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| Listen,
in the stillness All is still at this time in the Sinharaja forest. The only noises are the soft fall of leaves, the incessant sound of the cicadas and the cacophony of different frogs. The air is cool and the sunlight filters through the silhouette of leaves, glinting when it catches a dewdrop. Lion King (Singha Raja) is the forest that legend tells us saw the union between a lion and a princess which is believed to be the origin of the Sinhalese race. Now only 11,187 hectares, in the days of yore Sinharaja is believed to have been more than 100,000 hectares. Sandwiched between the districts of Galle, Matara, Kalutara and Ratnapura, this is an undisturbed expanse of primary forest, a rainforest which is a watershed. Sinharaja was declared 'A Man and Biosphere Reserve' by UNESCO in 1978. Rich in diversity of fauna and flora, one finds here many species that are endemic to Sri Lanka, found nowhere else in the world. As it nears 8 a.m., the birds come calling. Some are early and others late, but yet others come along in what is called "the feeding flock". This is what every bird watcher waits for. It is an amazing arrangement between different kinds of birds to hunt for food. One can see a wide variety of birds joining together in a team effort to forage for food and they all come along at a great speed in a cacophony of different calls. For example the jungle fowl and spur fowls scratch the ground for worms at ground level, then on a slightly higher level the woodpeckers and the nut- hatches feed on grubs and caterpillars, while yet on a yet higher level the insects having been disturbed, fly around, only to be snapped up by the crested drongos and bee eaters. The groups of birds fly off in a flash and one is counted extremely lucky if one comes in the midst of this feeding flock, which can be seen, in the early mornings and evenings. As we trekked deeper into the jungle, our eyes feasted on an array of wild orchids, lush ferns, wild flowers, green bamboos, Aridda, Hora Navada trees, as well as medicinal plants, Veni Vel creepers and Rattan. We came across the Giant Shoria Tree (Navada) which is 140 feet tall and has a girth of 22 feet. Even if you crane your neck, you just cannot see the top. A large number of streams arise within the forest and drain to the Gin ganga from the south and to the Kukulu ganga, a main tributary of the Kalu ganga. In this forest of gurgling brooks and gushing rivulets, the purple faced leaf monkey makes its distinct resonant call which echoes around. A large variety of lizards, frogs, snakes, butterflies, dragonflies, and a colourful array of snails in interesting shapes and sizes reside at Sinharaja. We spotted the Blue Mormon and the Tree Nymph butterflies during our walks. The Tree Nymphs seem to drift and waft around unlike the other butterflies - their dreamy movement a delight to watch. The quieter you are, the more you will observe. For those who are not so familiar with the jungle, a tip to remember would be to wear clothing of dark jungle green, khaki or earthy browns, that camouflages your presence. Keeping as quiet as possible, one is more likely to spot creatures without disturbing them or being noticed by them. There are two nature trails - Pitadeniya and Kosmulla. Pitadeniya can be reached via the Galle-Deniyaya road. This road is motorable only up to Mederipitiya which is about six km from Deniyaya. The trek from here is 10 km, providing an opportunity to explore the south-eastern part of Sinharaja revealing the diverse fauna and flora, natural landscapes and leading to two picturesque waterfalls -- Pathanaoya ella and Kekuna ella. The Kosmulla nature trail is in the south-western part of Sinharaja, about 6 km away from Neluwa. The road is motorable up to the Kosmulla hamlet. The trail commences at the turn-off to the Sinharaja tea factory. The terrain is rugged on this footpath that traverses a distance of 10 km and is paved and cemented with a flight of stairs for about 200 metres to enable visitors to reach the Duviliella falls. We approached the forest via Mathugama in the Kalutara district going on to Kalawana in the Ratnapura district and arrived at the sleepy hamlet of Kudawa after passing Veddagala. We stayed at the home of the legendary Martin Aiya of Sinharaja fame. A quiet but firm simple village man, he has done yeoman service in training many students of nature on the importance of conservation and protection of Sinharaja. A self-taught villager, his expansive knowledge of history, science, philosophy, geography, and anthropology is awe-inspiring. In 1993 President Premadasa awarded him the title "Lanka Thilaka" for his tireless efforts to preserve the forest. The World University Service of the University of Moratuwa presented him the "Mihikatha Award" in appreciation of his efforts to conserve Sinharaja. The Smithsonian Institute in Kew Gardens, USA has named an edible yam after him by the name of Dias Koyriya koyama Jayasuriya and Wijesinghe. In his simple home, we ate typical village-style meals. Red rice, kiri kos, tempered dry fish, parippu, papadam and gotukola sambol washed down with fresh spring water. The meals tasted delicious as we were always after a long trek. Martin Aiya generates his own power with a little turbine and power plant, - the water, tapped from the nearby Dorana Ela and manages to provide lights in the night.. It is the same spring water which runs in the taps. Solar power panels on the roof provide one with hot water if necessary. The nearest telephone is 9 kilometres away in the post office. Sinharaja is part of our national heritage, a valuable natural asset to be protected for future generations. So if you decide to go there, do be conscious to be protective of everything there including fauna and flora. One has to remember that no plant, stone or creature should be disturbed or uprooted. We all need to help secure it for posterity. Feathered
sightings This gorgeously attractive but elusive bird has magenta feet and beak, is chocolate brown and cornflower blue and is bigger than the ordinary crow. We were fortunate to spot it sitting in its nest which was quite a rare sight, thanks to our wildlife enthusiast' friends Namal, Palitha and Kithsiri. |
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