Galle

                                              The Tea Factory / Spice Garden


                               

The Handunugoda plantation & Tea centre is very popular for visitors who wish to obtain a comprehensive knowledge of the workings of Tea – Rubber & Cinnamon Plantations. Sri Lanka was famed for its spices and the Southern Province produces the best Cinnamon in the world. Visit a spice garden at Habaradoowa which grows spices and herbs used for Sri Lankan cuisine and medication.

Rumassala The ‘Beautiful Rock’

The impressive cameo note, in the Daily News Travel by Ganga Pradeepa, nudged me into musing about Rumassala and its environs. There is a strong reason for such reflection. I hail from Unawatuna, and was born and bred on the leeward side of the sheltering Rumassala.

First, let me make a brief observation about the popular etymology of the name of this village - Unawatuna. Most people tend to settle for the ready interpretation, that, Unawatuna derives from ‘Onna-wetuna’ (There, it fell).

Sama Chethiya

But, in reality, the name ‘Unawatuna’ denotes a minor harbour - ‘a cove or a small bay’. It becomes from Una-patuna (Oonapattana) - small inlet. This expression has been used to denote natural harbours, in ancient Sri Lanka (Dambakola Patuna, Yapa Patuna etc.).

For centuries, ocean going vessels, called at Galle and Unawatuna. A helpful ocean current allowed ships to drift almost effortlessly to these natural harbours of the southern coast.

Though the Portuguese Captain Laurenco de Almeida, intended to sail to the Port of Colombo, the current brought him to Galle.

Age-old lore has it, that, Tarshish - a Port referred to in the Bible, is in fact Galle. Around the cove of Unawatuna, there are traces, that speak about links with lands beyond the ocean. Even today, there is a place on the shore at Unawatuna bay, known as ‘Ja-kotuwa’ - ‘The camp of the Javanese people’.

The very name of the capital city of the Southern Province - Galle - has been whimsically interpreted in popular etymology. They try to make out that, Galla is derived from Gala which means cattle-shed. But, Galla simply means forest or grove as in such instances as Attana-galla, Tan-galla. At times Galla changes into Golla.

Strange

To return to Unawatuna - in quite a strange manner, there are several ‘falls’ associated with the area around Unawatuna.

The hillock of Rumassala figures prominently in a mythical ‘fall’. The core theme of the Indian epic Ramayana is a mythical encounter between Rama and Ravana. When Rama’s brother Lakshman was near-fatally wounded in battle, there was only scant hope about his life. The Prince’s life could be saved only if certain herbs could be fetched from the Himalayas. Speed was of high essence. Hanuman the Monkey God undertook the mission. At the site, he forgot the names of the herbs.

He broke of the chunk of one mountain, where the herbs occurred. When the chief physician extracted the essential herbs, Hanuman threw away the chunk of the mountain. It fell to the ground and came to be named Rumassala. Ru-mas-sala, could be translated as ‘Beautiful Rock’. Incidentally, its present name ‘Buona Vista’, seems an echo of the original meaning, since ‘Buona Vista’ implies, ‘Beautiful Sight’.

There is yet another ‘fall’ associated with this region. As Pradeepa indicated, in a far off age, a meteorite from outer space would have fallen in this area. Sir Arthur C. Clarke has stated that, spot in this region does not come within the magnetic field that envelops the whole earth.

Mystery

In consequence, Sir Arthur explains, that, Exhausted geo-stationary satellites end up high above this place around Unawatuna, and keep on milling round and round.

It is interesting to note in this context, that, when Arthur C. Clarke came to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), way back in 1956, he made Unawatuna his first home. The mystery associated with the Rumassala area, may, in all probability, have intrigued him. When we were children, the elderly folk told us stores about the mystery of Unawatuna and Rumassala.

There are fruit groves in Rumassala which, only those travellers who genuinely lose their way, would come upon. Among precious herbs, in the Rumassala region, recording to folk-lore, is ‘kalu-nika’, a medical plant with life-giving properties.

Ganga Pradeepa dwells extensively on the Peace Pagoda . This sacred edifice, gives a totally new significance to ancient Rumassala, converting the whole rock into a monument for harmony and peaceful co-existence.

Rumassala

There are other places of high significance, a visitor to Rumassala should not miss.

A fascinating Buddhist Theme Park is evolving around the Elders’ Home in Rumassala.

A well-proportioned statue of the Buddha, is the predominant feature of this Park. Serene, tranquil and compassionate the

tatue of the Buddha contemplates the ocean below. The originator and the main implementer of this concept, Sarath Dias, had this sacred statue of the Buddha constructed to symbolise the miracle of whole series of Buddha statues, that mysteriously withstood.

The hideous, massive and monstrous onslaught of the Tsunami. Other images at this Buddhist Theme Park, depict the Introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka by Arahant Mahinda and his saintly retinue. On September 17, 2008 a statue of Anagarika Dharmapala, became part of this site.

Social worker, Buddhist activist and community leader, Sarath Dias, keeps on adding to this Buddhist Theme Park. The Arrival of Buddhist Nun Sanghamittha, bearing a sapling of the Sacred Bodhi Tree from India, will be depicted in an edifice that is currently being constructed.

History

While at Rumassala, one must make it a special point to see a very old institution of learning. The Buona vista school possesses an impressive history. Among its alumni, are Sir Oliver Goonetileka, Prof. Senarath Paranavithana and Martin Wickremasinghe.

