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Baththalangunduwa Island – ideal destination for beach camping – By Arundathie Abeysinghe A tiny island of approximately five square kilometers in size, located approximately 38 kilometers (20 nautical miles) away from *Kalpitiya in the Puttalam District of the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, Baththalangunduwa is popular as a beach camping site. It is an island located in the Dutch Bay (also known as Portugal Bay). Baththalangunduwa is one of the few inhabited islands to the north of Puttalam Lagoon. Battalangunduwa is a fishing village with a population of approximately 3000 inhabitants. The majority of them are Catholics, mostly from *Chilaw and *Negombo with a substantial population of Tamil Catholics from Jaffna. Hence, the culture in Battalangunduwa is a stimulating mix and the language is a mixture of Tamil and Sinhalese, similar to residents of Negombo. The one and only livelihood within the Island is fishing. The Island borders the ...
Jun 30, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe
Tagged Baththalangunduwa, beach camping, Chilaw, Indian Ocean, Kalpitiya, Negombo, Puttalam District, Puttalam Lagoon, Wilpattu National Park
Two nights to remember at Wilpattu National Park-by Lal Anthonis Source:Island It was December 1983 when my friend Lakshman Siriwardhana, known as Lucky, and I arrived at the Talawila lodge in Wilpattu National Park just past noon and found the Park Warden, his deputy and a few other officers having lunch on the verandah of the lodge. A chat with them revealed that they were returning after investigating an attack by a leopard on a boy along the Marichchkaddi-Puttalam road. The boy had been admitted to Puttalam hospital with injuries to his throat. He succumbed to his injuries the next day. Marichchakaddi is a Moslem village where one of the main livelihoods is cattle breeding. Every now and then, one or two of the village lads used to herd a group of buffaloes to be sold in Puttalam. They took an old jungle road that goes through Wilpattu National Park ...
May 10, 2022
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles
Tagged Lakshman Siriwardhana, Wilpattu National Park
Kala Oya Estuary – April 2022 Source:Photos.google The Kala Oya, 145 Km in length, is the third longest river in Sri Lanka. The river basin 2,873 sq Km in extent is home to a population of over 400,000. The catchment area of the river which is 1,800 sq Km receives around 3,200 million cubic metres of rain per year out of which around 5 percent reaches the sea. The estuary of the Kala Oya is a bay estuary, as the main stream of the Kala Oya and its tributaries discharge freshwater into the Dutch Bay before entering the sea. The estuarine area includes the brackish water areas of Kala Oya, Dutch Bay and the Puttalam Estuary. The amount of freshwater received is controlled by the water retention capacities of the tank system within the Kala Oya basin. Kala Oya estuary harbours the largest tract of intact riverine mangroves in Sri ...
Glimpses of Kala Oya Estuary – April 2022 The Kala Oya, 145 Km in length, is the third longest river in Sri Lanka. The river basin 2,873 sq Km in extent is home to a population of over 400,000. The catchment area of the river which is 1,800 sq Km receives around 3,200 million cubic metres of rain per year out of which around 5 percent reaches the sea. The estuary of the Kala Oya is a bay estuary, as the main stream of the Kala Oya and its tributaries discharge freshwater into the Dutch Bay before entering the sea. The estuarine area includes the brackish water areas of Kala Oya, Dutch Bay and the Puttalam Estuary. The amount of freshwater received is controlled by the water retention capacities of the tank system within the Kala Oya basin. Kala Oya estuary harbours the largest tract of intact riverine mangroves in ...
Kalpitiya Fort – Dutch Colonial legacy By Arundathie Abeysinghe Constructed during the Dutch Colonial Era, Kalpitiya Fort had been designed in 1666 and completed in 1676. The walls of the Fort are approximately 4 meters (13 feet) high constructed with coral and limestone from the surrounding area. The Fort has a single entrance facing the lagoon with a pediment and a belfry above, similar to an entrance of a church, a unique feature. Kalpitiya Fort had been a remarkable icon during the Dutch Colonial Era. *Kalpitiya had been a renowned trading hub for Arab merchants. In the mid-16th century, the Portuguese had conquered Kalpitiya and renamed it as “Kardiv Island”. King Rajasinghe II (1608 – 1687) of the Kandyan Kingdom (Sri Lanka’s reigning monarch during this period) had sought assistance from the Dutch to secure the land from the Portuguese Colonials. Yet, after the Dutch invasion of the location, the ...
Dec 8, 2021
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe
Tagged Dutch Colonial legacy, Kalpitiya, Kalpitiya Fort, Kandyan Kingdom, Kardiv Island, Wilpattu National Park
Tourism: Need for ‘colourful stories’ to promote wildlife-by Srilal Miththapala Source:Island Stakeholders in marketing Sri Lanka tourism should be creating colourful stories of the wildlife experiences in Sri Lanka instead of presenting basic facts and figures. We need to create and tell wildlife stories with a humane touch. When a potential tourist calls a hotel or a travel agency to inquire about the wildlife attractions in Sri Lanka, most often the sales staff just give an itinerary and mention the animals that could be observed instead of portraying wildlife in an attractive manner. This would require private sector tourism professionals to have high levels of wildlife experience and enthusiasm, and the message has to go down to the employees who communicate with tourists. Meanwhile, most hotels now have naturalists on their payroll, and such hotels should encourage them to engage in creating stories for tourists to enjoy the wildlife in ...
Nov 13, 2021
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles
Tagged Jet Wing Vil Uyana Hotel, Seenuggala Bungalow, Wilpattu National Park, Yala National Park
No protection for archaeological monuments hidden in the Willpattu forest cover-BY NIMAL WIJESINGHE The Veli Vehera Archaeological site hidden in the Wilpattu National Park Source:Sundayobserver The Wilpattu National Park lies on the northwest coast, and belong to Northwest, North – central and Northern Provinces. The Park is bounded in the north by Moderagam Aru river and in the south by the Kala Oya. The Park was established on February 25, 1938 after declaration as a sanctuary in 1905. The total extent of the park is 1, 31,879 ha, and is divided in to five blocks, which were declared during various periods of time. The Wilpattu National Park (WNP) is the oldest and largest national park in the country and gained the status to a national park in as a result of the civil conflict for three decades, the WNP was closed from December 1988 until March 2003. Leaving the national ...
Mother leopard and three cubs in Wilpattu national park Beautiful footage of a mother leopard basically coming home to her cubs where she is greeted by them. One of my most cherished sightings so far for sure. In this video the cubs are most likely around 3 months of age. ...
Of bear fights, forgotten forts, demons and more-by Randima Attygalle Source:ISLAND ‘And from the Peak and table-land That brave the vast dome’s immensity, From the tree- girt shore and the glittering sand, The emerald Island calls for me.’ The physician, antiquarian and wildlife lover, Dr. R.L. Spittel pays homage to our emerald-isle in his verse Hail Lanka. He is remembered today by Shaminda Silva through his latest compilation, Wilds of Lanka (Volume II). A decade since his first book ‘Wilds of Lanka’ (Volume1), dedicated to wildlife and several national parks, particularly Yala or Ruhuna National Park, the author brings to his readers its sequel which documents Wilpattu National Park and several other historic sites in the northern plains of the island including the Thanthirimale Temple, Ritigala Monastery, Madhu Church, Doric Bungalow and the Mannar Fort. The wild landscape of fauna and flora interspersed with culture, religion and folklore is a bold attempt by the ...
Feb 16, 2021
Posted by eLanka admin In
Articles
Tagged Mannar, Ritigala, Thanthirimale Temple, Wilpattu National Park
