Among the many tourist attractions:
The Walawe Basin
by Gamini G. Punchihewa
Walawe Basin nestling in the part Ratnapura, Hambantota and
Moneragala districts is adorned with many tourist attractions. Among
them, the most popular such tourist attractions home and abroad is the
Uda Walawe National Park. It is also the closest Park of all the other
15 odd National Parks in our isle.

Sundown over the jungle Walawe ganga reflecting on the glossy
waters.
Pic. Gamini Punchihewa. |
It being 115 miles from Colombo. Its metropolis is Embilipitiya which
has now blossomed into a town, where the sprawling lands are filled with
rice fields, industries and multitudes of farming communities.
Host of exotic attractions
Apart from the Uda Walawe National Park, there comes in its wake more
exotic attractions of geological endowment. These are the Hot Springs of
Mahapelessa about 15 miles away from Embilipitiya and Waulpane Lime
Stone cavern about 30 miles away.
The Walawe basin reposes itself in all glory and splendour in ancient
Ruhana and Sabaragamuwa civilisation. Such ancient relics of a past
hydraulic heritage, Stone Brahmi Inscriptions, ancient Raja Maha Vihras,
cave hermitage (Arannes) dating back to the 3rd 2nd country BC and a
host of other archaeological treasures abound in every nook and corner
of this Walawe Basin.
As a prelude to this series of articles on Walawe's tourism, let me
foremost start with the origins leading to the birth of this sprawling
Uda Walawe National Park.
The Park's origin
Once a great irrigation tank like this Uda Walawe reservoir by the
construction of a dam across the Walawe ganga in 1968, its catchment
area and the vast Virgin forest land have to be preserved and conserved
in the veritable name of nature for posterity.
Its vast imprisoned waters have to be preserved of its prime
environment. So with all those splendid hopes of conserving the
reservoir and its catchment area the present Uda Walawe National Park
was declared as National Park by a Government Gazette notification on
30.6.1972. The park comprises 119 square miles, including the water
surface are, it being 19 square miles.
Before we emerge our further discourse on this fascinating park now
teeming with wild animals, particularly the elephant in big
concentrations, including a couple of tuskers and a vast assembly of
bird species, both native and migrant. Let us pause for a while, and
peep into the grim past of the wanton damage caused to its forest cover
in doing illicit chena cultivations, finally how the denuded forest
cover came to be later resuscitated.
Even before the Park was declared as a National Park, the crying need
for land hunger grew in leaps and bounds. As a result of which hordes of
people form the locality and distant places squatted on the sprawling
virgin forestland. That was the first disastrous turning point that
paved its way for the rape of its pristine forest cover.
In its wild melee came the almost decimation of the many species of
fauna-avi-fauna, and flora that was once upon a time filled copiously!
In this connection I wrote an article titled 'The Rape Of Park' to
the then 'Sun Newspaper' of 29.4.1978 drawing the attention of the
Government. Consequently a news item titled "National Park to be cleared
of encroachers" in 'Sun' newspaper' of 24.5.1978 briefing that the
matter had already received the attention of the Government land had
directed the then Director of Wild Life Conservation Department the late
Lyn de Alwis to take quick steps to evict the squatters and restore the
Park.
Prompt action pursued
Despite the skeleton staff that was attached to administer the park
at Uda Walawe, in 1975/76 still they took action under the laws of the
country to evict the squatters. During that time the park was headed by
a pioneer Warden A. B. Fernando.
After my transfer to the Uda Walawe Project in 1970, when I too in my
official capacity as a village officer Lands Officer was closely
associated in the past with the veteran park Wardens of the like A. B.
Fernando, later with Chiders Jayawardena, for the resurrection of the
park.
The River Valleys Development Board in Walawe, when it was
administering the Walawe Special Area, its staff attached to the Lands
Branch, Embilipitiya, in collaboration with the Wild Life Conservation
Department officials attention in the Park Office, Uda Walawe, like A.
B. Fernando, then Park Warden of the Walawe Park, and his staff took
swift action to serve the quit notices on the encroachers.
