Covering Ampara & Trincomalee in Five Days| AmazingLanka.com

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View from the top of Pashana Pabbatha Rajamaha Viharaya rocks

Year and Month	December, 2016
Number of Days	5
Crew	5 (3 kids and 2 adults)
Accommodation	Kings Jay – Ampara Vegan Beach Resort – Trincomalee
Transport	Jeep
Activities	Wildlife, nature, heritage, Photography
Weather	Dry
Route	Day 1 Colombo -> Udawalawe -> Thanamalwila -> Monaragala -> Inginiyagala -> Ampara Day 2 Ampara -> Maha Oya -> Ampara Day 3 Ampara -> Batticaloa -> Serunuwara -> Trincomalee Day 4 Trincomalee -> Thiriyaya -> Kokilai -> Pulmude -> Trincomalee Day 5 Trincomalee -> Habarana -> Kekirawa -> Kalawewa -> Galewela -> Colombo
Tips, Notes and Special remarks	– Always give due respect for every religious site irrespective of being a temple, kovil or a church – Be considerate of others around you when visiting any public site. – Don’t litter – always carry a garbage bag in the vehicle and put all your waste in to that.
Author	@amazinglanka

It was December holidays again we decided to have a family trip and we opted to cover part of the East this time. On a Friday I made some calls to two friends at Ampara and Trinco and got 2 hotels booked. This was intended to be a road trip with time to rest in between.

Summery

Day 1, 3 and 5 were more or less travelling and days 2 & 5 were visiting places at a relaxed pace.

The places visited are not discussed in details. If you wish to know the exact locations, more details or driving directions on google maps you can click on the links below listed places.

Udawalawe National Park
Veheragala Archaeological site at Thanamalvila
Senanayake Samudraya Fishing Harbour
Senanayake Samudraya Dam (Inginiyagala)
Rambakan Oya Canal Ruins
Rambakan Oya Archaeological ruins near the Dam
Rambakan Oya Reservoir
Niloba Wewa
Kiralagas Wewa
Mahaoya Hot Wells
Aranthalawa Massacre site
Buddhangala Monastery
Trincomalee Lagoon
Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial Grounds & Archaeological Site
Pashana Pabbatha Viharaya
Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya
Seruwila Raja Maha Viharaya
Girihandu Seya
Kokilai Lagoon
Arisimale Beach
Kanthale reservoir and the ancient stone sluice gate
Kala Wewa
Awkana Statue

Day 1

So we were off on a Saturday at about 4.30 AM from Moratuwa and we were at Udawalawe around 7 AM. We had our homemade breakfast at a peaceful location bordering Udawalawe National Park.

Just before Thanamalwila Junction, we noticed a Kalu Board called “Veheragala Archaeological Site” and took a turn into the road. We travelled quite a distance without any success and one elderly gentleman showed us a temple on a rock a little away from the road. We could see the site and figured we would take about 1 hour for the detour with the kids and decided to visit the temple on another day due to timing restrictions.

We couldn’t resist stopping at this guy on the way to Veheragala

We came back to the main road and a friend at Monaragala recommended of a nice eating place near the famous Biso Pokuna called Siyambala Sevana for lunch

Lunch Break - Siyambala Sevana at Monaragala

Our next stop was Senanayake Samudraya Fisheries Harbour Point. The waterline of the reservoir has receded about 200 meters at the Harbour since my visit in January and a lot of fresh growth could be seen on the exposed tank bed. It was about 3 PM now and elephants were already appearing on the dried-up lake bed adjoining the harbour point. We spent a good 45 minutes there enjoying the scenery and took a tea break.

Tea Break @ Senanayake Samudraya Fisheries Harbour

Elephants @ Senanayake Samudraya Fisheries Harbour

Then we were off to the Senanayake Samudraya dam at Inginiyagala. After enjoying the scenery we took off on the final leg for the day – destination Ampara. We had booked the Kings Jay, a new hotel at Ampara solely on a friend’s recommendation but found it to be an excellent place. Rooms were more than we expected and service and the facilities were also impressive.

Day 2

The next day was our visiting day. First, we took off to Mahaoya to visit the Rambakan Oya Ruins which was on my list of places to visit for some time. The site lies about 12 km off Mahaoya. The road is being constructed and there are several stretches lined with crushed stones with sharp edges.

First, you will come across the massive ancient canal built by King Giri Abaya in the 3rd century BC of Prince Saddhatissa (2nd century BC) about 500 meters before the dam. Huge Rectangular cuboids cut in granite create a two-channel canal for over 250 feet. Why this project was not completed remains a mystery.

Rambakan Oya Ruins of Ancient Granite Canal

Massive Rock slabs which made the Ancient Granite Canal - Rambakan Oya Ruins

Perfectly interlocking rock slabs on the Rambakan Oya Ruins of Ancient Granite Canal

Next, we travelled a further 500 meters to reach the Rambaken Oya Reservoir which was deserted other than for us. Spending a good time there we came down the gravel path from the bunt to see another “Kalu Board” in the middle of the shrub jungle declaring it an archaeology site.

