Travel

The many splendours of Matara

Text and Pictures by Ganga PRADEEPA

Hummanaya blow hole

Many may not have seen Sri Lanka's largest Buddha statue in Dikwella, 20 km away from Matara. The statue is to be found at the Wewurukannala temple 3km along Dikwella - Beliatta Road.

The Wewurukannala Viharaya is dominated by an image of a seated Buddha. It is 150ft high, the largest statue in all of Sri Lanka.

Wewurukannala Vihara consists of three separate parts. The first part of the temple is almost 250 years old. The next is of great significance. If you don't follow the path to enlightenment what fate befalls you by way of punishment are depicted.

Finally there is the seated Buddha that is as high as an eight storey building.

I climbed the eight storey building and reached the back of the statue head. There was a small open area (covered by glass) where we could see inside of the head of the statue. Placed inside were hundreds of small Buddha statues.

The temple walls show the path towards enlightenment by depicting hundreds of representations of events in the Buddha's lives.

Wewurukannala Vihara is one of the more popular and important Buddhist shrines and also a popular Tourist Spots in Sri Lanka.

The most important aspect of Wewurukannala Vihara is that it consists of a gigantic statue of the Buddha, in a seating posture.

Largest clock in Sri Lanka

Where is the largest clock in our country? It is also at Wewurukannala viharaya. This clock was made by W. Elaris de Siva at Maggona in 1926.

Reverend Bajjama Siri Saddhathissa bought this clock for Rs 3000 from Elaris in 1928 and donated it to Sri Waijayanthi library for exhibit to the public.

The uniqueness of this clock, is its ringing at thewawa time at the temple every morning and evening.

Werahena

Wewurukannala                                   View inside the Buddha statue head                                               Werahena

Werahena temple 8km from Matara town may be identified as both a Buddhist as well as a cultural centre. Even though this site does not have a very old history, it has the strange power to influence devotees towards meritorious thoughts and deeds.

The most outstanding feature of this statue is the serene and compassionate expression that exudes and its calming effect on pilgrimages.

The interior walls of the temple are decorated with attractive paintings and the walls of the entire temple contain paintings depicting various jathaka stories.

The Buddha statue conveys to the visitor the incredible talents of the early sculptors. Construction on the Werahena temple was begun on 5th March 1939. With the completion of the Buddha statue a small stupa and bo tree also enhance the beauty of the temple.

Blow Hole

Largest clock in Sri Lanka

Kustaraja Gala

The world famous Hummanaya blow hole is located at Kudawella (8km from Dikwella) and is another drawcard for visitors to down South. If you go by vehicle you have to park nearly 100m away from the blow hole.

When we were going along the narrow path to Hummanaya I saw many people selling dried fish, batter fried fish, achcharu, waday, beli mal etc. (Batter fried fish were delicious! And dried fish were comparatively cheap).

In addition you will also find souvenir shops with a variety of local handicrafts and ornaments made out of sea shells and other marine findings. We reached the rocky shores of Kudawella, waiting patiently for the great swells coming in from the ocean to hit the caverns formed naturally under the rocks.

When the caverns are filled to capacity, the ensuing pressure causes the water to escape through a small hole to form a giant fountain. Awesome!

At the site, rough and high waves push water into the triangular based rock bottom, and force it through a hole at the bottom of the rock with very high pressure. With the sound of a blow whistle the water is blown high into the air. (If you want to take a nice photograph of Hummanaya you must have patience!).

Star Fortress

In Matara town one finds the called Star Fortress where a Dutch captain stayed in 1763. Now it is under the purview of the Archaeological Department and this structure takes a shape of a star. The entrance of the Star Fortress has two wide doors and a moat around it. "The inside of the fortress has a standing Buddha statue (Belonging to the Polonnaruwa era). "It was found near Matara Rahula College recently" said 'Travel Blazer', L.H.Thilak .

Kustaraja Gala

Star Fortress

From the Weligama restaurant junction nearly 440 yards (the area is called Walligama) there is a sculpture which is popularly known as the Kustaraja gala. This statue has been identified as one of the bodhi satwa Awalokiteswara which belongs to the 8th century A.D. It has a rock and this sculpture is also made of the part of that rock. This sculpture has four small Buddha statues beside of the head and the ears.

