Gerandi Rikili Ella Falls (ගැරඬි රිකිලි ඇල්ල)

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Height (in metres)	15
District	Ratnapura

The Gerandi Rikili Ella Fall is 15m in height, with a width of 3m. It is formed by a tributary of the Bolthumbe Oya River, which begins on the right slope of the 1805m high Dethanagala Mountain. The water then continues down the Pettigala Mountain, later joining the Walawe Ganga River.

The nearest town to this waterfall is Balangoda in Ratnapura District. Take the Pettigala road from Balangoda for 6km and the fall can be seen at the Pettigala Masthenne section. An alternative is to travel to Budu Katuwa, 20km from Balangoda on the road to Bogawantalawa. From here it is a 2km trek through tea estates. The Balangoda rest house is 6km away.

During half the year, in the dry season, this waterfall becomes a tiny rill over the rock face. But even without the waterfall its beautiful landscape is well worth the visit.

There are several narrow and long waterfalls in Sri Lanka carrying the name Garandi Ella which means Rat Snake Waterfall. The resemblance of these waterfalls to slithering rat snakes has given rise to many waterfalls being called by this name. The most popular and well-known is the Gerandigini Ella in the Tawalantanna area. Dr Eberhard Kautzsch has called this waterfall Gerandi Ella in his book. Another Gerandi Ella in Passara came into the limelight in January 2022 when 5 family members drowned together in the fall.

Some of the waterfalls carrying this name are

References

Kautzsch, E. (2003). A Guide to the Waterfalls of Sri Lanka (2nd ed.). Tisara Prakasakayo.
Lanka Council On Waterfalls. (n.d.). Lanka Council On Waterfalls. http://www.srilankanwaterfalls.net/

Also See

Waterfalls of Sri Lanka
Other Places of Interest Within Close Proximity

Map of Gerandi Rikili Ella Fall

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Travel Directions to Gerandi Rikili Ella Fall

From Balangoda, take the Bogawantalawa Road.

Route from Colombo to Gerandi Rikili Ella	Route from Balangoda to Gerandi Rikili Ella
Through : low level road – Avissawella – Ratnapura – Balangoda Distance : 160 km Travel time : 4 hours Driving directions : see on google map	Through : Bogawantalawa Road Distance : 20 km Travel time : 45 minutes Driving directions : see on google map

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Bathalagoda Wewa Reservoir in Kurunegala (කුරුනෑගල බතලගොඩ වැව)
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Panda Wewa – The First man made Reservoir in the World (ලොව මුල්ම අංග සම්පුර්ණ වැව වන පඬාවැව සහ එහි නටබුණ්)
Panda wewa, lying close to the ancient kingdom of Panduwasnuwara is believed to be the oldest man made reservior in the world built by King Panduwasdeva (504-474 BC) in 450 BC for irrigation as well as for daily use by the citizens of Panduwasnuwara. […]
Yoda Wewa at Tissamaharama (තිස්සමහාරාම යෝධ වැව)
It is believed that this tank was built by King Mahanaga in the late 3rd Century BC and the Duratissa Wewa mentioned in the ancient texts is the current Yodha Wewa in Tissamaharama. […]
Tissamaharama Tissa Wewa: The First Oblique Dam in the World (තිස්සමහාරාම තිස්ස වැව)
The Tissa Wewa is one of the largest ancient irrigation tanks constructed the 3rd Century is considered the first Oblique Dam in the world […]

References

Also See

Map of Gerandi Rikili Ella Fall

Travel Directions to Gerandi Rikili Ella Fall

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