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| Sunday, 18 April 2004 |
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Come April, all roads lead to theLand of Flowers By Farah Macan Markar
You think of tea factories, plantations and estates. How about a cuppa on the way? Feel the swirl of your fingers as you twirl your cuppa around, inhaling its warm Ceylon Tea steam before your first swallow. Hmmm...and a piece of chocolate cake as an after tea bite.
Not forgetting the warm creamy puddings for desert. You remember the hard boiled eggs, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, scones and eclairs of Enid Blyton. You think books. Romance, adventure, mystery and spine chillers. You think of board games too. Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly and Cludo. Outdoors. Smell the Pine. You think of picnics and family outings. Early morning walks and evening strolls. Watching the thoroughbred horse races and ride mangy ponies for a 100-200 rupees. You think of cricket and hide and seek. Chilly breezes and rosy cheeks.
It's the up country season. You think holiday. You think trip. You think Yippee! It's time for adventure. It's time for relaxation. Let's laze around. Let's go mountain climbing. You think of hours of sleep. You think of hiking, biking and rowing. Late nights and midnight feasts. Nuwara Eliya. You think of the polluted waters of Lake Gregory. The flowery Victoria Park. The gardens of Hakgala and the strawberries of Humbugs. Mmm...Strawberries. Strawberry Jam, Strawberries and Cream, Strawberries and Pancakes, Strawberry Milkshakes, Strawberries and Strawberries everywhere in a delicious assortment of preparations. The other traditional sight seeing sights during a N'Eliya Trip? Diyathalawa. You think of Fox Hill, Motor Racing and Army Check Points. Horton Plains. You think of World's End and Bakers Fall. Ambewella, New Zealand and Cattle Farm. You think of cows, rabbits and ducks. You think creamy milk. N'Eliya. You think of flowers once again. Buzzing bees and flittering butterflies. You think of sun, rain, dew drops and rainbows. You wish for that pot of gold. You think of mists, foggy night roads and eerie solitary trees. You think of the crowded town and piles of garbage. You think of perfectly manicured green gardens and blue skies. This is Nuwara Eliya, and you're infected with the N'Eliya Spirit. You think peace. You feel excitement. You think of your camera. You think photos. You recollect previous trips and you go hoping for an even better one. What will it turn out to be? It is April and Colombo seems to be under a sweltering heat. Perhaps it's time to get away to those cool climes and find out. "City of Light"-How it came to be
The history of the town extends to the prehistoric era, in which according to the legends, thousands of years ago a King of Yakka called Rawana lived in this region where the Rama-Rawana war took place. The legends say that King Rawana invaded India and detained Seetha, the beloved Queen of King Rama and kept her in an ornamented bed of Asoka flowers at the place called Seetha Eliya which is located within the Municipal limit of Nuwara Eliya. Hanumantha and his associates whose mission was to rescue the Queen Seetha from Rawana was taken into custody by the soldiers of Rawana and later given harsh punishments. The worst of which was his tail being set on fire, which ultimately resulted in the burning of all houses in the region due to his jumping from house to house for salvage. Thus the legends indicate that Nuwara Eliya (City of Light) is the place where the lights glisten, as a result of this incident. The foundation for the current development in Nuwara Eliya however began in the British Rule which has been ever since the early 19th Century. Under the Colonial Rule, Warrior Keppetipola was hidden at Kikiliyamana slope with Udunuwara Kawikara Mudiyanse in 1818. After the hazardous Uva Revolt in 1818, the Englishmen stepped into Nuwara Eliya for the first time in history, lead by Dr.John David's tour to Badulla to study the ground situation in the Uva Province. After the Governor Edward Barnes's visit to Nuwara Eliya, (1824-1831) the town was facilitated with proper roads in order to keep it as a tourist resort area. The tourist resort that he made at the time was known as "Barns Hall" which is the present "Grand Hotel" in Nuwara Eliya. The father of Agriculture in Nuwara Eliya was Sir Samuel Baker, an Englishman who came to the country in 1845 and initiated agriculture in the area. Known as "Baker's Farms" he carried out agricultural settlements in several locations. A council ward of Nuwara Eliya and the District Hospital were named as "Baker's Ward" in his memory. Subsequently, the Governor Sir William Gregory (1872-1877) decided to make Nuwara Eliya the Capital City of Sri Lanka which paved the way for its rapid development. It was Sir Gregory who constructed the "Lake Gregory" and initiated the extension of the Up Country Railway line from Peradeniya to Nawalapitiya and from there to Haputale via Hatton-Nanu Oya.
