Horagolla National Park

A visit to the lesser known Horagolla National Park on a field trip with a group of Grade 6 students of the Nalanda Education Institute, Veyangoda. 

The Horagolla National Park can easily be reached from the Veyangoda Katunayake Main Road.  I visited the park from Nittambuwa. I drove  1 1/2 km towards Veyangoda. There is a sign board of the park on the main road. The  The park entrance is situated at Pinnagollawatta. It is an 800 m drive from the main road. 

There is no proper vehicle parking area for the park. However, as only a small crowd turns up at the park , you can park your vehicle on the road or in a garden compound for a nominal fee. 

👉Watch the video below for details of the park. 

The park is situated in close proximity to the Nittambuwa town. However, once you enter the park, you get completely cut off from the urban environment. The tall trees with the thick canopy make you feel that you are walking in the Sinharaja rainforest. The forest officers guide the visitors the most friendliest manner. The whole  journey from the main entrance takes less than two hours. There is a paved walk around the park. 

The park is a safe place for students who are interested in learning the natural environment. 

The park is a home to a number of small creatures like bats, giant squirrels , wild boar , fishing cat , golden jackal , porcupine etc. These animals cannot be spotted easily here because of the thick forest cover. The forest is also the home for a number of snake species like viper , cobra , crate etc. 

There is a mini tank closer to the entrance of the park which is a heaven for different fish species , tortoises , water snakes and monitor lizards.  

The place is rich in bio-diversity. This forest which is 33 hectares in extent was declared a wildlife sanctuary on the 5th Sept. 1973. Then it was declared a National Park on  the 24th June 2004. 

The forest is abundant with Hora trees , hence it has received the name Horagolla.  

👉The park is also situated close to the Horagolla Walawwa which is the residence of two prime ministers; S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake and Sirimavo Bandaranayake; and an executive president; Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranayake, the daughter of the late Bandaranaykes.

Paramakanda Royal Temple | Anamaduwa

 Paramakanda Royal Temple ( Rajamaha Vihara) is a historic cave temple situated at Anamaduwa in the Puttalam district, North Western Province. This lesser known hallowed temple is yet another rock temple built by king Walagamba (103 BC). 

The temple is located at a distance of 4km from the Anamaduwa town towards Puttalam. There is a sign of the Department of Archaeology fixed near the main Puttalam road. The stretch of the road that leads to the temple is highly motorable. There is a vast parking area at the entrance. 

The temple is situated in a calm and quiet environment away from the busy human settlements. It is situated at the foot of several giant residual rocks. The temple premises has two sections: upper temple premises and the lower temple premises. The living quarters of the Bhikkhus and the preaching hall are situated in the lower premises. 

There is an image house , a bell tower , a bo-tree and a stone inscription in the upper section. The remains of ancient plastering could be seen on the rock wall. The quiet environment provides an ideal place for engaging in religious activities. 

The temple is closely related to the Thonigala rock inscription. Thonigala rock inscription is located about 1 km from the temple. The inscription mentions about land granted to the Paramakanda Buddhist temple. This bears witness to the fact that the Paramakanda Royal Temple has been an important spiritual center since ancient times.

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A visitor to the royal temple should not miss the highest point in the temple premises which provides the experience of a 360 view. There is a flight of granite steps leading to the view point. 

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 The blogger Sajendra Kumara visited the temple on the 5th of Nov. 2025, a poya day with his travel buddy P.G. Bandara. 

Panawitiya Ambalama | A Resting House

The  Panawitiya Ambalama is one of the unique artistic works created during the Kandyan era.

Location: Panawitiya

Panawitiya is located closer to the Giriulla - Kurunegala road, about 2 km away on the Metiyagane road. The stretch of the road to the Ambalama is a motorable one. The Ambalama is situated adjacent to the Buddhist temple Panavitiya Sri Jayathilakaramaya.

District: Kurunegala

Province: North Western Province 

It is believed that the Panawitiya Ambalama was constructed between 1250 AD - 1281 AD by King Parakramabahu - ii. He had got it done by a minister called Dewapathiraja.

The place is currently maintained by the Department of Archaeology. There is an office of the Archaeological Department located in the premises. The officers provide the visitor with the necessary details. 

