Mountains are Conquered by Climbing not by Dreaming – Alagalla…

Hello everyone! Hope you’re well and kicking. Wonder where you guys have been to lately and as of me and Hari, we finally managed to climb the mighty Alagalla after years of day and night dreaming. Every time the topic Alagalla came up, we put it off by saying things like “Oh, it’s not the right time”, “It’s raining and the place will be infested with leeches”, “It’s so dry and we’d get sunstroke”, “It’s near here so we can do it anytime”, etc. The end result, we didn’t climb Alagalla all this time.

I’m sure you too have very much similar experiences related to seeing things like this. According to Marie Curie, the first woman to win a noble price and the only woman to win it twice, we must never postpone things if we have the means to do it today. Well, I’ve been an ardent fan of her ever since I read her biography in one of the Sinhala Text Books, and finally decided to take up her advice. For some reason, everything seemed to fall into place as the dates were right after the Independence Day week. Usually villagers around Gangoda, Ihala Kotte, Poththapitiya and Hatharaliyadda climb to the top of Alagalla on the Independence Day to mark the celebrations. Now there’s the Poojagala at the other end of the Alagalla Range where a temple is being constructed and there had been a lot of people climbing from Gangoda side as well for its rituals.

The path to the top of the Poojagala (other end of Alagalla) had been done recently in order to facilitate the construction of the above mentioned temple. Compared to Poththapitiya, the regular path, Gangoda is very steep and the angle is almost 90-degrees at places. However the villagers have built concrete steps onto the rocky surface making it relatively easier to climb to the top. It’d sort of remind you of Mahagiridamba of Sri Pada.

If you’re planning to climb Alagalla, the best path is to take the Poththapitiya uphill and then get down from Gangoda. Of course you can take the other way around but it’d be a real challenge and would test your legs to the maximum. By all means avoid the mid-day to climb up or down from Gangoda as the heat emanating from the rock can roast you alive. Further, there are two paths to reach Poththapitiya. One is from Ihala Kotte Station through a footpath passing the Dekinda Ella. Another is to take the bus from Pilimathalawa to Poththapitiya and start the hike near the tea estate. If you time it properly, you can have a good all-around trip of hiking, rock climbing, camping, rail hiking and waterfall hunting.

As I keep saying, planning is the key and not planning is the lock. You can open it easily by the key or try and smash it with a rock or a crowbar and in the process injure yourself too. So the decision is up to you. It’s been a long time since Hari and I went on a journey, if I’m not mistaken it was to Mandaram Nuwara in Dec 2014. Looking back I was very surprised to see such a long gap between our journeys. So it was time to make it up for the lost time and ground as we two decided to do Alagalla. Even though Hari wanted to finish it in one day, I’d this notion from the first time I saw Alagalla that if I were ever to set foot on the summit, it’d be to camp overnight.

Day 01

Having managed to convince Hari, we left for Pilimathalawa on 11 Feb by the 5.55am Podi Menike Train as it seemed to be the only sensible option. I hope you’d read my GW article and found the tips and tricks given by me useful. As this was a Thu, the train wasn’t that crowded and we managed to find two seats. However as we reached Gampaha, Ragama and Polagahawela, it got pretty crowded showing how popular the train, especially after the introduction of S12, has become among the public. If only we can make it run a little faster and on time, it’d prove to be the best solution for traffic congestion. Let’s hope something in those lines will happen and by the time I’m writing this article, there was this announcement on the papers that they’ve started making the Kelani Valley Line a double track up to Kottawa which will definitely help ease the traffic on high level road.

On our way, after Rambukkana, I just savored My Rail Hike with Uncle Tony some time ago. I think that 20+km stretch is probably the best out of all the rail hikes I’ve done so far. There are so much history and engineering marvels associated with this line and surrounding areas. Do take a look at the article when you have a moment (well it was just literally speaking coz you’d definitely need a lot more than a moment) if you’ve not already done so. We could see Bathalegala in the distance and as we were nearing Ihala Kotte, the mighty Alagalla aka Potato Mountain Range towered above us to the left.

