කුවේණි විජයට දෙස් තැබූ යක්දෙස්සා ගල (Yakdessagala 540m)

the map – Click Map to Enlarge

Yakdessagala first came across my senses in 2011 while I was on top of Yapahuwa and again last year when I visited Wellagala rock. The temptation of conquering this rock surged after seen Dinesh Dekkers video which prompted me to do so ASAP! I must thank Anupama who guided me in every way he can to make our journey a success! This was going to be a special hike for me for many reasons and it didn’t disappoint me a bit even. Kasun as always was ever so ready and same goes to NG & Theshantha who happily joined us this time too. It is said that Kuweni cursed King Vijaya and leaped from the summit of this rock hence called yakdessagala. This is close to 540m in height and is one of the highest peaks around Wayamba! Yakdessagala peak is located at the Center of the 20km mountain range which lies along Kurunegala Wariyapola road like a snake.

yakdessagala as seen from wellagala

yakdessagala range

So on a Sunday morning me and my better half linked up with others at Kurunegala and off we went in search of Yakdessagala. The base of the mountain is found close to the 7km post of Gonagama road. After having breakfast we walked towards the temple where the (right on the opposite side of the gate) trail head could be found. The path starts at a small rock pond with lilies and from here onwards it’s a uphill journey through a classical dry zone forest. We came across arrows directing downwards (aiding the descending traveller) printed in red and the next arrow usually is seen far away at a higher level. One needs to keep their eyes wide open or you will lose the correct path. The initial part of our journey was through a forest filled with creepers and the path been not so steep was a relief at that point but within no time the trees got taller there were less creepers and the path got steeper. The arrows were a blessing to us but we also did rely on our instincts in case we lost the path and we always had an idea about our whereabouts. The kids enjoyed swinging on creepers which were like natural swings for them while adults had the regular chats. Though the sun was blazing we didn’t feel it because of the forest cover but we were forced to take several pit stops to rehydrate ourselves. There are no streams at all and finding water is not possible, so it’s advisable to carry your own stock. We came across few well cleared paths but the crosses marked on the rocks saved us from deviating from the original one. Crosses and arrows can be found even on huge trees at sometimes.

the peak

a white lilly

beautiful isnt it

in to the forest

plenty of creepers

mage onchillawa

the path getting steeper

webbed

more to climb

arrows are easily notable

thousands of these guys

maze

greenly dry zone forest

living in harmony

no and no this is not the correct way

After few hours of climbing we came to the base of the rock from here onwards it was a steep climb uphill through an abyss. The path through the abyss was not the correct path and we lost our way a bit. Somehow after tackling this difficult terrain like spiders, we reached a flat neck like area where the peak connects with the rest of the range. Somehow we fell back in to the correct path at this point. The last stretch along the neck of the peak rock was a further challenge. The 70 degree angle plus the small dry leaves on soft earth was not facilitating at all. Just before the summit there were tall “mana” and “iluk” bushes causing further trouble.

the trees standing like two pillars , the path falls through these

rock climbing

perfectly webbed

tackling the last tough part

After a tiring 3 hour journey we reached the summit which was red hot! The view was a 360 degree bird’s eye view of Kurunegala area. Even before we had a fair chance of enjoying the scenery inter monsoons decided to intervene. We were surrounded by clouds but the nature of the rain and the clouds seemed like it will settle within 1 hour so all of us decided to stay on top of the rock until it seized. Rain seems to be following us where ever we go and it didn’t disappoint us this time too. The unexpected shower was a blessing since it cooled off the heated rock and lengthened our stay on the summit. After the shower passed away it was time for us to locate few landmarks. The end of the range was at Kurunegala town almost touching Ibbagala & Athugala also we noted Andagala and Kuruminiyagala, Alagalla(at mawanella) , Kabaragala(at Nawalapitiya) and the tallest peak of Kurunegala called Bisogala. The closest flat mountain range was famous Dolukanda and Arankale area, at the backdrop of it one can easily note Reverston and knuckles range. Etipola and Etigala, Ambokka the tallest point bordering Kurunegala and Matale districts were also notable. And far away Galkiriyagama kanda, Ritigala range, Nagala, Yapahuwa, Wellagala Wariyapola, Maho areas could be noted easily.

summit

the landscape

here comes the rain (far away twin peaks are ambokka range)

ambokka

a panorama taken from the summit while raining – Click Image to Enlarge

towards galgiriya and ritigala

the temple zoomed

the flag post

towards Nathagane

the rest of the range which runs towards gonagama

the rest of the range which runs towards gonagama

athugala and kurunegala town

plenty of coconut and paddy fields

a lake

ritigala seen far away

here it comes

Wellagala

umbrellas for the rescue

the lonely tree

the gonagama rd

it cleared off a bit

Wariyapola receiving heavy showers

the range running towards Kurunegala

drizzling not so far away

panorama towards Kurunegala

towards puttalam rd

the tallest peak in kurunegala seen far away

Athugala ( far away alagalla could be seen)

Kurunegala town

the drop we climbed

clouds were thinning off

the huge drop where kuweni leaped

Paddy

nathagane range

colourful

more mini peaks

shear drop

towards dolukanda

wow again

plenty of coconut

Kurunegala — birds eye view

Athugala

another lake

clouds have emptied them selves

beautiful dolukanda

On the other side one can even visualize the western coastal line if it was and evening with a clear sky. The closest range towards Puttalam road was Nathagane range with its “sthupa” on the summit. The paddy fields and coconut plantations sums of the cultivation of the district, out of these many paddy fields most were harvested already and set on fire. There were few more landmarks which I couldn’t sought out yet even after running through the maps. Somehow the overcast conditions produced some good contrast images for us. At around 1pm we decided to descend and that was far more difficult than climbing up, while descending the arrows were clearly visible and there was no way we were going to lose the path again. It was sad to see lots of non-degradable stuff here and there left over by visitors, hope future travellers will not spoil this virgin environment. When we got down thundering had begun and the whole sky was dark we felt that our timing was perfect. To complete our day we only needed a nice bath to wash away the tiredness. We came across a huge well which facilitated our need and the passing by “Choon Paan” van satisfied our hunger. We were happy that everything went perfect and according to our plans. It was time for us to rush back towards our beds at our homes which were waiting for us eagerly to complete our day! Thanks for reading!

less spacious summit

team spirit

contrast

yet another cloud

the gonagama road where we started our hike

good bye summit

the train passing through coconut plantations

what a place to be

last shot

descending

curved

common in dry zone forest

down the pallam

at the base, having a small rest