Kadugannawa Archives

Home ⁄ Tag Archives: Kadugannawa

Belumgala – defense fortress of Kandyan hills – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in *Kadugannawa Gap approximately 10 kilometers from *Pilimathalawa, Belumgala Rock offers spectacular vistas of the environs as far as the eye can see including surreal vistas of Kadugannawa valley. Many visitors hike the adjacent small rock, believing it to be Belumgala, mistakenly. Belumgala is visible from *Pahala Kadugannawa viewpoint too. Also spelt as “Balumgala”, the mountain was thus named due to its strategic location as a place of defense. Considered as a silent defender of Kandyan hills, Colombo-Kandy Road can be seen clearly for many kilometers from the summit of Belumgala. As the location was a great boon for Sinhalese soldiers tracking enemy invasions, the mountain was known as “Belumgala” (meaning viewing mountain in Sinhala) for centuries. During the *Kandyan Kingdom, Sinhalese soldiers had been dispatched to this location and it had served as a major checkpoint when ...

Aug 10, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Belumgala Mountain, Belumgala Rock, Gampola, Kadugannawa, Kandyan hills, Kandyan Kingdom, Pilimathalawa, Sri Lanka

Balana Fort – strategic rock fortress in Kandyan hills By Arundathie Abeysinghe Situated between *Kadugannawa Pass and *Alagalla Mountain Range, Balana Fort was constructed during the *Kandyan Kingdom as a strategic rock fortress and an outpost for the Kingdom. The mountain of Balana is located over 600 meters above sea level. At present, Balana is administered by the *Central Province and is also the boundary line between the *Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces. Balana Fort (Balana meaning Look-Out in Sinhala) was utilized as a sentry point on the approach to Kandy and was a strategic defense post to prevent enemy invasions and the remains of the Fort can still be found on the summit. According to historians, the path behind the Balana Railway Station has been the old road which is a steep 2.5 kilometer climb to the summit of the mountain and extends comparatively flat to the open plains ...

Apr 9, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Alagalla Mountain Range, Balana Fort, Central Province, Colombo-Kandy railway line., Kadugannawa, Kandyan Kingdom, Kandyan Kings, Major Roland James, Sri Lanka

My childhood memories of Kadugannawa-by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera Source:Island Returning to the past is wonderful if one doesn’t dwell on sadness and regrets. Memories are best filtered. I reach for the wisdom of Omar Khayyam in the Rubaiyat for a thought-provoking and timeless musing on the vicissitudes of life: The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. Although I was born in Kandy, that charming citadel in the hills, I never had the good fortune to live there. The nearest I got was when my parents moved to Kadugannawa. In 1946 it was a sleepy little town. Charming and at times beguiling, It prided itself on its unique middle-class appeal and the sheer good-natured generosity of its people. My father was in charge ...

Apr 19, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Kadugannawa

Kandy Clock Tower – a memorial to a son By Arundathie Abeysinghe Located in the center of Kandy City, at a major intersection, Kandy Clock Tower is an iconic landmark. Embellished with traditional Kandyan style architectural motifs, the Clock Tower blends well with the surroundings. The design of the clock tower is influenced by Kandyan architectural style. Kandy Clock Tower was completed on December 23, 1950 and declared open for the public by the former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D.S. Senanayake and Kandy Mayor E.L. Senanayake in 1951 in the presence of Mohamed Zacky Ismail’s family members. The clock tower has a tragic story behind it and is also known as Kandy Ismail Clock Tower as it was constructed by Haji Mohomed Ismail, the local agent for Rowlands Limited (the largest importer of British cars to Sri Lanka during that period) in memory of his son Mohamed Zacky ...

Feb 28, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Kadugannawa, Kandy Clock Tower, Mahaweli River, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, University of Peradeniya

Kadugannawa Pass and Rock Tunnel – gateway to hill country By Arundathie Abeysinghe Kadugannawa Pass and Rock Tunnel are important landmarks on Colombo – Kandy Road. Kadugannawa is considered as the gateway to UNESCO World Heritage Site Kandy as well as Central Highlands. Highest point of the climb of Colombo – Kandy Road is known as Kadugannawa Pass, a lookout point of the Kandyan Kingdom to monitor invading foreign forces in the 16th and 17th centuries from the lowlands of Sri Lanka. Kadugannawa had been an outpost of the Kandyan Kingdom and many battles have taken place in this historic town in the past. Known as Gala Vidapu Thena by locals (meaning the rock that was pierced in Sinhala), the Rock Tunnel had been a symbol of Colombo – Kandy road from time immemorial. Kadugannawa Pass is situated between Kandy Valley and *Kegalle Valley and for centuries this pass ...

Nov 21, 2020 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Alagalla Mountain Range, Gampola, Kadugannawa, Kelani River, Ma Oya, Ruwanwella, UNESCO