In front of the sculpture there is a bo tree. "People who live in Walli gama come to this place and light oil lamps every evening. Part of the statue (a cheek) was damaged because the foreign engineers tried to blast this rock to use the metal for relaying a road nearly in 1800" said an officer at the Archaeological Department, W.A. Dharmasena.

"A grave side is on the left of the entrance which has the name of Thoumous Dgauder and it indicates he was born on 25th August in 1825 and died 10th August in 1907. "He was one of the English engineers who came to this area to build roads during that decade.

The talk here is that he married a Sri Lankan and stayed on" he said.

Insight Hotel Location to relax and unwind

The alluring beauty of the sea is more attractive in the morning or a quiet evening if there have some stilt fishermen standing motionless on the sea.

The hotel emblem too gives an indication and insight to what's in store for guests by displaying an embossed picture of a stilt fisherman on it.

The Insight Hotel was established in 1983 and has been in the industry for the past 25 years catering to both Sri Lankan and foreign clients from Europe, Middle East and Asia.

The Club Lanka Hotel was renamed and re-branded as Insight in year 2006 introducing a new concept by its Managing Director Nilmin Nanayakkara. It is situated on the coast of Ahangama, 15km from Galle.

The Insight Hotel offers 35 rooms all with ocean view balconies and garden area. It is blessed with a broad sandy beach and a protective coral reef, just 20 metres from the shoreline making the sea a calm one for sea bathing. You can also see how the stilt fishermen catch fish technically.

In front of the reception there is a swimming pool with also a kiddies pool. This small resort also offers a large garden for kids to play.

In the open concept of the restaurant one can enjoy the open view of the sea. It can accommodate 160 pax and a wide variety of Italian, Indian, Thai and Indonesian dishes are on offer, according to Resident Manager Timira Konara.

"The Conference hall is the newest addition to the hotel which has a capacity for 50 pax with A/C, Internet facility, sound system, wide screen and all other equipment.

It is the perfect location for a residential seminar, where the participants can relax and unwind whilst concentrating on their work," he said.

Around the Insight there are some excursions such as Madol Duwa, Martin Wickramasinghe Museum, Werahena, Wewurukannala, Hummanaya blow hole, Kustaraja gala and star fortress.

This resort is also ideal for softball cricket, beach volleyball, indoor and outdoor games.

The green garden, blue water in the pool and the sea together with the golden sand gives you a real tropical feeling at the Insight Hotel.

Laying down and relaxing in a beach bed under a palm tree will give you very light and peaceful moments to cherish.

It was nice to sit under the beach shade provided by timber and straw and watch the sun set towards the late hours of the evening. At night you can listen to the music of guitarists, oriental band or calypso. GP

Stilt fishing a huge drawcard

Koggala and Ahangama sit on the southern corner of Sri Lanka, close to the historic city of Galle.

They are also famous as a quiet fishing town, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Close to the shore and the picturesque reef, they are well known for an off shore which serves both as a tourist and Sri Lankan attraction. The rising sun over the tropical beaches also exhibits an unusual history of stilt fishing.

It is a strange technique of fishing. Nobody knows how or where this technique originated from. But it works as the stilts are attractive sceneries. One can also catch a glimpse of the famous stilt fishermen in down South. So if you do catch the spectacular sight of stilt fishing and stilt fishermen,

consider yourself lucky as such a sight is nowhere to be found on the island. Being attractive and picturesque, these fishing towns are also an ideal base for snorkeling and diving, with many fascinating sites to explore, for those who would rather stay above the surface of the water.

Stilt fishing is famous as a generational occupation among the fishermen with the child taking after father. They make their own stilts on the reef and all stilts have their own fishermen. Newcomers can't use others' stilts.

Stilts are made on the reef nearly twenty metres from the sea shore. They walk from the shore to these stilts with baskets, fishhooks and fishing rods. They collect their day's catch into the basket and carry it ashore.

These stilt fishermen do their fishing according to the times of the season. GP