Thotupola Kanda

This is how we spent the 2nd day of the year of 2009!

We decided it was the day we would finally try to climb the 3rd highest mountain in Sri Lanka. The most climbing is done by your poor vehicle, dodging all the horrific pot holes that even a young sambar can use as a pool to lie in on a hot day: also true that the walk only takes an hour of climbing more or less depending on your personal fitness.

Tothupola Kanda is the, documented, landing site of King Ravana's flying machine, the Demon King that ruled Sri Lanka about 3000years ago. He hears of Sita, the beautiful wife of Rama in India, (a diety of Vishnu) and kidnaps her and brings her back in his flying machine. Rama arrives in Sri Lanka, battles fiercely with Ravana's armies, kills Ravana and flees with his wife.

We started late. That was our only mistake. By the time we entered the open area we were baking in the sun despite the heavy layers of Nivea Sun Block that offered +30 SPF protection from the sun. the path leading to the summit has several diffrent vegetations, the large trees and dense thicket is
supplanted by dry gorse bushes and open land for over 1km. There's no shade on the path and this stretch is one that ought to be done really early or after 3pm, when the sun hides over clouds.

The view all the way is spectacular! In ten square metres there are 20 trees with more than 20 colour variations just like the butterflies we saw. Deep thick green leaves to the softest pink new leaves on a very small bush. The edible fruits that the birds seemed to consume to the dark red flowers on the large bushes. The summit is marked with an unnamed tower for communications and sits there like it doesn’t belong there, and it doesn’t. all the hill tops that your eyes can see are topped with the same gifts by men.

There were two places we saw the droppings of the big cats, the leopard. The most interesting thing we saw in regard to animals. One looked fairly new too. We didn’t hear any other animals but encountered a flock of birds about 1/3 of the way down in a bush. The largest bird being the Yellow Eared Bulbul.

There ought to be a notice board by the gates to the park, where the Department of Wildlife and Conservation issue tickets to paths and tracks available to the visitors at the plains. It's very rarely that anyone visits the Kirigalpotta or Thotupola Kanda.

Last August when we visited Hortain Plains, the path to ThotopolaKanda wasn’t cleared but now it is. There are two markers by the Dept of Wildlife, 500m along the path and the other a few more metres beyond. this being the only summit to the east, the chances are slim to get lost.

We had a wonderful time climbing up. I was wearing layers of clothes as it was 16degrees down when we left the jeep but once I passed 200metres the heat got unbearable and I kept shedding layer after layer of clothing till I was in one sweat top. Our 8year old found a walking stick to help him climb the hazardous parts, short legs makes climbing 3 feet rocks a little arduous. But he was in good spirits the entire way down, running down the path and enjoying himself immensely.

Wolf made us walk slowly at a steady pace so that we wouldn’t stop all the time but boy was he wrong! We stopped at every opportunity we got and refused to take another step and solemnly vowed that we will go back to the jeep and that he was a dictator to make us do this!? A human rights violation and all that! but after we climbed to the summit, and saw the clouds below our eye levels, we had to agree it felt really good to have done it!

We are standing above the clouds. The breathtaking view for the east.


The walk up the summit takes only 2hours or so. We were back eating our packed lunch in about 3hours time as we spent quite a time recording the magnificent views with the digital camera.

Road to Ohiya.

Mid way from Park entrance gate to Ohiya ticket counter we saw the bear monkey or the Hill Zone Purple Faced Langur and flocks of birds. The Hill White eye being the most prominent bird , the Gray headed canary fly catcher, dull blue fly catcher and the coucal. The palm squirrel in these parts are also darker in colour and would be seen darting around in the bush.

But the most amazing bird I personally saw was the Blue Magpie! We had stopped on our way down from the Pattipola Ticket gate as we heard birds and then was amazed to hear it's gutteral croak in the thicket. And behold..there it was in all it's splendour! Large and impressive but shy as hell.

This made the whole journey worthwhile. I dont know when we would go back to the plains, but I certainly would want to walk around more on the road leading to Pattipola and looking at birds and the wildlife than doing the walk to Baker's Fall and to World's End.