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| Thursday, 18 November 2004 |
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Sinharaja's enticing call by P. D. A. S. Gunasekera Sinharaja, the 'Queen' of tropical forests, in Sri Lanka, is ready for the traditional annual holiday seekers from Britain and other European winter-bound countries, this season.
The visitors, drenched 'in perspiration' under any prevailing heat, become cool and comfortable, the moment they set foot, in the jungle, which envelopes them in the 'canopy of the boughs of huge trees as in a 'cold chamber'. The jungle, itself approximately 21 kms long and 3 kms wide, covered a space of nearly 21,756 acres, according to records. It is filled with evergreen vegetation and equally verdant fields and lawns full of rare and expensive timber; Hora, Nadun, Milla, intertwined with valuable creepers like 'Cane', 'Wenivel', 'Bandura', 'Puswel', growing freely in the virgin forest in abundance; the kind of vegetation almost extinct in other jungles of Sri Lanka, falling under the axe of the habitual wood-cutters and the timber thieves. The travel-stained visitors become refreshed under the cool atmosphere and the salubrious environment of the jungle receiving a new lease of 'travelling life' sans fatigue once they dip their feet in the cool, clear and clean water of the numerous rivulets running across the jungle paths. The Sinharaja Rock, the highest point inside the jungle provides a panoramic view of surpassing beauty with the distant Rakwana mountain ranges covered with a carpet of tea plantations and villages at their feet, appearing and disappearing as the shelters of a toy land, under the fast moving clouds of mists around. 'Duvili Ella' an irresistible attraction of nature which adorns the jungle, increasing the pleasing prospects for the visitors, offered a beautiful cascade, catching them in a gigantic capsule of 'cool, silvery spray' which soothed their muscle-bound limbs, in drought or rain. The decayed remains of the famous, king-sized 'Puswel creeper' with a girth of '10 feet at the roots', according to villagers, running for miles through the jungle, once a rare showpiece (now completely decayed and crumbled to dust) is a throw back to the rare and wonderful splendour of the forest. The jungle fauna including snakes of different kinds and size and other animals passed and repassed the visitors, unconcerned, as long as they were left alone. It is a common sight and rare experience for visitors to find in the jungle, a cobra (at times the white ones) here and a viper 'polonga' there, or other varieties of snakes, gliding into the thicket or a hole or basking in the sun, at times followed by a mongoose, in hot pursuit. The jungle is also a natural aviary, especially to the bird fanciers and bird watchers who can enjoy the sight and the musical notes of nearly 150 out of about 400 different varieties in Sri Lanka, according to the Guides. Sinharaja is also home to a large stock of fauna and flora peculiar to it, with varieties of butterflies, much sought after by foreigners, prepared to pay any price for them dead or alive. It is the only jungle in which endemic-threatened species such as Pala-polonga, Green-pit viper (Reptilia, Viperidae), Ran-Hothambuwa (Golden Palm Civet) (Mammolia, Viveridae), Hambawa (Flying Squirrel), Handun Diviya (Rusty spotted cat) (Mammalia Felidae), could still be found intact. The jungle has also been selected as a bio-diversity captive breeding centre for the fast diminishing varieties of fauna including the above, according to a report of the Bio-diversity Care Trust of Sri Lanka. Hence the warning to the visitors to keep off the flora and fauna while enjoying the sights. However to the visitors and tourists whose object is the enjoyment of the rare sights within, Sinharaja provides an ideal resort for a holiday-cum-pleasure outing. Sinharaja is a conglomeration of natural resources, plant and animal life, ranging from rare varieties of butterflies to birds of prey, the smallest to the largest animal life, tiniest plant and creeper to the mammoth 'Puswel creepers' and colossal timber, smallest earthworms to the largest snakes, smallest streams and water spouts to the largest waterfall, in short very desirable sight in a natural jungle capable of making the visitor yearn for a second trip as the attractions, Sinharaja holds in store for the tourists are legion and inexhaustible. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Situated on the southern boundary of the Sabaragamuwa Province, it was
selected and declared a World Heritage in 1978. Rich in 'rare flora and
fauna' mostly indigenous to the country, it provides the visitors, local
or foreign, 'pleasant surprises' with every step from the moment of
entering the jungle.
