harithacharika - Travelling Nature in Sri Lanka: January 2017

The 'Kurullan-gala' (Boulder of Birds) Exploration at Karandagolla in Ella, was the Day-3 of our 3-day back-to back hike series. The specialty about Kurullangala is that, on a rock wall closer to its peak, a set of prehistoric rock paintings are found. It is estimated that these paintings are more than 5000 years old. Again. it had been Meththananda and a few of his friends who had found these painting for the first time, while roaming in these mountain-jungles, about fifteen years ago. Therefore. it was obvious that Meththa (0726 108 392) was the man, to guide us to Kurullangala too. "This is tougher than going to Nildiya pokuna", he warned us in advance.

On the 01st of January 2017, we left Meththa's house around 7.30 am, in a van. We traveled towards Wellawaya from Karandagolla, and turned Right at the 'Namaye-kanuwa' (9th mile post) junction on to the 'Rakkithakanda-Raja-Maha-Vihara' road. It is also the road that leads to the Uma-oya project office. We got-off the van close-by to the Rakkitha-kanda Viharaya (temple), spent some time sight-seen, and then entered the jungle. It was around 8.00 am when we started the hike.
The latter part of the climb was very challenging. Firstly there was a vertical climb of about 6 m, that we had to totally depend on the rope provided by Meththa. Then there was another steep rock surface that we had to climb hanging on to ropes and roots. Close-upon the podium where the paintings were found, we had to walk on a tree-root that ran across a stone-wall, aided by a rope tied parallel to it. The final few meters of the climb had to be done like real professional rock-climbers, hanging on to small crevices of a rock wall. It was about 10.45 am when we reached the paintings.
The rock-wall on which the paintings are found is about 6-7 m long, and about 2-3 m tall. It runs along the North-South directions, and is facing the East. There is a podium of about 2-3 m wide, in front of the 'art-wall'. There is a possibility that there would have been a stone canopy roof over the Art-wall in the past, that formed it into a 'art-cave'.

The paintings are directly drawn on the rock surface, with a Red colored ink. It is possible that the rock surface was engraved with a sharp tool, before the lines were painted. Most of the figures found are of bird, or parts of birds. Also found are 'hand prints', which may be of humans, or suggested to be the feet of birds. These paintings are said to have similarities with other prehistoric paintings such as the paintings of the 'Cave-of-the-Hands' in Argentina & the 'Great-King' painting at Malipo, China.
Two figures of birds found on this wall,that look like 'birds-of-pray', seem more prominent, as they are drawn as if they are 'gliding down' in search of pray. Meththa said they were the 'two mystery birds' known as the 'Bahirawa-kurullo'. He said that a similar pair of birds have been roaming around the Kurullangala peak from ancient times, and that we would be able to spot them if we are lucky enough. And we were lucky indeed!. The birds started to roam-about with a sharp call, around 11.15 am. No one before had got a clear enough photo of the bird, but we were lucky to get one of it resting on a branch just above the art-wall. Later we got to know that there was not much mystery about this bird, although non of us had seen one of it before. It was a 'Shaheen Falcon'; a rather uncommon and Vulnerable bird species.

We started to return back from the art-wall around 12 noon. Meththa and a few others took a detour on the way, to find-out about what looked like a cave-entrance, that we saw when we at the top. Due that unsuccessful attempt in finding a new cave, that too more than one-and-a-half-hours, we finally reached the main road at about 3.40 pm. As the night-mail train to Colombo was at 6.50 pm and the bus to Kandy was at 9.30 pm, a few of us had some time to pay a visit to the Rakkitha-kanda temple.
This temple also has a cave-entrance from behind its shrine room. It has got blocked now. It is said that it was earlier connected with a network of cave-ways, linked with Rawana Guhawa, Dowa temple and Bolgoda temples. King 'Walagamba' who was in-hiding for over forty years, building his army to regain his lost throne, had used these cave-ways. In fact, it is believed that he had held a military (An-gam-pora)-school inside the large dome-like cave we saw on our Nil-diya-pokuna expedition. Later, once he was king, he had built Buddhist temples in all the caves and cave entrances he had used.

The Rakkitha-kanda Viharaya is also unique in another way. Evidently the temple has been renovated in 1886, during the British era, and all its murals show British symbols, flags and soldiers etc. Even the 'God Katharagama' in this temple is drawn with a cross on his chest. After having a brief chat with the Ven. priest of the temple, we returned to Meththa' house. Then we got refreshed a bit, had a very late lunch, and headed home.

AND.... WHAT A WAY WAS IT TO START THE YEAR 2017 !.