Glimpses into Sinharaja's past

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Sinharaja is the 'heart of Sri Lanka' - the impressive forest with its own green canopy of tree tops, rocks, rivers, brooks, water falls and rock caves within its boundary districts of Rathnapura, Galle and Matara. In addition to its influential role as a vital catchment area, the forest itself is a treasure trove of rare flora and fauna indigenous, perhaps, to Sri Lanka. Thus the most remarkable feature of the forest is its rich bio-diversity and its position as a safe haven for the villagers living in close proximity to the forest. A considerable number of villagers depend on the forest's products for their income.

Enthusiasts both local and foreign have centred their focus of interest on this tropical rain forest and since recently the number of persons visiting Sinharaja for educational and research activities has been mounting up. Meanwhile, the Forest Conservation Department is doing a praiseworthy job in improving the network of roads to the forest, publishing brochures, providing guides and accommodation for visitors.

Value supported by legends

What adds up to the enormously natural splendour and the vastness of the forest are the alluring accounts associated with its past. The forest possesses an exclusive attraction as it has been a national heritage belonging to a number of kingdoms in Sri Lanka history. During the colonial rule in Sri Lanka, Sinharaja has been described as the 'Rajasinha Forest' and it has existed without defined landmarks. It has been a complex of fourteen forests namely Diyadawa, Walankanda, Warthalgoda, Dellawa and Sinharaja and so forth.

From time immemorial, there has been a special road to Sri Pada from Galle across Sinharaja and history records the route to have been exploited by Southern people making sentimental pilgrimage to Sri Pada. At the same time, the foreign travellers who disembarked at Galle harbour, visited Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) using a spacial route that lay across Sinharaja forest.

The threatening 'Lion King'

Oral tradition associated with the origin of the name 'Sinharaja' claims that Sinharaja forest has derived its name from a threatening lion that lived in a cave situated in a place named "Sinhagala". The lion is said to have preyed on all animals living around 'Sinhagala' and have posed deadly threats to people walking across the jungle or those residing near the jungle. When the trouble from the lion began to increase, a brave youth called 'Lanka' tactfully stoned the advancing lion to death. The tale goes on to say that the strong man shot stones at the lion using a wooden device which resembled a giant bow.

This tale is well supported by J.A. Willy Perera in his article to the famous environment magazine "Loris" in 1943.

Ibn Batuta in Sinharaja

Ibn Batuta, the famous traveller made the first historical reference to Sinharaja in his records of travel to Sri Lanka. According to his records of travel, he disembarked at Galle harbour and made his journey to Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) across Sinharaja forest. The foot path that led to Sri Pada from Galle way across. Sinharaja forest and Ibn Batuta had used the foot path in his journey to the mountain of the Sacred Foot Print. He describes the "dangerous beauty" of the forest and maintains that he had to stay few days in the jungle - an unforgettable experience amidst beauty and danger in the unknown. However, Batuta acknowledges to have enjoyed the beautiful setting of the forest and sighting of animals both dangerous or harmless. Batuta specially mentions his stay in "Sinhagala" and records the "deadly nights" he had spent among the wild animals in "Sinharaja".

Another legend narrates King Walagamba's withdrawal to mountainous forests in the face of South Indian invasions. The legend recounts how King Walagamba had organised troops to regain the control of Anuradhapura Kingdom and posted four great generals at Sinhagala (Lion's rock) to guard the route from Galle to Sabaragamuwa.

Even today, the villagers around Sinharaja forest have vaguely identified those locations with historical implications.

On the way to battle

Once King Rajasinghe, the second set out to launch a fierce attack on Portuguese fortress at Matara-Katuwana which posed a substantial threat to the Kandyan Kingdom. The king made a foot path across Sinharaja forest to gain access to gain access to certain defensive points from which the army could attack the fortress.

As it was a season of heavy rain, the king well guarded by soldiers around, took shelter in special structures built on top of towering trees in Sinharaja. The battle at Katuwana ultimately proved to be partial success for the king and Sinharaja served as a perfect bastion for him to reorganise troops for onslaught.

A proclamation on copper plates

The historical legends associated with villages of the region called Lankagama and legends and ruins found in Sinharaja establish concrete proof to show that there had been primatial settlement in the region.

The proclamation on copper plates found in Panakanduwa was issued by King Wijayabahu the first of Polonnaruwa Kingdom to announce his early operations against South Indian invaders in control of Polonnaruwa.

The proclamation contains ample references to places associated with Sinharaja such as "Kadamuduna", "Kadawatha", the ancient Getabaru Devalaya, "Kolavenigama" and rock temple at Batuwangala etc.

The influence of Portuguese invasions over Sinharaja forest is a major factor in the history of the forest. The Portuguese, impressed by the cinnamon cultivations on the border of the villages adjacent to the forest, began to take those villages under their control. The Portuguese planned to acquire the villages and give them Sinhala names in their list (Thombu) in order to simplify the process of tax collection. In the particular lists Thombu) prepared in 1618, the Portuguese officials mentioned several villages situated on the border of Sinharaja forest.

They made arrangements to send much of the produce of cinnamon to their motherland and encouraged cinnamon cultivation in those villages adjacent to Sinharaja.

The Portuguese have included the names of villages such as Kalawana and Pothupitiya in their records used to collect taxes from the villagers. Later the Dutch continued to collect taxes in the villages of Sinharaja and having identified its boundaries, they mapped the forest for the fist time. Moreover, the British who ruled the country from 1796 to 1948, concentrated much on the potential of Sinharaja. The British made a careful study of the forest with commercial goals and largely removed valuable trees in some areas for coffee plantation.

In 1850, a broad study and research into the varieties of trees in Sinharaja was made by G. Henry Twates and Vincent Legg carried out a research into the birds in 1880.

Forest populated

Though the chronicles or other historical sources fail to support any evidence of origin of human settlement around Sinharaja forest, the legends in use among people today offer certain hints of how Sinharaja was populated.

It is said that the earliest people to have inhabited regions around Sinharaja were those from Vannni. The legends further maintain that they had lived in caves in the earliest period and had engaged in farming around their temporary dwellings. The head of the group inhabited in Sinharaja accounted for a number of villages that came into being in close proximity to the great forest and the villagers today descend directly from the earliest group from Vanni.