ruwanwella bus).

Pethangoda garden

You have to get your turn to left side on the Warakapola-Karawanalla road at Pethangoda to watch Pethangoda Bamboo bushes.

The ancient road from Seethawaka kingdom to Central kingdom was situated close to this garden and people were used to rest at this garden on their way.

Following the war with King Wimaladarmasooriya, King I Rajasingha (Seethawaka Rajasingha) came to get a rest here on his way back to the Kingdom. His leg has been pierced by a bamboo thorn and it was enough to kill the King.

Nowadays you can see only two bamboo bushes here. The lake in front of the garden is now covered with plants. Ancient garden was large about 42arches.

There are other stories also behind the death of King Rajasingha. While the king was walking in the garden he was bitten by a cobra and king was unconsciousness due to snake venom. Then he was brought to the Seethawaka kingdom by a boat. Near the Anguruwalla, king’s feet became black. (Gangrenous.) Further down the river, king wanted to step down the boat and he became limp once he stepped on the bank. That area is called Karawanalla. (Korauna walla->Karawanalla)

කොරවුන+ වැල්ල-> කරවනැල්ල

The place where king’s feet became black now called Anguruwalla.

අගුරු වුන+වැල්ල->අගුරු වැල්ල

Warning – Click Image to Enlarge

Historical information – Click Image to Enlarge

Two bamboo bushes

Bamboo thorns

Ancient lake now covered with plants

Then we preceded our journey towards a nearby waterfall called Wangedi-Molgas Ella. (Actually it is a small water stream). This name is due to a piece of rock likes a “Molgaha” and bathing pool likes a “Wangedi”. You have to walk about 2km from Pethangoda garden towards this waterfall.

So called Molgaha

Bathing pool-Wangediya

After having a bath at this water stream we came back to Pethangoda and got a bus towards Galapitamada. The time was around 2pm and we had to satisfy from bread for our lunch at Galapitamada town.

Then we took the Kegalle bus from Galapitamada and got down at Manikkadawara junction (less buses in this road compared to Warakapola-Ruwanwella road).The archeology board shows the direction towards the temple and distance was 2km from Manikkadawara junction.

Manikkadawara Temple

• It has three importance.
• Ancient Tampiti Temple-Belongs to Kandyan era.
• Paintings of this Tampiti temple. One of them shows a Sinhala king is eating by spoon and fork.
• The Bo tree. This is the one mention in famous poetry called Thisara sandeshaya. (තිසර සන්දේශය)

Tampiti Temple.-now under renovation. Therefore unable to watch paintings

Temple is on 14 stone pillars

The Bo tree

When you cross the road from the temple, you can visit at remaining of Old Portuguese castle. Nowadays you can see star shaped basement only.

Star shaped castle

Then we came to Thunthota (තුoතොට) junction and got a three-wheeler to Holombuwa to visit Sthreepura temple.

Holombuwa Sthreepura cave temple.

This is one of an interesting place I have visited.

.	Historical information – Click Image to Enlarge

Nice arch over the temple

The door with paintings

Small pagoda within the image house

Roof paintings

Perennial pond

Then we walked about 3km towards the Dadigama (Road on the other side of the temple connects to Dadigama.) It was scenic in the evening.

Another evening to Dadigama

Dadigama has three importance.

• Kotawehera
• Archeology museum
• Dadigama ancient temple

Kotawehera

This was built by King I Parakramabahu (1153-1186) at his birth town Dadigama. This pagoda doesn’t have a Pinnacle. Only has three basal rings and dome.

Height is 47feet and top is 26000square feet large

There is a small stupa inside this large stupa

Number of antiques were excavated from this archeology site and now kept at Archeology museum of Dadigama.

The brass elephant oil lamps and gold plated Samadhi Buddha statue can’t be seen there. They are kept at National museum Colombo.

.

As it was around 5pm we couldn’t visit at archeology museum at Dadigama. (Archeology museum opens from 8am to 4pm) Then we came back to Colombo.

Day 2

Second day I started my journey from Awissawella and preceded from there towards Ruwanella. Before Thalduwa junction, the archeology board can be seen in right hand side towards the Brandy kovil.