At the time, when the rape of the parkland was in full swing, 60 per
cent of its forest cover was denuded by the slash and burn methods of
doing chenas. I wish to recall being a lover of wild life and a member
of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka for ever 45
years, I also happened to be a frequent visitor to the Park before and
after its resurrection, when it was declared as Park.
As I had wandered in every nook and corner of the park in the company
of past wardens like A. B. Fernando, the late Mr. Samson, Chiders
Jayewardena (one time Warden there), and Mr. Jayaweera along with the
key committee officials of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society
of Sri Lanka, ion the ilk of its former Hony. President Thile Hoffman,
Vice President Sam Elapatha (Jnr) then Gen. Secretary Lalith Senanayake,
Dr. Ranjan Fernando, then Committee member and a former Hony. President
and Mr. Chandra Liyanage.
Visit of world wild life fund member
Once in 1976, when the Park's forest cover had shrunk, at the request
of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, I had the
privilege of accompanying a distinguished member of the World Wild Life
Fund, Mr. Vellmar.
Looking at the charred remains of the giant forest trees that once
stood there, as mere skeletons of the forest, with a deep sigh of grief
and shock, beamed thus: "Oh, its a park without animals and forest
cover, he commented brazenly thus "It would take another 25 years for
these devastated forests to rejunvivate" Following with it, came another
glaring news item in the 'Ceylon Daily News' of 24.7.1975. It had
blasted in those dismal words: "What's the use of a Park without animals
asked Alice?"
The Park's Resurrection
After the eviction of the squatters on the serving of the quit
notices on them, headed by the able pioneer Park Warden, A. B. Fernando
and his staff, assisted by the Lands Branch officials attached to the R.
V. D. B. Walawe (Embilipitiya), that grand day was bestowed upon the
Park, when it was ceremoniously opened to the public on the momentous
day of 15.9.1980 in the presence of the Ministry and Wild Life
Conservation Department Officials and the Minister concerned.
The evicted encroachers deserving alternative lands were provided to
them in the Kiri Ibban area.
Serene Sykvan Purana village
From antiquity there existed two Purana villages in the heart of the
parkland. One was Nabada where lived two families, the other purana
village was Sinuggala filled with coconut arecanut palms, fruit and
giant forest trees. Sinuggala was the only most alluring and prosperous
purana village in its whole sylvant solitude.
The then the patriarch villager was 80 years old Malamahamy for his
senile decay still robust in health and strong in physique doing even
chena work. All of them came down in one generation having migrated from
down south in Akuressa about 100 years ago.
They lived in a large mud-walled its roof thatched with illuk grass.
There were two other such cozy huts for the other members of their
families. His son Mahatuna was there with his children.
Malahamy's one grand daughter was a real smashing beauty the idol of
the woodland village. After the Park was restored, they evacuated and
found fresh pastures in Hambegamuwa few miles away.
A Park bungalow has been constructed nestles in this empowered sweet
little village of Sinuggala.
There is still another Park bungalow constructed in Veheragala close
to the banks of the Walawe ganga meandering by lined with giant Kujmbuk
trees, while another has been constructed at an enchanting river-rine
spot where the flowing Walawe ganga empties its waters to the Uda Walawe
reservoir, in Timbirimankade.
"No peeping Toms please"
Off the Park's by-roads, close to Pransagara, there stood a 'Tree Top
Hut' constructed on a tall Kone forest tree by the Wild Life staff to
enable tourists to watch elephants from this safe perch browsing below
with their off spring.
Elephant experts and wild life lovers have averred that the wild
elephants did not like to confront any unaccustomed objects lying on
their elephant paths. So in that same way of the elephant, this elephant
perch fixed on the lofty tree with a ladder placed at its foot had their
ire and wrath when they in all anger pulled it down to earth in
shambles; So as a warning threat "No Peeping Toms please!"
Tusker the pride of the Parks
This park is endowed with a couple of tuskers which is not only a
star attraction but a great heritage to the park itself. Tuskers grace
in all their majesty in ambling away in its forested habitat. |