Summiting the Bible Rock

While mighty Bathalegala a.k.a the Bible Rock silently observes everyone who travel through the Kadugannawa Pass, we Mountain Rangers planned to see the world from her summit.

After having breakfast from Mawanella in one sunny morning, we got into a Hathgampola Bus. The bus left us at a concrete paved way where a board stood saying ‘Way to Bathalegala’.

Being fans of walking, we didn’t hesitate to start the journey upwards. The sun warmed concrete path dehydrated all of us but we were quite delighted to see the changing shape of the rock as the path winded up.After a walk of 2-3 hrs in the bright sun, we reached the trailhead.The motorable road ends at the Trailhead. You can also hire a three wheeler to come to the trailhead.

Trail was sheltered with thick forest cover and the stone steps made the climbing much easier. Within an hour, we were able to reach the summit.

The plain on the summit was a delightful find! There is no wonder why people call it the ‘little Sigiriya’, a king could have easily built a castle on top of the rock. One can also see Kadugannawa Side, Alagalla Mountain, Asu Pini Ella, Dewanagala Temple, Gampola Side including Ambuluwawa among the vast vistas of mountains around the peak.

Although the views were rewarding, we were aghast to see what was what was next to our feet.

There were cardboard boxes used for wrapping food/drinks, broken bottles of arrack,polythene food wrappers and even female underwear on the summit! The old temple, which was once an abode to a monk has become a fireplace for the BBQ fans and the we could still find unopened milk cartons left in the fire by the campers the day before.

As told by a villager, a group of Customs Officers and some school kids have camped on the summit the night before. We cleaned up their garbage as much as we could and brought back some trash to the city on the way back.

Having climbed up using the well trodden path, we decided to get down using the less known path.

The trail started winding down directly to the opposite side from where we reached the top.

The path was slippery due to dried leave however, the greenery above made us fell in love with the Bible Rock eco-system.

The trail ended in the Ambadeniya Estate and within another 30 mins walk, we were back in the Aranayake-Mawanella Road.

Hiking ethics

Do not change the environment around you.

Answer the nature calls responsibly. Avoid doing your job next to water sources and trails. Cover your deposits with soil/mud to avoid it being exposed.

Do not make camp sites but find them. Nature does not charge you for beautiful camp sites. Respect her. Do not leave your garbage at the sites.

* Local Culture is influenced by the nature around it. When you are in a village, live like a villager
* Think about your carbon footprint. Avoid plastic items, re-use your trekking equipment, buy long lasting gear and use them as long as you can

* Don’t disturb wildlife in anyway - even by scaring off animals by creating loud noises & walking through cobwebs

* Keep a small bag hung to your backpack. If you see any trash on the trail, it must go into the trash bag.

* Leave no trace, if possible, negate the traces left by others
* Avoid visual pollution. We walk in the jungles to enjoy the nature away from man made things
* Be open with the team. Do not hesitate to comment if a team member does something wrong. Support the team. Team can become the survival kit in some situations