Relentless Trying Paid Dividends – Kurundu Oya Ella…

Kurundu Oya Ella has been a very difficult customer all this time evading from our view every time we tried to get close to her. I don’t have to tell you how frustrated I felt missing her very narrowly about 3 times before. She proved to be a tough cookie and I intended to go see her even if it was the last thing I’d do. While the time passed and opportunities lost, I had kinda taken a backward approach mainly because of visiting a bunch of them during the heavy rains appealed more to my waterfall hungry mind.

As the rains eased, water levels decreased overnight proving that our soil has lost its water retention capability. Thanks to all the destruction of rain forests the monsoon season is shot to hell. The good old farmers who used to predict the weather a helluva lot better than our Met Department now find themselves flabbergasted by the sudden changes in the weather patterns. Now there’s no average rainfall as such. It either rains like hell or the drought is there in full force making the lives of humans, animals and plants suffer mercilessly.

So while the rains were there, I was busy wandering around the areas where there are clusters of waterfalls such as Wewelwatte, Bambarakanda, Bulathkohupitiya, Nallathanniya, Mandaram Nuwara, etc. Kurundu Oya went clean out of my mind as a result. After my waterfall journey in and around Welimada in the New Year, I decided to call it a season and wait for the heavy rains hopefully in May-July to go searching for them.

However when Hasi called asking if there were any plans for waterfalls, my craving for them got just bigger. Anyhow I knew it’d be useless as the rains had stopped some 2-3 weeks before so was wondering whether to go see something else such as an archaeological site. Out of the blue, he suggested Kurundu Oya Ella and I felt like kicking myself for not thinking of her. When I put the suggestion to Atha, he seconded with no second thoughts. So having finalized the date for the 18 Jan, Sunday we waited patiently.

I tried to contact the old Tony several times to no avail. I guessed the fella must’ve lost the phone like previous times (this turned out to be the case later on). Waiting for a journey after all the planning is something hard to bear. The day doesn’t seem to come at all. Finally after a lot of haggling over, it was Saturday night and we got ready for an early start as traveling to Walapane via Hatton-Nuwara Eliya is not so easy.

Tour Highlights: 

1. Peace Pagoda, Walapane.
2. Kurundu Oya Ella, Walapane.

Having got ready around 3.30am, we left for Walapane passing the sleeping streets. We reached Hatton around 6am while the first of the rays were lighting the surrounding. Turning to Nuwara Eliya road, we saw this beautiful sight of the most sacred Sri Pada. This must be the mostly visited mountain in the whole wide world. It was a cloudless sky, a slight chill in the air and two layers of thing clouds hung above and across the summit as if decorating it for the early morning. Distant hills looked light green to dark, golden brown rays penetrated the tree branches making patterns in the mountain air.

The structures of the summit could be clearly visible and I felt like being in heaven. Those who were lucky enough to be on the summit must’ve got a spectacular view of the sunrise and I was feeling very jealous about them. Sunrise from Sri Pada is something one could never get enough of. After taking some pictures, we headed towards Nuwara Eliya.

Good morning!

There’s the Most Sacred Mountain in the World

Just unbelievable

Closer

Amazing view

The A6 is now more or less fully done up to Nuwara Eliya save for a short stretch at Nanu Oya and the tunnel in Kotagala. St. Claire Rock was looking nice and charcoal grey with a few tiny streaks of water trickling down the surface ruining her nice and shiny black look. We can boast about having the mostly visited rock in the world with a beautiful name like St. Claire. What kinda idiotic planners we have in the parliament who can’t see the value of trying to promote these kinda beautiful things to the foreigners? We must have the most number of waterfalls in the whole world at such a small mass of land yet they all are ignored and destroyed everyday by the hydro-electric hunters.

The sky was cloudless and the chill was unbearable when we reached Nuwara Eliya and went for breakfast. The steaming mixed curry went nicely with the string hoppers and typical Indian Ala Bonda and Ulundu Wadei. We wolfed the whole thing down in no time and headed towards Walapane passing Boralanda.

The Galwala Ella, that I saw only a couple of weeks back in full flow was no more. With decreasing rains, her water levels had shrunk to nothing. Lovers’ Leap looked like a thin thread falling along the rocky boat-shaped slope. The never-ending demand for water by the ever-increasing population in and around Nuwara Eliya has reduced most of the falls in the area to only seasonal cascades. I guess there’s nothing much we can do about it but to try and visit them in the heavy rains.

We drove along passing the farmlands where the villagers were busy at work after the rains. Close to Ragala, you’ll get to a “Y” junction with a wide and carpeted road to the left and not so good one to the right. The right one will lead to Ragala Town and then towards Welimada via Udu Pussellawa while the left will take you to Walapane and then towards Padiyapelella, Rikillagaskada and Kandy. By mistake we first took the right and then got back onto the left. Walapane road is still under construction even though most of it is done.

We came across a kind of a landslide where the road had washed down completely. Fortunately the constructors had filled it with stones making it motorable. There’ll be a lot of work involved to get that stretch about 200m back to normal. We finally reached the entrance to Peace Pagoda, about 1-2km before the Walapane Town. One of the times we visited before we roamed around here trying to get proper directions without any success.

