Teldeniya – location of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” – By Arundathie Abeysinghe
From thick jungles to spectacular mountains, cascading waterfalls, central hills carpeted with tea, endemic flora and fauna to idealistic beaches, spectacular surfing beaches on the east, kite surfing adventures by the lagoon in the west, the island nation also offers an abundance of paddy fields dotted with farmers, a showcase of Sri Lankan village life. Sri Lanka meaning “a resplendent isle” (in Sinhala) and the country living up to its name has everything a film producer would need to make a film, yet, set within 65,610 kilometers (25,332 miles) with a total coastline of 1,340 kilometers (832.6 miles), accessible within a short time.
Released on May 23, 1984, in the USA with a record-breaking $45.7 million in its first week, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg is one of the movies filmed in *Teldeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Filming of the movie commenced on April 18, 1983 in Kandy (the majority of filming was in Kandy) and was later moved to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England on May 5.
Situated off the beaten track and unknown to the majority of tourists visiting Teldeniya in Kandy, the Suspension Bridge (rope bridge) built across approximately 90 meters (300 feet) deep gorge downriver from the Victoria Dam, of *Mahaweli River north of Kandy is a location situated in a breathtaking setting. As the dam was under construction, there were several engineers, technical staff, workmen as well as equipment to string the Bridge.
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According to locals, the Bridge had been constructed for an episode in a scene in the movie and once the movie was filmed, the producers had decided to keep the bridge intact for local villagers to use. Later, significant improvements have been made to the Bridge (to its features in the blockbuster film).
The Bridge can be seen from many locations in Kandy, the most popular being during the trek through the Sherwood Forest in *Hanthana with a distant view of the “Ura Ketu Gala”, the setting of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Hanthana Mountain situated southwest of Kandy has also been used as a backdrop for films and music videos.
The Temple of Doom was originally planned to be filmed in India, yet, local officials were offended by the story and refused to let the producers shoot the film there. Hence, the film crew decided to film it in Sri Lanka where they filmed the shrine in the jungle and the hanging rope bridge which were filmed in the Kandy highlands.
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Many fans of Indiana Jones, head over to see the rope bridge in the second installment of the franchise, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. Yet, the location is not crowded. Although, adventure tourists walk across the Bridge and attempt to climb “Ura Ketu Gala”, the majority prefer to view the Bridge from far and admire the breathtaking scenery.
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- Mahaweli River – Sri Lanka’s longest river, 335 kilometers in length with a drainage basin of 10,448km2.
- Teldeniya – Situated approximately 20 kilometers from Kandy was submerged during the construction of the *Victoria Dam.
- Victoria Dam – An arch dam located 209 kilometers (130 miles) upstream of the Mahaweli River and six kilometers (four miles) from *Teldeniya, the Dam was named in honor of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, Empress of the British Empire. The main purposes of the Dam are irrigation and hydroelectric power production. It supports a 210 MW power station, the largest hydroelectric power station in Sri Lanka. Construction of the Dam commenced in 1978 funded by grants of the United Kingdom under the patronage of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It was completed during the period of President J.R. Jayewardene and ceremonially opened by the former Prime Minister of the UK, Margaret Thatcher.
Hanthana Mountain Range – protected nature reserve in Kandy – By Arundathie Abeysinghe
