Ella
When someone needs to refresh his mind, most of the time he chooses either trees or the sea. Both places can relax one’s whole body. If you choose the trees, Ella is one of the best.
It is in Uwa Province. The District is Badulla. It is about two hundred Kilometres far from Colombo town. The exact distance is 208 or we can say 129 miles. It is not so far if your aim is travelling. You can ride by your own vehicle, go by bus or choose the train to Badulla. No matter what you prefer, the view you see when travelling is really wonderful. The tour is very beautiful, especially by train, because the railway path has been built across and through the mountains. There you will meet so many bridges and many tunnels. It will take about ten hours, but I’m sure you won’t be bored anyhow.
This town is situated about three thousand four hundred feet above. Therefore the Ella weather is so cold. You can see a beautiful variation of fauna and flora in here. Also there is a large biodiversity to look for. Tea planting is common to the up-countries. It is same here. You can search for a few tea factories too, but they are only man made things. The nature you see there is the best. The place is full of hills and mountains. And the clouds are covering the tops of the mountains. The environment is full of mist. Oh! What a view to see.
As we mentioned before, the natural environment is the main thing in there. The tourists are hurry to feel the climate and also see the view of trees and mountains. One good thing is that there are not only the mountains, but also the waterfalls sliding down from the top.
The main waterfall in there is the Rawana fall. It looks so high, but is not very much thin as other high falls. This one is wide, and it seems to be divided into three parts. You can have the best view from the top bunk, but the down side gives you the feeling of standing in the middle of a large torrent. You can easily get a chance to have a bath in there. Yes, it is always crowded, because so many Sri Lankans and also the tourists are very delighted to see and bathe in there. It is very nice to see the fall in the rainy season. Some say it is like a flower. But when there is no rain to Kirindi oya (the tribute), it looks sad.
Rawana cave is connected to the fall. This one is not very much popular among Sri Lankans, but the tourists like to explore it very much. They say that the ancient people in Sri Lanka, that means about twenty five thousand years ago, lived in these caves. You cannot find it inside the fall, but anyone will advise you not to miss it.
When considering the Dhowa temple, it is another place you can find in the area. It is on the main road, so that you won’t miss the temple. This one is a protected place because it is so old. The most important thing in there is a statue of Lord Buddha. Actually, it is not fully completed. They say that this was done by king Walagamba when he was hiding in the cave, because of the attack that happened to his kingdom. But he had to return home before finishing it, because he had to gather soldiers to regain the palace. There are some paintings too. They belong to not the Polonnaruwa age, but to the Kandyan era.
The cave has changed as a temple in the Kandyan era. You can see the paintings represent Jataka stories. If you do not have any idea regarding them, anyone can always ask for a guide. The tusker and bull’s fight painting you see there is a popular one. Also the cobra will give us an enigmatic feeling.
When you are on the way, you will see a very nice bridge in there. This one is after the railway station of Ella and before the station of Demodara. This one is long about three hundred feet, high about eighty. The specialty here is that this has nine arches and also had been built without using a single part of steel. It was designed by a Sri Lanka named Appuhami. It is a proud to Sri Lanka. The view there is really wonderful and therefore you must be very lucky to see such scenery.
Have you ever been to a meditation hermitage? A place surrounded by trees and that monks are meditating calmly? The Mahamewna monastery is the best place if you need such calmness into your mind. It is not far from Ella. You can easily take a three wheeler to go. Anyone will show you the path if you ask. Here, the monks are having their food at about 10.45 a.m. Therefore it is better to miss it. If not, when you wish to do an almsgiving, you can offer some food for them at the time. But remember to bring something for you to eat, because there are no any canteen or food corners nearby. There you can ask questions from those monks and clear your knowledge. You can groom around the place as there are some ancient ruins.
The Adam’s Peak in Nuwara Eliya is a bit hard climbing, but here you have a choice. It is the Ella rock. Both have the same shape, but this one is only about thousand one hundred tall. You can see tea planting women, the Lord Buddha’s statues and a very nice environment when climbing. This picnic is only about two or three hours walk, so that you won’t get too tired. There are steps in the difficult sides. You can explore there with or without a guide. It is up to you. The signs have placed in everywhere. Therefore you won’t get lost. Furthermore you may visit the wooden bridge Bogoda, Bambaragala Peak and a few more places in there.
You may wonder what the Ella Sri Lanka hotels are. One is Ella Farmer Village. It is a bit cheap and has a garden too. ECHO Ella is closer to Demodara. The Hotel Queen and Restaurant has private balconies in their rooms. The Pearl Mountain Rest is cheaper and let the guests use the terrace. You can see the bridge from the Nine Arch Holiday Resort. If you love to see mountains, the best place is the Ella View Hotel. Ella Mansion is the cheapest. It is about four kilometres from Demodara.
Visiting Ella will be a really memorable trip. You do not have to worry about where to stay in Ella. There are so many. Try this at least once.