Brandy kovil

The great king Rajasingha (The last king who has brought the Sri Lanka to one canopy in 16th century.) has built this kovil under instructions of “Aretha keewendu Perumal”(අරිඨ්ඨ කී වෙන්ඩු පෙරුමාල්). This was built as seven stories building to worship devil Kala or god Shiva. Rajasingha I has killed his father and later worried about it. The person Aretha Keewndu came from India and instructed the king the only way to come out of the sin is to build a Kovil by diverting the Seethawaka River.

Later Portuguese have destroyed it.

Now we can only observe the basement of this building. This land is boarded by Seethawaka River from three sides.

Brandy Kovil with it’s entrance

.

.

Following Brandy kovil, we walked towards Thalduwa junction. Our next place of visit was tomb of Rajasingha I. you have to go in Gurugalla road about 2km to reach there.

Tomb of King Rajasingha I

Remaining of the tomb

Historical information – Click Image to Enlarge

Then we came back to Thalduwa junction and got the bus to Ruwanwalla.

Ancient Britain Castle of Ruwanwella

This is situated in the right middle of the Ruwanwella town. Nowadays Ruwanwalla police is situated in the castle. I first spoke to the receptionist of the Police and she was kind enough to show remaining of the castle after getting permission.

Entrance of the castle

The year is 1817

The wall

This part of the building is also belonging to old castle

Due to historical values of the castle, police can’t do new constructions here. Therefore they have planned to shift the police to somewhere else.

Palangamuwa suspension bridge

You have to walk towards the Ruwanwella ground to visit at suspension bridge. This was built few years ago it is 555feet long and considered as the longest suspension bridge of Sri Lanka.

Longest suspension bridge of Sri Lanka

The Kelani River meets Gurugoda oya

This is their bread and butter

.

We crossed the bridge and got a three-wheeler to the nearby cave temple called Hakurugala temple.

Hakurugala cave temple

This is considered as a creation of King Rajasingha I. On the way to Hakurugala temple, you can see another rock called “Biso Panna Gala”. බිසෝ පැන්න ගල

Before go to the war, one of the King has told to his seven queens, if he win the war a white flag would be waved otherwise a black flag would be seen. Although he won the war, the person who waved the flag showed the wrong one. Seven queens realized the king has lost the war and suicide by jumping from this rock. Now it is called as Biso Panna Gala.

Biso Panna Gala

The rock where the cave temple is situated is contact with the ground by only limited area. But the nature has kept this rock like that for a longtime without rolling down.

Hakurugala cave temple

Note this rock touches the ground only by limited area. This is the side view

In some areas you can see the other side

Not like other cave temples. Other side of the rock is also a cave. Therefore you can walk around the rock

The water flows down from Hakurugala is having high density

Image house is under construction

Drip ledge

The person who worked at temple was kind enough to tell all these information as the priest was not at temple at that time. You can have a panorama view from the top of the rock but we didn’t try to climb it.

Manella waterfall

To reach Manella waterfall you have to take Kegalle bus from Ruwanwella and get down at Liyangahamula.(ලියන්ගහ මුල) From there you have to cross the bridge and walk towards Patti pelpita(පට්ටි පැල්පිට)about 2-3km. This bridge was built few years ago and villagers used the ferry to cross Gurugoda oya (ගුරුගොඩ ඔය) before that. If you come from Warakapola, there is a direct bus towards Weragala (වේරගල) to reach Manella fall.

Newly built bridge over the Gurugoda Oya

Gurugoda Oya flows. It is a branch of Kelani River

Main road and foot pathway towards Manaella. It is not difficult to find the waterfall

Maha Manella (මහා මානැල්ල) waterfall. 20m height. Villagers believe the God Manella stays here and named this waterfall by his name

This waterfall has two parts as Maha Manella and Kuda Manella. ( කුඩා මානැල්ල)

Kuda Manalla. 6m height

Going through bamboo bushes to climb the waterfall

Puhuwala ela flows to make Manella fall

Friends who came to visit at waterfall

After having a bath at Kuda Manella we finished the day. There are some more places belong to Seethawaka kingdom to be visited. Will see later

Thanks for reading