The area was completely covered in thorny bushes and creepers. We managed to get into the area under a large tree with some scratches and found a few granite remnants of an ancient building. There should have been more ruins further in but it was not possible to walk any further.

Ruins near the dam of Rambakan Oya Reservoir

The sluice gates of Rambakan Oya Reservoir

One thing we noticed was this area was abundant with weaver bird colonies. Some birds had gone to the extent of building two levels in their nests.

A tree covered with Weaver bird nests at Rambakan Oya Reservoir

Note the double decker Weaver bird nests - Rambakan Oya Reservoir

So after washing off the scratches, we came back to Mahaoya town.

There are 3 minor lakes which had been renovated with the Rambaken Oya project on the route from Mahaoya to Rambaken Oya. We missed the Pollebedde tank but made stops at the Niloba Wewa reservoir and the Kiralagas Wewa reservoir on the way back.

Niloba reservoir on the way to Rambakan Oya Reservoir

Kiralagas Wewa reservoir on the way to Rambakan Oya Reservoir

Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the Hinguremada Archaeological site which is supposed to be on this route.

Our next stop was the hot water wells of Mahaoya. After a refreshing bath at the wells, we returned to Ampara and made a stop at the site of the Aranthalawa Massacre. The first time I visited this site was in 2009. The site was in the middle of a jungle with only a footpath towards the monument. It was very sad to see that today it has turned into a fully-fledged business operation. A large area has been cleared, buildings constructed and a temple has been set up to run the business.

Around 4 PM we took off the Buddhangala Rajamaha Viharaya. The temple is known to enshrine the relics of Sariputta and Mogalana maha Theros. Compared to what this temple was in 2009, this temple too seems to be getting more and more commercialised.

The chances of finding wild elephants on the road to Buddhangala are quite high after about 6 PM

Day 3

Day 3 was again a travelling day and our destination was Trincomalee. We drove through Kalmune, Kanthankudi and Batticaloa. Seeing some large flock of birds we got down at the Batticaloa lagoon and found the edge of the lagoon infested with Jellyfish. At the rocks on the edge, we could see jellyfish in the ephyrae stage. Maybe it was their mating season.

Click, click, click and we were off again. We stopped at the Kathiraveli Prehistoric Burial Grounds & Archaeological Site to find that it has been turned into a Tourist Park.

It’s still not opened and gates were locked.

We planned to go to Seruwila and then to Lanka Patuna and possibly Foulpoint Lighthouse. But we saw a signboard directing us to Lanka Patuna after passing Verugal, so we decided to make this visit first. On the way, we came across the Pashana Pabbatha Viharaya, an ancient temple complex which was used as a base for the LTTE terrorists and their transmission station.

After liberation, the incumbent priest took over this ruined temple and held on to the site despite many difficulties from the politically motivated Tamil community. TNA (Tamil National Alliance) has made a number of attempts to grab the land belonging to the Temple to build a Hindu Kovil.

The priest, Rev Dr Devananda Thero is a tough character fighting a lone battle with the Tamil political parties in the east. He is a medical doctor who had taken up robes at the later stage of his life. Without a single Buddhist in the area, he stated that he doesn’t even stay the night at the temple due to the threats to his life. ‘Is that why I see cops at the entrance?’ I asked. “They not here to protect me but to protect the Kovil. The kovil owners have put a case against me stating that I have burned their kovil, and the case is still going on” he said. His final words before departing was “මේවා අපි බලාගත්තේ නැතිනම් කවුරු බලාගනීවිද මහත්තයෝ”

We climbed up to the top of the rock passing a few rock inscriptions which had etched the history of this ancient site. At the top, you can see remains of a stupa, now overgrown.

The ruined Stupa at Pashana Pabbatha Rajamaha Viharaya

Transmission Tower of the LTTE Terrorists at Pashana Pabbatha Rajamaha Viharaya

The next destination was to be the Lanka Patuna at the end of this road. But we found that the bridge to the other side of the lagoon was still being built and we had to travel by boat to get to the other side. This being a 4-day holiday, there was quite a queue for the boat. So we decided to give it a miss considering the time we had.

Bridge under construction to Lanka Patuna Viharaya

Lankapatuna Samudragiri Viharaya - Trincomalee - ලංකාපටුන සමුද්‍රගිරි විහාරය

We turned back to the road from which we came and proceeded to the ancient Seruwila Rajama Viharaya built during the reign of King Kavantissa (2nd century BC) containing the Lalata Dathun Wahanse (sacred forehead bone) of Buddha.

A restored pond at the Seruwila Rajamaha Viharaya

Then it was to the hotel we had booked at Trincomalee. After getting lost few times we finally managed to find the hotel.

Day 4

We planned to go further up for day 4. First stop was Girihandu Seya at Thiriyaya. Driving along the Pulmode Road, there are 2 routes to access Girihandu Seya. One route is from Kuchchaweli, or else you could travel further up to Thiriyaya and then take the turn towards Girihandu Seya. The road from Kuchchaweli is not carpeted but that is offset by the surrounding natural setting. Considering the drive, this is by far the most picturesque route.