The railway line goes parallel to the range from Gangoda all the way passing Ihala Kotte (about 2-3km in length) towards Balana. I was itching to get down and be on our way but there was quite a long way to Pilimathalwa and then to Poththapitiya. Finally we arrived at Pilimathalawa around 8.15am, at a time which is impossible by bus. There was a bit of shopping for us to do and we had breakfast too at one of the hotels and got some rice and curry packed for lunch. We finished everything by 8.45am and got into a Kandy-Poththapitiya Bus at Pilimathalawa. There are buses at regular intervals (about half hour or even less I think), so getting to Poththapitiya is not a big issue now.

After an uneventful bus ride through historic Danthure, we reached Poththapitiya around 9.30am and immediately took the concrete-paved road towards the tea factory. It was already scorching hot and we were feeling the heat. It was as if walking through a furnace even though the trees on either side offered some shelter. Finally we managed to walk to the tea factory over which loomed the mighty Alagalla, our target. Here are some pictures:

Poththapitiya Tea Factory, turn right

There is our target

Zoomed in

Portrait

We didn’t stop but walked on the road to the right of the factory which was not in good condition but a tuk-tuk could handle with without a sweat. Remember, if you do this, you can take a tuk-tuk all the way to the trail head which is more than 2km from Poththapitiya, depending the tuk-tuk driver doesn’t mind it but we saw two of them go passing us while we were waiting at the water tank. Otherwise you have to walk that too adding it to the total hike. We walked for about half hour before arriving at the water tank. This is the last place where you can fill your water bottles and be careful not to dump anything around and help keep the area clean. This is how it looks like:

I simply love to take pics of them

Looking redder than ever

Oh, hello!

Giving us one of its menacing looks

Full length portrait

Zoomed in portrait

Where the water tank is

We went up

Main tanks are up there

Hari filing the bottles

After a nap, we were ready to make it work

We were early so didn’t wanna climb during the midday as it’d have made us sweating, sunburnt and very uncomfortable. The cement structure at the water tank was cool and in the shade which was very tempting to our exhausted bodies. So we decided to take a break and finish our lunch and start our hike around 1.30pm. In that case, we’d be under the tree cover for about 1.5hrs making it relatively easier to climb the last bit, which is the open Mana patch, towards late afternoon.

I simply couldn’t make up my mind to leave the coziness under the trees and we both rested on the cement tank and almost fell asleep thanks to the cool breeze washing over us. Around 12.30pm, we got up and had our lunch further reducing our weight. Afterwards, back to sleep until about 1.30pm. Unlike me Hari found it hard to relax as he kept getting up and asking if it was time for us to depart. Well look who was more impatient to climb the Alagalla?

Finally I got fed up with Hari’s pleading and decided to go on. So we left before 1.30pm and headed lazily up the estate road. About 150m you’ll come to a T junction and take the left uphill road which goes passing a house and then take the right hand side estate road parallel to the tea patch. The sun was relentless and so were we. Sweating and huffing, we managed to tackle the road and then entered the tea estate to cut the distance and finally reached the end of the tea patch where the real path through the forest begins. By then, we’d walked more than 1km from the water tank and here are some pictures for you to admire.

On the path

Beautiful, aren’t they?

Tea estate and we walked through it

Busy at work despite the blazing sun

Hari leading the way

Where we came from

Little leaves

Where the tea pluckers take a break

We’d come a good way up

I walked across this area

We were very much knackered by the time we entered the forest patch and it was very steep at places making it even more difficult. We took continuous breaks, of course we could afford to do so as there was ample time and in about an hour, we arrived at the opening where the path through the Mana starts. However, what I saw sent a very big disappointment down my heart. I was expecting to see the rocky among the lush green Mana bushes. Instead the whole area had been burnt by some careless youths a couple of days before according to the caretakers at Poojagala; we got to know the following day.

It was all burnt and skeletons of charred plants made it look like a graveyard. The earth had been scorched and the winds brought out the dust from the plant-less ground. It was like a brown cookie but not my favorite though. I’d take the lush green Mana, even though they’re prickly, any day over something like this. We couldn’t still see the rocky outcrop or the central Potato as there was about 300-400m climb to an intermediate point.