Peace Pagoda, Walapane

This time thankfully we had done our homework and stopped about 100m before the entrance to the pagoda at a concrete road going uphill to the left. This is the road that one has to take if going in a vehicle. It can lead you right up to the waterfall that is some 3-4km away from the main road. However, this is only possible in a high-clearance vehicle such as a double cab. I don’t think a 4WD is a must to do this but it’d surely be helpful especially if you try to do it in a rainy season.

We stopped closer to the concreted road in front of a shop. The owner was very helpful and told us about the confusion between “Ella” and the real Kurundu Oya Ella. Most of the villagers simply refer to the Ella as it’s located closer to the road and known as Ella. If you’re to visit this, go further towards Walapane passing the Peace Pagoda Entrance and take the first left concrete path. Last time we took this for about 1-1.5km but got no sign of a fall. However the shop owner said that it’s located closer to 2km from the main road. So we’d missed it by a tiny margin. This time we had no time to go see this despite water levels being healthy after the rains.

We got ready and started walking along the concrete-paved path about 100m when came across the steps going uphill to the left towards the Peace Pagoda. It was a very steep climb and at a rough guess, there are about well, some 200+ steps to the pagoda. This was kinda wake-up call for us and we labored up panting from twenty to dozen. Like all the other Peace Pagodas around the country (I’d visited at Rumassala and Sri Pada before) this too is a sight worth seeing.

The surrounding of the Pagoda was so beautiful and had a very soothing effect on the body and the mind alike. In the background were the hills painted in lush green and layers of mist were enveloping the whole area. Climbing up those steep steps was worth every drop of sweat shed. Golden painted Buddha Statue added to the tranquility of the place. In the distance, Randenigala Reservoir loomed filled to the brim and steps-like paddy field in various stages added to the picture. The sun had hidden himself behind the clouds protecting us from sun burns. After a brief stay, we decided to hurry it up as the time was running out without us even knowing.

Check the Report of Sri Pada Peace Pagoda

Going uphill

Very steep and tiring

Looking down

Tin Tin Appu

Gosh, more to go

There comes the champs

Entering the premises

Shady path

Some more to go

View towards Randenigala

Distant paddy fields zoomed in

Randenigala zoomed

Side wall

Vivid

They were miles away

Wow

How come these pagodas are so beautiful and peaceful?

Creativity

Well maintained grounds

Big area

Some more

Can’t read Japanese

The best view

Closer

Golden Buddha

Zoomed in

Again, can’t read

Going towards the back

Looks like the image house, could even be where monks stay

From behind the temple

Kurundu Oya Ella

One needs to take the road to the right behind the pagoda that goes slightly uphill. After a 100m or so, you will meet the concrete road that runs around the pagoda (remember you took a short cup up the steps about 100m into the concrete path). Here take the left uphill road that is stone paved now. We walked up while the rest of the area was shrouded in mist. Climbing up snaking around the road was tiresome but the scenery helped us a lot to forget about it.

After a km or so, we saw a small Kovil to our right. Near this looking down we could see the Peace Pagoda so much lower from where we stood. The road was now just gravel and the recent heavy rains have further deteriorated the condition. You might need a 4WD tacking this bit due to slipperiness. The distant view of the Randenigala was ruined by the merciless sun.

Having walked almost 1.5-2km, we arrived what looked like a plateau. There were line houses to our right below with towering hills above them. A steady hike brought us yet again to another Kovil to our right with the road branching like “Y-shaped”. You have to take the left (rather straight) road that goes slightly uphill. Another a few hundred meters will bring you to another problematic junction. Take the right hand path. The straight road will lead you to Maha Uva Estate. I guess one of the trails starting from Maha Uva Estate also leads to this point.

You’ll be circling the hill to your right and after another km or so will bring you to a fence blocked by a couple of sticks put across the entrance with a sign saying “Entrance Prohibited”. This is due to the newly started hydro project closer to the base of the falls. They’ve cleared a new road and concreted it to facilitate the vehicles to the base. However there’s a path to the left of the gate that runs parallel to the ravine below. We took that and found another fence but this time not closed after a couple of hundred meters.

The whole area was still shrouded in the mist but the deafening roar of the second largest waterfall in Sri Lanka was unmistakable. We took the last bit of the rock-paved path and took a sharp left turn to see the lower segment of this mighty lass. The view was still not so good and we could only get a glimpse of the lower part through the misty curtain. From where we stood, one could get a clear view of the full package but we had to sit tight for some time before the mist lifted.

There was a vegetable patch below us going towards the edge of the forest. We talked to one of the farmers and he said that nobody had attempted to get to the base for a long time and the heavy rains have covered the footpath through the thick forest patch. He further instructed us to go and speak to the security guard at the power plant seeking permission to get to the base via their land. This seemed a more plausible thing and we however waited a bit more hoping for a clearing of the mist.