The rural environment the Ambalama is located enhances its beauty. There is a paddy field in the vicinity of the Ambalama . 

👉What is an Ambalama ?

An Ambalama is a resting place built for travelers and traders who had to make long journeys to different regions of the island. The ancient traveler did not have  restaurants , hotels, inns etc. for resting or spending a night leisurely. These simple resting places  were of immense use to the travelers of the yore. They were also used for public gatherings and other common activities. 

The construction of an Ambalama was a top public service at that time. 

The architecture of an Ambalama varies depending on its creators. A common feature of an Ambalama is its openness, and short walls with dozens of pillars supporting the roof. An Ambalama always guaranteed the safety of the traveler. Anyone in the village could see very well the strangers resting in an Ambalama. 

👉Legends

It is said that once there had been a riot when Parakramabahu ii was ruling Sri Lanka. The king had sent his son prince Wijayaba to curb the riot. While the prince was returning after finishing his task an enemy had shot him with a poisoned arrow. The arrow head had been poisoned with cobra venom. The prince had instantly become unconscious. It is said that the soldiers had brought the prince to the place where the Ambalama is located at present. The prince had miraculously regained consciousness at this place. Hence this place got its name Panavitiya meaning in Sinhalese the place where the prince got his life back (Pana - life , Vitiya or vetiya - hedge or field).   

After the father king had got the news of his son's recovery ,he had become overjoyed. It is said that the king had frequented this area after this incident. It is believed that initially the king had got the Ambalama built for resting on his visits to Panavitiya. 

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According to another belief the Ambalama was built by the son of the artist who constructed the Magulmaduwa of Kandy. Those who support this idea build up their argument on the wood carving that could be seen on the wooden posts of the Ambalama. The wood carvings have a strong resemblance to those of the Kandyan era. 

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There are also those who believe that the Ambalama has been constructed during the Dambadeniya era.

The Ambalama has been built on a granite foundation. The rectangular shaped wooden bottom structure has been placed on four round stones. Four heavy pieces of wood with a thickness of around one foot each have been used for this structure. There are twenty six wooden posts with a height of seven feet fixed to the bottom structure.  The roof is fixed to these wooden posts which are decorated with wood carvings. 

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It is said that the Ambalama had been in a state of dilapidated condition during  the middle of the 20th century. The roof had been Cadjan thatched due to a coconut tree falling on it causing heavy damage. 

The Panawitiya Ambalama has been reconstructed and well preserved today. There are many legends and stories associated with these simple resting houses of the ancient Sri Lankans. It is our duty to bestow this legacy to the next generation.  

👦The blogger Sajendra Kumara visited this national heritage on the 5th of November 2025 with his travel buddy P.G. Bandara. 

[ Some of the information for this short article was gathered from different sources available on the Internet]

    sajendra Kumara | 5/11/2025

    

    The old wooden structure to which the roof had been attached. 

Kanneliya Rainforest | Galle

Kanneliya Raiforest is the second most significant rainforest located in Southern Sri Lanka. This forest is also known as Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN) rainforest. The forest is about 34 km to the Northwest of the city of Galle. Kanneliya was declared a biosphere reserve in 2004. 

The elevation of the forest ranges from 60 m to 425m above sea level. The average temperature is around 27C. The forest records a rainfall of around 3750mm annually. 

The forest feeds the two most important rivers in the Southern Province namely The Ginganga and The Nilwala Ganga. 

Flora

   Wenivel fruits

The forest is the home for a number of endemic fauna and flora in tropical Sri Lanka. A largest number of the endemic plants and trees found in Kanneliya are only confined to this forest. The forest is claimed to have around 309 different plants. The forest is rich in herbal plants. Wenivel (Salacia reticulata) which is one of the most popular herbal plant in Sri Lanka are found in abundance in Kanneliya. Wenivel is a common component of the Ayurvedic prescriptions. Beside Wenivel, plants like kothalahimbutu , rasakinda , thapaswara bulath , kekiriwara , hal etc. are some of them. 

