Wellawaya, as its name implies, is well away
from nearly everything else on the island is
in fact a major transport hub. It has historical
relevance too, being the site of a decisive
16th-century battle between the Portuguese and
the Kandyans. Wellawaya is situated
on the low-lying plains at the foot of the blue
and misty Poonagala mountain range, which dominates
the skyline behind the town. The Kirindi Oya
(a river) passes Wellawaya on the southeast,
providing irrigation to the many local paddy
fields as it flows south to the coast at Kirinda.
Apart from its transport connections, Wellawaya
also played a part in 16th-century Portuguese
and Kandyan history. After the Portuguese had
ransacked the eastern hill country town of Badulla,
they marched down to Wellawaya, became trapped,
and fought with and were defeated by the Kandyans.
Inscribed on the stone monument found at the
battle site at Randeniya is a description of
the clash described as “one of the most
glorious and historic battles of the Sinhala
nation” in which the “Portuguese
political power received a decisive defeat”.
Incidentally, the defeat of the Portuguese was
believed to have been the retribution of the
gods for desecrating a temple at Badulla. Along
the Ella road a few kilometres, on the right,
is the site of Randeniya, where the stone monument
can be seen, though there is little else apart
from agricultural land. Randeniya was also the
location of a battle between Prince Dutugemunu
and his brother, Tissa.
Wellawaya town is a busy place with wide streets
bursting with insignificant shops and slow moving
people. There is a small Buddha statue at the
fork as you come into town on the Tissa road,
just before you reach the bus station, but there
is no temple. Much of the land around Wellawaya
is covered with paddy. Buffalo graze in the
harvested fields while farmers toil in the burning
sun to tend their crops. When you climb into
the hills, especially along the Koslanda/Haputale
road, you will pass many a rubber plantation.
The rubber trees are easily identified by their
regimented distribution and diagonal slashes
on their trunks, caused by tapping the latex.
The beauty of this area and the abundant wildlife
makes it perfect for walking and observing rural
Sri Lankan life in its widest sense. You can
explore the lower slopes above Wellawaya, close
to the Kirindi Oya, past paddy, jungle, and
forest, or you can be more strenuous and trek
up into the Poonagala mountain range. Birds
and animals abound, especially in the jungle
areas and close to the river. Handapanagala
Elephant Corridor and Pelwatte are a short drive
from town and advantageous for spotting wildlife
and enjoy mountain biking.
Ravana Ella Falls is only a half-hour drive
away towards Ella from Wellawaya. Here you may
reinvigorate your senses by swimming in a plunge
pool of a waterfall fed by icy mountain water.
As you dry off on the hot rocks you will find
the view from this elevated position is fantastic.
Wellawaya does not offer a wide range of accommodation,
perhaps because the hill country towns of Ella,
Haputale and Bandarawela, brimming with hotel
options, are not too far away. However, there
are a few interesting places to stay.
Just 10 kilometers on the South of Wellawaya
is Buduruwagala, one of the most remarkable
spiritual sites in Sri Lanka, which contains
some magnificent Mahayana Buddhist rock carvings.
Huge trees rise from the still water making
it look as if the area was once dry land. This
spot is filled with abundant bird life - cormorants,
eagles and herons to name a few - as the water
are vital in this dry, windswept land. The site
consists of seven magnificent east-facing figures
carved out of a sheer rock face, the outline
of which is believed to resemble a kneeling
elephant. The images, estimated to have been
constructed in the 10th-century during the reign
of King Walagamba, are located within a rocky
clearing of magical dry zone forest that is
inhabited by colourful birds and butterflies.
The central figure of the seven images is the
Buddha. At 15 meters, this Buddha is the tallest
statue in Sri Lanka, higher even than the ones
at Aukana and nearby Maligawila. The statue
depicts the Buddha in the abhaya mudra position;
standing with the right hand raised, palm facing
outwards. This pose is interpreted as the posture
of “kindness and freedom from fear”.
The left hand, broken at the fingers, is curled
towards his shoulder. The statue of the Buddha
is quite deeply and clearly carved and has aged
well. On either side are two groups of three
figures that represent a Bodhisattva flanked
by two attendants. Above the seven figures,
notably the Buddha, is a little square-cut holes
in the rock which suggests that the statues
were originally canopied and protected from
the elements.
Another few kilometres away there is Diyaluma,
meaning ‘water gush’ or ‘skein
of water’ is a towering waterfall said
to have originated from a soft veil –
indeed the second tallest in the island –
which like so many waterfalls has a tragic legend
attached. Diyaluma, Sri Lanka’s second
highest waterfall at 220 meters features a cascade
of water falling in a single slender streak
into the wooded valley below. These magnificent
falls are fed by the water of the Punagala Oya,
a tributary of the Kirindi Ganga, and are the
last of a series on this river.
The town itself is rather hot and dusty and
has nothing much to commend it. However, if
there is anything that typifies the town it
is the criss-cross of roads that reveals its
importance as a transport hub. Southern roads
from Kataragama and Tissamaharama converge here,
as do the roads from both Ella and Haputale.
Wellawaya, standing at the foot of the hill
country, also provides direct connections east
to Monaragala.
