Mahapellessa Hot Spring turns into a tourist boom

A sanatorium and spa:

by Gamini G. Punchihewa

Sri Lanka is blessed with three Hot Water Springs. Of them the two well known ones are the Kinniyai (off the Trincomalee - Anuradhapura road, while the other one is located lying in the eastern province on the Badulla-Batticaloa road) also from recent years accessible through the Maduru oya project area of the Mahaweli Systems.

Then the third, but in the past was little known is the Mahapelessa Hot Springs nestling in Ruhuna Rata in the Hambantota district (still closer from Embilipitiya in Walawe base). It has now emerged as a tourist attraction after the recent constructions of a sanatorium, spa, five extra concerate tubs and other facilities for the benefit of the tourists both local and abroad.

Past glimpses

Before the advent of the Uda Walawe Multipurpose project in the early 1960's the route to reach this Mahapelessa Hot Springs encountered a hazardous trek along jungle tracks, foot paths to reach the Mahapelessa Hot springs.

It traversed through the Ambalantota-Ridiyagama Farm road going through the time honoured Arannes (Rock Cave Hermitages) of Mudnagala and Karamabagala Aranna lying within easy reach of this Hot Springs.

The author trek is filled with adventure and thrills by crossing the Walawe ganga cruising in a rowing boat via the Liyangastota Anicut of the Walawe ganga and reaching Bedigamtota on the lower reaches of the flowing Walawe Ganga, where once upon a time stood a ferry. From there the hike is by foot along the groves and groves of Divul/Jule fruit trees (Wood Apple) covering 2-3 miles.

Leonard Woolf's quotes

Let me recall the famed literary scholar cum prolific author Leonard Woolf, Assistant Government Agent, Hambantota (1908-11), has vividly in those diaries of his (1908-11) recorded his adventurous trek by boat. In his diavies he had made some notable geological data of the chemical analytic properties of Mahapelessa Hot Springs thus 1.8.1910: "I sent water from the spring to the Government Analyst.

His report is thus:- Total solids 554 parts per 10,000: chlorine 248.0 do:- lime 95.0-do-: Nitrates: Nil: Suplphantes - present (small): The water contains high properties of lime (including magnesium), but otherwise does not appear remarkable". Leonard Woolf too had trelked the same jungle route by a rowing boat crossing over at Bedigmatota old ferry and hiking its foot path.

When I came down to the Walawe project in 1970 (from the Gal Oya Project) on transfer I too covered the same boating trip to reach Mahaplessa Hot Springs and walking the distance.

New motorable roads

Still later after the emergence of the Uda Walawe Multipurpose Project launched by the Gal Oya Development Board in the early 1960s vast strides of land development, human settlements for cultivation of the sprawling lands for rice and food crops, major industries-Agro-industries came hand in glove new opening up of metalled roads to link up with the main trunk roads lining to Galle, Matara, Middeniya-Tanamalvila, Bandarawella, Mirijjavila (close to Hambantota).

In the aftermath of such new opening up of roads ramifying the developed area of the Walawe basin by the Gal Oya Development and River Valleys Development Boards, Sooriya wewa (lying close to Hambontota and even Tanamalvila), in the Left Bank area of the Uda Walawe reservoir, metamorphosed into an accessible road route to link up with the main trunk roads to Galle-Matara-Hambantota-Tanamalvila.

From Embilipitiya to Sooriya Weva is about 12 miles away. Off Sooriya Weva deviation along the Veharagla lies its Irrigation Branch bund road. From recent years (under the Asian Bank Development Fund) with Japanese aid a fine carpeted roadway off Padalangala (on the main Pelmadulla-Embilipitiya-Nonagama Highway, had been constructed road that leads to Sooriyaweva falling into Mirijjavila (close to Hambantota) on the main trunk road of Colombo-Galle-Matara-Hambantota-Tissamaharama.

Along this carpeted road leading to Sooriya Weva and Mirijjavila, at its 6th mile post is another deviation on a gravel road being the access road to Mahapelessa Hot Springs covering about 2 miles. So the closest distance from Embilipitiya on the carpectted road to the Hot Springs is about 12 miles.

There is yet another route to gain access to reach this Mahapelessa Hot Springs from Mirijjavila (close to Hambantota) on the Colombo-Galle-Matara-Tissamaharama high way, from the turn off at Mirijjavila leading to Sooriya Weva covering about 25 miles on its carpeted road.

Dr. R. L. Brohier, the doyen of our ancient Irrigation works and ancient tanks, and prolific author on these pertinent topics in his 'Seeing Ceylon', has spun an amusing legend about Mahapelessa Hot Springs, where they go to die. When death was fast approaching according to this hoary myth, it says to breathe their last, they sought this Mahaplessa Hot Springs!

Where elephants go to die

Even in the past and now, when fast development of lands and settlement of farming communities, are under way, elephants haunt the area going on the rampage destroying their cultivations, dwellings even killing them after chasing them on the road or into their settlements.

In recent years elephant drives were carried out, but strange enough as the elephant knows his traditional habitat, they come back to their traditional homeland and raiding their crops causing some glaring instances a few deaths.

Some time back in 1970s and 1980s the dry season, baby elephants in their utter quest to quench their dire thirst, a couple of them had accidentally fallen into it and were drowned in the hot spring well.

Baby elephants deaths by drowning

We then members of the Walawe District Committee of the WildLife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka based in Colombo, the Walawe District Committee made representations to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (Walawe Special Area) based in Embilipitiya, it being the forerunner to the River Valleys Development Board which originally was in charge of its administration covering the Walawe area got the periphery of the walls of the Hot Springs raised, where even two separate partitions were apportioned for males and females together with a suitable changing room for bathers were constructed. After the periphery of the walls were raised, there were no such fatal baby elephant tragedies of drowning.

In 1988, both the academic staff attached to the Peradeniya and Katubedda, Moratuwa Universities, led by Professor S. P. Dissanayake (of the Peradeniya University), while Professor Dayantha Wijesekera of the Katubedda Campus, as well had risen to the occasion in conducting such research activities which were co-ordinated by the academic staff drawn from the Edinborough University as well.

According to this research paper, by these teams, it has been disclosed that for one minute duration, 10 litres of geo-thermal energy could be generated. In such revelations, mention has also been made that 11 such hot springs which are located in this very thermal underground covering the other two wellknown two such Hot Springs at Kinniyai (Trincomalee) referred to earlier in this article, and at Maha Oya (off Batticaloa) Badulla Road.