Fauna

    A kangaroo lizard

The forest is also home to around 220 animal species. Out of this number around 41 are endemic to Sri Lanka. There are 86 species of mammals in Kanneliya. Currently elephants are not found in this forest. The last elephant to live in Kanneliya had died in 1997. The largest animal to live in Kanneliya is the sambar deer. Out of the 116 snake species in Sri Lanka all the species of snakes, except the sand viper and the sea snakes, are found in Kanneliya. Four species of chameleons are also found here. 

  millipede 

Anagimala Ella

Anagimala Ella is a popular attraction in the Kanneliya reserve. The waterfall is refreshing treat for the already weary visitor. 

Anagimale ella

At present

The blogger visited Kanneliya on two different occasions. The videos and the photographs on this page bear witness to the visit on the 7 th Sept. 2025 with a group of students. 

Today Kanneliya is a popular tourist destinations in Sri Lanka. A large number of students pick up Kanneliya for their annual excursion. The forest authorities take every possible step to protect the forest. Thanks to the efforts of the authorities forest has a zero polythene environment. The visitors are strictly advised to refrain from using polythene inside the reserve. The guides of the forest render a yeoman service by educating the visitors.  

A guide at Kanneliya explaining the significance of the forest to a group of students.

Magulmaha Viharaya at Lahugala

Velgam Vehera Rajamaha Vihara

Velgam Vehera, also known as Vilgam Rajamaha Vihara is an ancinet Buddhist temple situated in Gokanna (modern Trincomalee). The temple is situated at Kanniya( often mistaken as Kinniya), on the Trincomalee - Anuradhapura Road close to the famous hot water springs at Kanniya. The temple is one of the most historic Buddhist temples situated in the Trincomalee district. 

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HISTORY

The temple is believed to have been constructed by the great king Devanampiyatissa (307-207 BC); a king who rendered a yeoman service to establish Buddhism in the island. The temple has been renovated from time to time by kings like Bathiya 1 , Agbo - 2 , Vijayabahu - 1 and Parakramabahu - 1. 

An inscription has been found in the temple premises written during the reign of king Bhatika Tissa (141-165 AD) which bears witness to the fact that the temple had received royal patronage.  

However, with the collapse of the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa kingdoms the population gradually migrated to the South. This resulted in the temple being abandoned and falling into ruins. 

The Chola invaders destroyed most of the ancient Buddhist temples in the island. However , the invaders spared Velgam Vehera due to an unknown fact and they renovated it keeping to their architecture . The temple was renamed Rajarajaperumpalli after king Rajasinghe 1. Some stone inscriptions written in Tamil found in the temple premises mention that the temple had received donations from King Rajaraja and King Rajendradeva. 

The discovery of the ruins

The ruins of the Velgam Vehera were discovered by the Sri Lanka archaeological Department and in 1934 ; the site was declared as an archaeological protected reserve.

Hot Spring | Madunagala | Dampelessa | Sooriyawewa

 Hot Spring situated at Madunagala near Sooriyawewa. 

This hot spring is located in the Hambanthota district, Southern province. Currently the place is being maintained by the Southern Provincial Council tourism promotion board. 

Watch the video below for more details of the place. 

The place is also known as Dampalessa spring. The spring is located in a motorable place. The spring premises comprises an aquarium and a children's park. There is an attractive environment created by the authorities for the visitor to learn and enjoy the most convenient way. A police post has also been established at the entrance to guarantee the  safety of the visitor as well as the place. The visitor has to buy a ticket at the entrance. 

There are five tanks built around the central spring. The water in the tanks are crystal clear. One can clearly see the bubbling water emanating from the central spring. The tanks are full to the brim. Visitors can also have a hot water bath. The facilities for changing clothes have also been provided.  

    The central spring. Other tanks are connected to the central spring. 

Vidyaloka College , Paththalagedara on 7 th Aug. 2025

The Madunagala , hot spring is a place suitable for college students to visit on their excursions.  The spring helps children learn the Geographical nature of Sri Lanka. With the Southern Expressway , reaching the hot spring has become easier and time saving. 

👉Facilities available for the visitor

Parking facilities

Washrooms (properly maintained)

Children's park

Changing rooms

Security

Shopping and refreshment