April Bloom Flowers. They come in all colours, shapes, sizes and smells. I think flowers are significant of all things good in life, such as beauty, peace and happiness. Flowers make me sneeze, but they also make me smile. And seeing a garden full of flowers in bloom, specially in the morning, makes me feel giddy, sneezy and gay. This April, all the gardens of Nuwara Eliya are in full bloom, and upon treading into them, one feels as though stepping into fairy land. The Marigolds sparkle in golden orange. The yellow Sun Flowers reach outwards to the sun. The Asters and Daisies nod their heads gently to the breeze and the white, red, yellow and pink Roses stand regally on their thorny solitary stems. The Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya has a 100 type of flowers as well as a variety of 18 roses. Working among the flowers of "Selvia", "Zeeniya", "Petunia", "Anton", "Cherry Blossom", "Lucanta" and many more is Parameswara, Gardener of the Grand for 24 years. For Parameswara flowers are her first love and she works hard with 12 others in keeping the 4 1/2 hectare Grand Hotel garden growing and in good health. "I think everyone loves flowers" says Parameswara "They are beautiful and they give happiness to the eyes of the beholder". Says Maheswaran, Gardener of St.Andrews Hotel "Flowers are like little children. You have to give them a lot of care and attention as they are very fragile". Working in a garden full of "Linaria", "Costus", "Cornflower", "Lady Lace", "Amaranths", "Poppy", "Gladioli" and "Ever Lasten" Maheswaran tends to his children daily from eight in the morning to five in the evening. Planting, nursing, watering, feeding "Pohora", giving it vitamins and medicines for good health, protecting it from nibbling worms and snails as well as burning sunshine, heavy showers and dew drops, pruning, cutting and shapening their final outlook, Maheswaran's job requires knowledge, alertness and skill, for as he says, flowers are plants and plants are life, and as in human life, plant life has its various stages to be seen through. "St.Andrews has 30 types of flowers and a variety of 20 roses" say Maheswaran whose worked there for 20 years, having earlier tended the flowers of Nuwara Eliya's Victoria Park. Most flowers once planted in December, bloom in April. Maintenance Officer Sekera of Heritage Hotel, Nuwara Eliya however believes in having flowers in a garden at all times. For this purpose together with the other bunch of little beings, he grows "Nasturtiums" and "Estermelias" which bloom throughout the year. The Heritage according to Sekera has 50-60 type of flowers as well as a 110 kinds of roses. Probably the most intriguing species of plant life in the garden is its "American Agave", a flower which is said to bloom every 25 years, though Sekera explains that some bloom every 8 years. |
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Contemplating Nuwara Eliya. City of Light. Land of Flowers. Little
England. You think of flowers, red, white, orange, yellow, violet and
indigo. You think of roses of crimson, velvety with spiky thorns. You
think of green hills, cool climes and chilly weather. It is sweater,
jersey and blanket packing time. Not forgetting your favourite old pillow.
Nuwara Eliya. You think of old houses, wooden floors, maroon carpets
and fireside hearths. You think of ghosts and ghost stories. You think of
hot soup, steamy rice, crispy lettuce, iced tomatoes and fresh onions.
Nuwara Eliya. So cold. You think of cold. You think colds, coughs and
fever. That bottle of cough syrup and packet of paracetamol is stuffed
into the luggage bag, just in case. As well as those warm coverings of
socks, stockings, shawls and head wraps.
Being at the highest position in the central hill country (6182 ft
above sea level) the Nuwara Eliya Town is geographically located in the
Upper Mahaweli catchments area.
