Rs. 23m to reconstruct road stretch to Sri Pada
Irangika Range
The Government will reconstruct the seven kilometre stretch of road
from Nallathanni to Sri Pada temple at a cost of Rs. 23 million on a
special request by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Highways and Road Development Minister T.B. Ekanayake told the Daily
News that the stairway from Nallathanni to Seetha Gangula will be
reconstructed at a cost of Rs. 9 million as the first phase of the
project.
The Road Development Authority (RDA) will carry out the construction
work with financial assistance provided through the Gama Neguma program.
“A stairway with 14,000 steps entering Sri Pada, the safety fence and
drainage and disposal system will also be renovated,” the Minister said.
The Government has also taken measures to reconstruct the main road
network and all trunk roads in the Ratnapura District under RDA
supervision. Meanwhile, the Raja Mawatha road from Ratnapura Sri
Palabaddala to Sri Pada are being reconstructed with the assistance of
the Army Engineering Unit.
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Sri Pada aka Samanalakanda, Sivanolipatha Malai and Adams Peak, is a
2,243 metres (7,359 ft) tall conical mountain located in central Sri
Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada “sacred footprint”, a 1.8 m
rock formation near the summit, in Buddhist tradition held to be the
footprint of Buddha, in Hindu tradition that of Shiva and in Muslim
tradition that of Adam.
The mountain is located in the southern reaches of the Central
Highlands, in the Ratnapura district of the Sabaragamuwa Province -
lying about 40 km northeast of the city of Ratnapura.
The surrounding region is largely forested hills, with no mountain of
comparable size nearby. The region along the mountain is a wildlife
reserve housing many species varying from elephants to leopards, and
including many endemic species.
Access to the mountain is possible by six routes (Ratnapura-Palabaddala,
Hatton- Nallathanni, Kuruwita-Erathna, Murraywatte, Mookuwatte and
Malimboda).
Out of these the Nallathanni and Palabaddala routes are the most
popular. Kuruwita-Erathna road is somewhat popular as well.
The other three roads are almost obscure. It joins the Palabaddala
road midway through the ascent. Buses connect the final nodes of
Nallanthanni to Hatton, Palabaddala to Ratnapura and Erathna to Kuruwita.
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