Rumassala shelters, those under its shadow, when the Tsunami struck. But, on either side of the Fortress Rumassala, Tsunami’s effect was grievous and disastrous.

Rumassala is undergoing a process of fast urbanising, roads, residential places, restaurants are being continuously built.

When we were children, we sat on the comely beaches and had literary debates and recited poetry. Rumassala was then a place of mystery, and had been inhabited only peripherally. But, with all the modernisation, a streak of mystery still remains.

On a visit there, if you momentarily stepped beyond the beaten track and walked among the trees and bushes that still stand, you may even come upon the miraculous Kalu Nika - the life giver.

Hiyare Reservoir Rainforest

One of the most beautiful stretches of rainforest in Sri Lanka is the rainforest bordering the Hiyare Reservoir, about 18 km (approximately half an hour’s drive) from Galle. Visitors to the Hiyare Biodiversity and Education Center have a rare opportunity to see two Hog Deer. This extremely wary and nocturnal deer is rarely seen in the wild by naturalists. Its is confined to western seaboard. W. W. A. Phillips in his Manual of the Mammals of Ceylon published in 1935 gave its distribution as being from a few kilometers North of Kalutara to Kottawa in Galle. It is found in a band which ranges from 10 to 30 kilometers inland. The Hog Deer is believed to spend the day in forested patches and come out at night to feed in swamps, paddy fields, etc. Its hooves are specially modified to spread out slightly when it walks, to distribute its weight on swampy ground. Hog Deer are free living in the wild in Sri Lanka, and are considered by many authors to be a native species, despite a curiously disjunct distribution in South Asia. W. W. A. Phillips writing in the first edition of Manual of the Mammals of Ceylon commented of a traditional belief that it was introduced by the Dutch or the Portuguese. However this comment was removed from the 1980 revised edition. The nominate species is found in tall grasslands and swamp forest in Northern India from Uttaranachal to Assam, Mizoram and Manipur. It is possible that DNA analysis may shed some clues as to the origin of the sub-species of Hog Deer in Sri Lanka.
The Hiyare Rainforest as it is popularly referred to, is an extension of the Kottawa Khombala Forest Reserve. This stretch of rainforest is scenically situated around the Hiyare Reservoir. The reservoir and the land surrounding it is administered by the Galle Municipal Council, whereas the much larger forest reserve is administered by the Forest Department. The reservoir ceased to supply water to the town of Galle in 2002 and in 2003 the Galle Municipal Council opened it to the public. It has also encouraged and facilitated the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle (WCSG) which runs a field center there. The WCSG engages in education, conservation and research. The initiative by the Galle Municipal Council is a benchmark for other local authorities to engage with the public and to support conservation and education.
Thanks to the Galle Municipal Council’s Hiyare Reservoir Rainforest and the Forest Department’s Kottawa Rainforest and Arboretum, residents and visitors to Galle have superb and easy access to rainforests. Galle is the rainforest capital of Sri Lanka and is the richest of Sri Lanka’s districts in bio-diversity. In the first week of October I travelled to the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle to join Sharmini Serasinghe who is producing and presenting Discover Sri Lanka, a new travel series for Rupavahini. Together with Lighthouse Hotel Naturalist Anoma Algaiyawadu, I was to assist her in showcasing Galle as the Rainforest Capital of Sri Lanka. On my way South, I travelled through stretches of the A2, where I had swamps on my left right. The swamps reminded me that I had not yet seen a Hog Deer and I thought my only chance lay in an injured specimen been taken captive for treatment. A few days later, with Sharmini and her Rupavahini crew, I arrived at the education center of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle in Hiyare to film the rainforest. Imagine my surprise and delight when Sameera Akmemana and Sampath Gunasinghe of the society pointed out two Hog Deer under its care. The Ruapavahini crew also filmed some of freshwater fish such as the Striped Rasbora and the endemic Sinhala Barb. The latter is easily seen in the reservoir. The word Hiyare originates from an expression which means a hundred streams. Over thirty species of freshwater fish have been recorded by the Wildlife Conservation Society in the rainforest streams of which several are endemic.
An enclosure presently has an injured Hog Deer fawn which has had the end of one of its feet bitten off by dogs. An un-related adult female has also been brought in. The female has bonded with the fawn. The female had been kept as a pet and it cannot therefore be released as it is trusting towards people and may be hunted. According to Sameera Akmemana and Sampath Gunasinghe of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle, these two Hog Deer take the number of Hog Deer brought to the center to a total of eight. For photographers and naturalists, this is a superb opportunity to view and photograph Hog Deer.
To enter the Hiyare Reservoir Rainforest, and the Kottawa Rainforest and Arboretum, a nominal fee is levied for tickets. To get to Hiyare, from Galle, take the Udugama Road (B 129). A hundred meters past the 9 km post of the B 129, take the road to the right. 4.4 km later you come to a big bridge, take the dirt track immediately to your left which leads to the Hiyare Reservoir, a hundred meters away.
For the Kottawa Rainforest and Arboretum, continue along the B 129. Just past the km. 13 post on the B 129, on the right, is the Kottawa Information Center. Buy your entrance tickets here. Further along the road before the 14 km post are gates to the left and a large yellow sign board "Kottawa Arboretum Wet Evergreen Forest Kottawa Khombala". Enter the forest from here. Follow the wide trail that runs parallel to the road until it rejoins it about a km away.