Monument of the Helpless Peacock in Wadduwa (වාද්දුව අසරණ මොණරාගේ ස්මාරකය)

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Monument of the Innocent Peacock in Thalpitiya

Hidden near the Polkada Wella Bridge in Wadduwa lies a tiny overgrown monument carved with a peacock and a haunting message. Few notice it today, yet it marks a remarkable 1940s tale of two lovingly raised birds, tragic loss, and a memorial born from heartbreak.

Just in front of the access road leading to the Blue Water and Laya hotels in Wadduwa begins Mendis Veda Mawatha. Traveling about 800 meters along this road brings you to a five-way junction. From there, taking the second road to the left and continuing another 150 meters leads to the Polkada Wella Bridge across the Bolgoda River.

A few meters before reaching the bridge, hidden among the scrub, stands a small and easily overlooked stone monument. Carved into it is a peacock perched on a branch, and beneath the carving appears a Sinhala inscription: “මරාගෙන මස් කාපු අසරණ මොණරා සිහිවීම පිණිසයි.” The words translate to “In memory of the helpless peacock who was killed and eaten.”

Although most passers-by never notice it, this modest monument carries a poignant story. In the 1940s, the landowner found a pair of peafowl eggs in the Kurunegala area. He brought them home and had a hen hatch them. From these eggs emerged a peacock and a peahen, both of which he raised with great affection, almost as members of his family.

As they grew, the pair became strikingly beautiful birds. During the fishing season, they would walk all the way to the beach to feed on fish, even crossing the railway line. One day, while returning, the peahen was struck by a train and died.

Not long after, the remaining peacock was reportedly killed and eaten by a man said to be a kapuwa from a nearby devalaya. According to local belief, the kapuwa later died in great suffering, a fate attributed to his actions.

Grief-stricken, the owner held an almsgiving, set aside one perch of his land, and built this stone monument in memory of the peacock he had lovingly raised.

References

Perera, J. P. K. (2025, November 16). මරා මස් කෑ සරණ මොණරාගේ ස්මාරකය. facebook.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025, from https://www.facebook.com/jagath.pushpa.kumara.perera.2025/videos/1463136538091309

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References

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