Wattarama: The hermitage in the wilderness- BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE Carved terracotta images found at the site Source:Sundayobserver Looking for something different, something more adventurous, something off the beaten track, we decided to explore a lesser known and less travelled archaeological site, buried in the jungle boundaries of the Ampara and Moneragala Districts close to the Yala East National Park in Ruhuna. The journey is tough, uncomfortable and even dangerous. Our mode of transport is a four-wheeler, and we traverse muddy tracks, cross many streams and drive through jungles home to wild elephants, bears and even a leopard or two. ...
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A deserted and forgotten world-BY MAHIL WIJESINGHE Source:Sundayobserver Our destination was Bambaragasthalawa in the Yala East National Park and it was a six-member group. After venerating the Okanda temple, we reached the entrance of Kumana National Park. Entering the park, we were fortunate to see a Black Necked Stork in one of the lagoons. We were briefed by our guide that there were only seven in the entire country. Crocodiles, wild buffaloes, eagles, tuskers, wild boar, deer and many kinds of birds caught our attention as we drove along muddy holes and the sandy tracks of Kumana jungle to reach our destination. A routine trip to Kumana to enjoy not only the fauna and flora but also visit the ancient ruins, artifacts and archaeological monuments led to a tragic discovery. This was our second trip to Kumana. Our maiden journey was in 2013, when we explored ancient archaeological sites such ...
