The King of Parks

Great place to see elephants as the lone entrance jeep

Circling eagles overhead and fluttering Kingfishers, rain in on the dry vegetation, where you will come across the occasional group of elephants drinking in the tanks. Within twenty minutes one realizes the massive range of endemic birds that can be found here and are a huge feature of Lahugala Kitulana. One of the relatively tiny natural reserves that as a result of being shut for years has little or no tourism. The majestic black tuskers can be seen particularly in August when sometimes herds of 150 to 200 hundred of them leave the scorches of the irradiant sun, heaving their weighty and hefty gait through the sluggish abandonments of the banks of the former irrigation tanks, which are great spots to animal watch and enjoy the pink water lilies that would have sent even Monet the artist into raptures.

The mixed evergreen

Peacocks can be found calling for a mate from the tree tops and the underbrush lush with the spindly vertical vertebrae of the jade green bera grass shoots bursting out of the ground as there is really not much for the animals to do here other than go about their daily affairs, in the dense thickets and wide open heartlands of the park. Near Pottuvil, although Lahugala may not quite be on the off road safari trekkers choice of destinations list, it is an overlooked gem as the sheer volume of bird life makes it a tweeters paradise ranging from magpies, malkohas, jacanas, orioles, herons, shikras, kites, pelicans, storks, lesser adjutants, openbills, spurfowls, ibises, swifts, parrots, little green bee eaters, spotted doves, barbets and parakeets is what makes this a must see park.

The National Park guide who you can pick up at the entrance when you pay the park fees is a brilliant addition as they know the park inside out and will stop at look out points and show you the habitat of the egrets, lesser whistling ducks, cormorants, babblers, peafowls, mynahs, red wattle lapwings, bulbuls, spoonbills, coucals, swallows, and turns all within half an hour of entering the park. The guide who likes to point it is not the ‘Big 5, but the 5000 other animals that matter’ will point out even the smallest insect and many different types of dragon fly. The trip will take you to several sides of the old tank like lake system, where you can observe crocodiles from the safety of the rocks and other birds are spied with good pairs of binoculars such as stilts, moorhens and swamp hens, drongos, darters, koels, rollers, thick-knees, larks, owlets and even jungle crows. Each one will amaze you with their mosaics of colour, communication methods, hunting habits, choice of prey, colourful mating displays and odd mannerisms.

The topography of the reserve and conserved sanctuary is spread out flatly with rocky mountebanks and outcrops propping up every now and then in the mixed evergreen forest scrub jungle which covers another secret – the Magul Maha Viharaya across the road from the National Parks main entrance. It is here that King Kavantissa wedded his lady Queen Viharamaha Devi and the reconstructed dagoba and uposathagaraya can be seen in dusk’s surrender to the starlets of the night after an evening game drive.

A magical feel

This is also a great time to observe wild elephants outside of the park on the way to make an offering at the magnificent ruins of the Muhudu Maha Vihara, which are hidden inside the dunes and are one of only two historic Buddhist religious historic sites on this stunning eastern seashore, which is known as Sri Lanka’s surf capital. The temple complex is 3.5 km beyond Pottuvil, on the A4 Road where goats scamper, surfers surf at dawn and finally the houses are replaced by yellow sand dunes, which appear like giant rocks scattered along the coastline. These dunes today are seen as key to protecting the land from progressive sea encroachment and hold a great deal of Buddhist history and many other secrets just waiting to be dug up.

On arrival it is important to be respectful and cover your shoulders and leave the shoes at the entrance, and do take a copy of the small booklet at the entrance, which explains the site dates back to the reign of King Mahanaga, who built this temple in the 8th Century AD.

The King Kavantissa sacrificed his only daughter Viharamaha Devi to the sea to avert a catastrophe in the area and it is said that a boat was buried in the temple grounds. The king’s daughter was later washed ashore near the East coast, where Muhudu Maha Vihara stands today. Other stories say she went to Kirinda and where ever she went the importance of these ruins remained.

The resident monks are happy to tell you about this historical site in the shade of the trees near where the pilgrims hang lucky wishes and make prayers daily. Some say this series of temple columns is near where the Queen bathed in sandalwood and this is where she also kept her royal jewellery. The monk feels this is just one of the reasons why so many pilgrims leave a special message hoping it will be granted as the place has a magical feel about it.

Its dagoba is the landmark when searching for the royal statues half buried amidst the ruins and sand it is currently being rebuilt and in front of it recent discoveries of more temple complex have been made since a stone was laid in 2013. The 28th King according to the ‘Mahavamsa’ King Maha Naga built this Mudu temple for the memory of King Kavantissa and his Queen Viharamaha Devi.

To its west are the remains of a pillared structure where the torso of a Buddha statue was found and later restored by the Department of Archaeology. This sacred spot is lit at night and makes for a wonderful evening trip after an exciting safari, when it’s cooler underfoot from the burning sand of one of the islands hottest next destinations for the islands nature lovers and the truly spiritual.