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Similar to the pink quartz rock at Namal Uyana, the Nil Garunda Gala (Nil Garuda Gala, Blue Marble Rock, Serpentine Rock) at the remote village of Rupaha at Walapane is a unique rock rarely found elsewhere in the world. In fact, it is said that this is the only such rock in South Asia. The difference between this rock and the pink quartz rock is that this is relatively unknown to travellers and thus rarely visited.
The uniqueness of this rock is that this is bluish-green in colour and glitters in the sun. The surface of this rock is soft and soothing to the hand if you rub it, unlike a piece of granite. This rock is also said to be growing and heels its damages.
Most of this unique rock lies underneath the earth and only a small portion is exposed where the Garunda Oya stream has washed the earth away. The villagers believe bathing from the waters of Garunda Oya which flows over this rock can cure multiple skin ailments such as rashes, hives and welts.
Rubbing a piece of this Garunda Rock on another granite rock with some water creates a whitish form. This form is believed to have medicinal properties and is used to treat multiple health conditions from stomach aches to snake bites.
The site lies about 74 kilometres from Kandy. Taking the Mahaweli Raja Mawatha over Randenigala and passing Walapane, take the road to Nildandahinna. From Nildandahinna, take the road to Kotambe Junction. From this junction, you need to walk about 1 1/2 kilometres on a small by-road to the village of Pandithayakumbura. Since no direction board has been installed, you may need a guide from the village to take you there. Travelling about 1.5 km on this road to Pandithayakumbura, a steep flight of steps on the side will lead to the exposed Nil Garunda Rock with the Garunda Oya running over it.
Coming from Nuwara Eliya, you can reach the rock by taking the Ragala Road and going up to Walapane. From Walapane take the same route across Nildandahinna to reach Kotambe.
Also See
- Attractions of Sri Lanka
- Heritage of Sri Lanka
- Waterfalls of Sri Lanka
- Nature and Wildlife of Sri Lanka
- Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity
Map of the Nil Garunda Rock of Walapane
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Travelling to Nil Garunda Rock of Walapane
| Route From Nil Garunda Rock of Walapane |
| Through : Nildandahinna Distance : 74 km Travel time :2 hours Driving Directions : see on google maps |
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Abhayagiri Monastery (19) Ampara District (191) Anuradhapura District (194) Badulla District (105) Batticaloa District (19) Colombo District (62) Galle District (58) Gampaha District (49) Hambantota District (99) Jaffna District (69) Kalutara District (47) Kandy District (177) Kegalle District (147) Kilinochchi District (11) Kingdom of Anuradhapura (80) Kingdom of Kandy (14) Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (55) Kurunegala District (127) Maha Vihara (14) Mannar District (47) Mannar Island (10) Matale District (63) Matara District (26) Mihintale (22) Monaragala District (70) Mullaitivu District (19) Nuwara Eliya District (108) Polonnaruwa District (107) Puttalam District (24) Ratnapura District (142) Trincomalee District (44) Vavuniya District (28) z Jaffna 1 (20) z Jaffna 2 (22) z Jaffna 3 (11)