Girihandu Seya lies on a hillock. 300 steps will take you to the main Watadege site. The walls of the Watadage is well preserved and you can observe the pillars which held the roof lying all around the temple grounds. This is considered the first ever stupa built in the world and enshrines the hair relics of Buddha.

The ancient "Gal Palama" (Stone Bridge) which lead ancient pilgrims to the Girihandu Seya of Thiriyaya.

The lake at the Thiriyaya Girihandu Seya

Our next plan was to find the Divulwewa Samadhi statues which were almost identical to the Samadhi statue at Anuradhapura.

The location I had identified as this archaeological site was found to be wrong and the villagers didn’t know of such a site in the vicinity. With mobile data signals being almost non-existent to do any research we gave up the idea and left the area with the next destination being the Thiriyaya Girihandu Seya.

Later after coming home I did some research on the Divulwewa site and found it to be a few kilometres towards Hamillewa from the site I had identified. For anybody interested in the location, this has been updated here.

We drove past Hamillewa, Mahadivulwewa and Gomarankadawala and came across a cleared archaeology site right by the road. The typical ‘kalu’ board just identified it as the Pahalagama Archaeological Site. Too tempted not to pass it we stopped there where we met with a few labourers who maintain this site. This site consisted of a Stupa, Bodhigara and an Image House which has been cleared and conserved. Although no historical document had been found here the existence of Sri Pathul Gal indicated an early Anuradhapura period.

On gravel roads through the Andiyagalahinna Forest Reserve towards Gomarankadawala

The preserved stupa at the Pahalagama Archaeology Site

The preserved Bodhigara (Bodhi House) at the Pahalagama Archaeology Site

A fallen Buddha Statue at the Pahalagama Archaeology Site

The preserved image house at the Pahalagama Archaeology Site

It was 12.20 when we left this site and arrived at the Girihandu Seya around 12.45. We climbed and enjoyed the view for about ½ hour but it was blazing hot at the top.

To the right of the stupa house lies steps going down to a different level of the hillock where you will find ruins of a number of buildings which has been used by the monks.

The ruins of the residential area of the bhikkus at Watadage of Girihandu Seya . Note the very sharp right angles of all granite blocks

The ruins of the residential area of the bhikkus at Watadage of Girihandu Seya

After Girihandu Seya we took the road to Thiriyaya and drove further up to Kokilai Lagoon which is a declared bird sanctuary. We ended up in a fisheries harbour and the lagoon turned out to be an bird’s paradise. We walked along the edge of the lagoon a bit enjoying the flocks of birds and the eagles surrounding them.

close to Pulmode on the way to Kokilai Santuary

On the way to Pulmode (Kokilai Santuary)

Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point

Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point

We turned back after about an hour and returned onto Pulmde Road until we reached the turn-off to the Arisimale. Arsimale is a beach hidden near a Navy camp. You need to drive about 2 km on a gravel road to reach the site. The road is motorable but washed away in a few places.

Once you park the vehicle at the Navy camp site you need to walk about 500 meters through thick thicket to reach this beach hidden away from any public view. As the name suggests the sand particles on this beach are large like rice grains.

Although it was so much hidden, being a 4-day holiday, the beach was crawling with activity. Most of the people had come here by lorries and 3 wheelers. So probably they were youngsters from surrounding areas. Since we didn’t find the tranquillity we expected we decided against taking a bath.

The sand on the beach looks like grains of rice giving its tamil name - Arisimale

Path to Asirimale Beach as well as the Asririmale Viharaya

This was the last stop for the day and we returned to our hotel around 4 PM to have a sea bath in front of it.

A few things about Trincomalee. Being on the Eastern beach, the sunset and sunrise were awesome, with the sun setting against the land and rising over the sea, it gives a different view compared to sunset from the west.

Sunset in the east. The tall building is our hotel

We couldn’t find a single decent pastry shop in the town but there are enough Saivar Kada. These didn’t look decent enough for a family, so going out for a meal is not an option unless you know of a good place.

Day 5

Day 5 was getting back to Colombo. We left Trincomalee after a late breakfast and decided to make one last visit to Awkana. Passing Kanthale and reaching Habarana, we took the Maradankadawala Road took a shortcut to Kekirawa and reached the Kalawewa around 1 PM. After a stop at Kalawewa, we were off to Awkana Statue.

Kantale Tank ancient sluice restored back near the dam

Some attribute the Awkana statue to King Dhatusena of the 6th century when he was living in a temple called Sinhagiri Vihara. Still, others say it was built during the epic reign of King Parakrama Bahu the Great of the 13th century.

In addition to the massive granite Buddha statue, walking passing the stupa will take you to 2 ancient inscriptions, a large rock pond and a fantastic view of the area.

Inscriptions at the Avukana Rajamaha Viharaya

Beautiful views from the Avukana Rajamaha Viharaya

From Awkana, we came back to Galewela and from there, it was back to Colombo through Kurunegala, Giriulla and Katunayake ending a 1300+ km 5-day family trip.