We didn’t have a long wait as the mist cleared as if feeling sorry for us and there she was falling majestically through the lush greenery. There are three prominent segments of her. The upper most one being the smallest, the middle and the lower most parts probably with more or less similar heights. The farmer further revealed that the base of the upper part resembles a head of an elephant that could be seen when the water levels are low. One needs to climb through the jungle to the base or take the uphill journey through the tea estate. We simply couldn’t do it due to the thick undergrowth which hasn’t been cleared or used in months.

Another danger is the “Maussa Plant” which I’ve introduced to you when I was in Meemure. It’s a very dangerous one and if came into contact with the human skin (no idea about the animals) it’ll start scratching (just think about the caterpillar effects when brushed against the bare skin) and end result is high fever. The forest area is apparently full of them and it’s not easy to identify them and avoid. We didn’t want to take a chance due to this either so had to be content with the view offered from where we stood, some 400-500m away from the falls (as the crow flies).

After a couple of dozens of pictures, we decided to go see the security at the power project and ask for permission to get to the base of the lower part. We expected to see someone with in a uniform but there was one old person mixing cement apparently repairing the road. When we asked for permission, he flatly refused claiming he’d get into trouble with the owners if we were allowed in. No amount of pleading or reasoning convinced him that we were just a group of innocent travelers. However, he asked us to wait if possible as the owners of the project might come anytime and we might be able to get the permission from them.

However, he allowed us to take pictures from about 100m inside the fence where we could see the all three segments from the front beautifully. After about an hour’s wait, there was a red double cab coming but there was only the driver inside. The old caretaker had apparently lied to us saying there was no one when all of them had been at their premises close to the base which is hidden from where we stood. After half an hour, the cab came uphill bringing another 3 people apparently the owners. We asked for permission but flatly were turned down. Instead they pointed us towards the vegetable patch saying the path is from there not giving a toss about our explanations that wasn’t accessible.

Feeling down and hot in the piercing sun, we decided to go back and try the footpath beyond the vegetable patch. The farmers were busy at work and said very sadly that they couldn’t send anyone with us due to their workload which we understood. We carried on beyond the fence of the vegetable patch and entered the forest patch which was fully overgrown. Nevertheless, there was a faint marking of a footpath which we took. After 500m or so it vanished completely forcing us either to tackle the forest with nothing but cameras or turn around. We knew we were bushed and had no alternative other than going back. The time had gone past 3pm and it’d have taken more than a couple of hours minimum to do this journey.

Walking behind the temple for a few hundred meters brought us to the road. Go left

Kept up the pace

Misty

Rocky borders

Pagoda now below us

Pagoda now below us

Zoomed

Hmmm

Can see the road

First Kovil

Love the design but the misty atmosphere didn’t get the colors well

Grand view

Our path is beyond those line houses you can see

Farmers at work

Contrast

Playing time

Looking back the road we came from. We were at the gap

Well cut chocolate cake

Like heaven

Can you see how much mist was there?

Freshly dug earth and the view beyond

Second Kovil

Take the road where Hasi and Atha standing

Hasi teaching a lesson to Atha on “How to count using fingers”

Second junction, take the road where Hasi standing. The left one is towards Maha Uva Estate. If people come from there, this is the joining point

Couldn’t resist anymore

No entrance but note the left path

Walking along the left path and looking back, see the road to the power project?

Another barrier but not impossible to get in

Nicely done

Waiting for the mist to disappear

First glimpse

Oh wow

Closer

There’s Tony

Finally mist decided to lift

The top part, there are two prominent segments

Top most

Centre

No words to express the beauty

The guys with one of the farmers

Hiya buddy!

Going towards the security cum worker. Can you see him?

Surrounding mountains

Didn’t get to go to the base, only this view

Closer

Lush greenery all around

Do you see the earth slip to the center of the picture?

Mist disappeared and sun arrived

Perfect position

The top

The Center

And the bottom

Wide angle

Decided to go back towards the vegetable patch hoping to get to the base

Sun was up and shining

It’s very wide

The mountains with the earth slip

Macro

Another

Beyond the Carrot plots

Thick forest

Another view of the top

Sun reflecting

The base of the middle part

The lower part only partially visible

Beaten by the thick forest. This is the edge of the vegetable patch and the path used to be beyond this

Time to go

See you Tony!

Beautiful landscapes

We had to walk through the gap to the right of the pic

Pinky

Gosh, more to go down

Beautifully placed

So having wasted closer to 4 hours without being able to get to the base, we took our leave. However, we managed to take a lot of pictures from the distance thanks to our zooming cameras. The long walk back took closer to another hour or so. Hasi and Atha took turns in driving we reached Kotagala around 5.30pm for our usual Lunner or Dinch (a meal between Lunch and Dinner, patent rights are with me for those words).

Driving beyond Avissawella is always a nightmare and this time it was no different despite the late hour. We reached home around 10pm feeling both sad and elated at the same time.

Well, folks that’s about it and hope you enjoyed the tale and got the info needed should you happen to visit this beauty. She’s worth a visit by all means. After all she’s the second highest in Sri Lanka and no traveler’s life would be complete without this journey.

Enjoy the Panos I took there as well.

Pano 1

Pano 2

Pano 3

Pano 4

Pano 5

Take care and keep travelling!

This is Sri signing off for now.

Cheers…