Udawalawa National Park, a nature lovers’ paradise

By Premasara Epasinge

O, Give me a home;
Where the buffaloes roam;
Where the deer and antelope play;
Where seldom is heard;
A discouraging word;
And the skies are not cloudy all day

The above lines that I learnt from a former Director of Primary Education, Dr. (Miss) Kamala Peiris, about the “Freedom that animals should enjoy in their natural habitat”, flashed across my mind when I entered the Udawalawa National Park.

I was away from the hustle and bustle of politics and cricket, watching elephants at Udawalawa National Park.

Elephants are close to our heart, religion and Buddhist culture. This is one of the reasons, elephants are very special to us.

The greatest teacher, Mahapurusha Gautama Buddha was conceived in the womb of Queen Mahamaya. She dreamt a baby elephant with a white lotus, entering her womb. During the Buddhist era, there were two well-known elephants - Parileyya and Nalagiri. Then, there are many Jataka tales depicting the importance of elephants. Dummeda Jatakaya is a good example.

There is a belief to be born as an elephant which is his last birth in the animal kingdom. His next birth will be as a human being. The elephant is a majestic and a proud animal. There is a special beauty in him.

Colourful

An elephant is a fortunate animal. He is the only animal to carry the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Gautama Buddha. In the perahera culture, colourful elephants play a predominant role. He is the carrier of the living Buddha.

On our arrival at the office of the park, the tourism officer, welcomed all of us. He assigned a guide, Kapila Pushpa Kumara. We purchased our tickets at a point, entered the salubrious environment - Udawalawa National Park.

Our tour party proceeded along Veheragolla, Thimbiriyamankada, Seenugala, Pokunettawa to Udawalawa National Park. The park has an acreage of 30,821 hectares. It was declared a National Park on June 30, 1972 under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.

We witnessed a dance performance by a peacock. A herd of deer and several other animals were at a distance. Many bird species filled the greenery shrubs. They were marvellous sights.

The Udawalawa Park lies in the Ratnapura district in Sabaragamuwa Province and Moneragala district in Uva Province. It forms the largest conservation areas within these districts and largely comprise the lower and immediate catchments of Udawalawa, and some parts of Mau Ara basin in the East. The area to the West bank of Walawe River is within Ratnapura District and on the East Bank, within the Moneragala district. The picturesque Walawe Reservoir is situated in the park. The surface area of it at full level covers about 3,405 hectares. There are some ruins near Veheramankada and Veheragolla. Udawalawa Tank, Reservoir adds more colour to the National Park. We saw many rare species of animals and birds. The highlight and centre of attraction were the elephants. Close to Veheragolla we stopped for a herd of elephants to cross the path. Their rhythmic and majestic proud movements reminded so much of the - Gajaga Vannama - a dance sequence of an elephant.

At one point we witnessed how the father and mother elephants were trying to hide their greatest treasure sweet little baby elephant from us covering him between the two of them. What a sentimental sight it was. They are innocent and attractive. The more you see them, the more you love them. The innocent elephants are our greatest asset in the animal kingdom.

Access

The easiest and quickest access to Udawalawa National Park from Colombo is through Ratnapura-Pelmadulla on Embilipitiya Road. At Thimbolketiya, turn left at Udawalawa Junction and proceeds to Tanamalwila.

Udawalawa National Park is very popular among visitors and foreign tourists. I presume there are nearly 500 elephants freely roaming the beautiful park. Then, there are sambur, spotted deer, barking deer, wild boar, water-buffalo, toque-macaque, common langur, sloth bear, toddy cat, jackal leopard and mongoose.

There were birds aplenty, including a large number of warblers, water birds, Sri Lanka jungle fowl, horn-bill and brown capped babbler. At Udawalawa National Park the soil and climate conditions are responsible for classified vegetation types. The predominant ecosystem of the park area is the forest with scattered grasslands and thorny-shrubs. There are satin (Chloraxylan swietenia), Halmilla (Berrya cordifolia), Ebony (Diospyros ebenum), Ehala (Cassia-fistula), Kolon (Adinacordifolia), Milla (Vietex pinnata), Kon (Scheleichera oleosa), Kunumella (Diospyrosovalifolia), Kumbuk illuk (Imperata cylindrica), Kohon (Pennissetum olystathyon Terminalia arjuna, Mandorang (Hopea cordifolia) trees are in plenty.

There are about 30 guides to take you around the park. There are a few camp sites at Udawalawa National Park such as Alimankada, Pilimaddhara, Fransaddha and Renegala.

If you are an “Elephant Lover”, and a lover of the environment and peace, Udawalawa National Park is ideal for a visit.Visitors should refrain from taking or destroying any plant or animal, not disturb the animals, never throw garbage, cigarette butts, never play musical instruments, audio cassettes or radios and disturb the animals. A journey to the Udawalawa Park will be an unforgettable and a memorable one.