I was very reluctant to get going coz the sun was so fierce but Hari took off and I hung by the jumbo’s tail. On the way he kept signing “Nawathee Siteemen Kandu Iwara Nowe – Nageemenma Pamanak Kandu Iwarawe”. In English, it should say something like “You won’t climb mountains by waiting, but by climbing only”. Well I know you just realized that I’d modified that saying and made the name of the trip. Oh did I tell you that Hari’s found a new law? Well it’s got nothing to do with law and order or the legal system in SL but an unwritten science law. It’s called “Hari’s Friction of Butt Law”. He’s the inventor of using the butt to slide down slopes testing its friction to the maximum. I know you won’t find that theory in your science books and he’s not categorized among the elites such as Newton and Einstein. However that law will help you in many difficult places when you find it difficult to get down on your legs. You may contact him for lessons on this if you wanna master this technique.

We went gradually up along the dusty footpath which was slippery too. The view became more panoramic the higher we went. However the ferocious sunrays made it extremely difficult to compose quality pictures, at least to our simple point and shoots. If it was a DSLR, things might have been different. We aimed at the first vantage point and slowly made our way up. About half hour later, we went through a sort of a rocky trap door (remember the tiny openings you might have seen in Dambadeniya and Maligathenna) and boom; there was the chubby Potato rock in the distance very much similar to Hari.

We met this huge one just entering the forest patch

Not edible for us

Came out of the forest area and it was the burnt Mana path

Can you see how scorched the area is?

Towards Poththapitiya and beyond

The tea factory zoomed

Hatharaliyadda and beyond, you can probably see the Knuckles Range too

It was dusty and flaky, the path

Hari waiting for me

Just before we tackled the narrow bit through the rocks

The haze making it extremely difficult to see

Ok, in goes camera to the pocket to go through here

Now that the end was in sight, we stepped up our journey. The slope was much less now and in no time we were at the base of the rock pondering what to do next. It had gone 3.30pm which meant we’d taken little over 2hrs to reach this point. We took a long break and had some water with Jeewani. Finally we decided to climb the rock before it’s too late and then find a suitable camping site. We didn’t wanna climb through the tiny opening in the middle of the potato-shaped center rock so decided to leave the backpacks and go on. We heard a rumbling sound below and I just managed to get a look at a Kandy-bound train disappearing to the forest area towards Balana. As we were about to venture onto the rocky slope, there was a group of females coming along the path below which is coming from Gangoda I guess. The time had gone 3.30pm so they might have started their climb from Gangoda in the morning and had walked across the range. Some pictures before we get ready.

Oh, here we are

Unending sceneries

A temple

And the factory again

Hari watching the potato

The odd shaped potato

Looking grand

Portrait

Hard to get up

Towards the Kandy Road

Disappearing towards Balana

The ladies’ group I told you about

“Yando Noyando Kiyala Sithuni Mata”

Ok, we’re going to do it after all

Here we come

There were two parts to this hike. One was relatively easy as it was about 50ft climb along a rocky slope which is not so difficult. However it’d be a completely different ball game on a wet and rainy day. So you gotta be very careful and make sure that you always maintain a 3-point contact with the rocky surface. Hari went ahead and with no issue reached the end of point 1 where the real challenge begins. I crawled at snail’s pace and arrived at the point to find he’s already making progress to the top through the tiny opening of the rock. This is really tricky and should be avoided if it is slippery or if you’re not sure. Don’t attempt it in two minds as the results will be catastrophic.

It’d certainly help to have a rope as it’ll help you pull yourself up but if Hariya and I could do it, well you can too. Despite Hari’s size, he maneuvered up like an Olympic gymnast and I was struggling a lot. When I got to the first ledge where there was a nice place to sit and take a breath there was another train coming towards Ihala Kotte. From this vantage point which is covered all around except the front by the hollow rock, I could see the railway line below and Ihala Kotte station as well. So I sat comfortably and photographed here.

Hari reached the rocky bit

Looking back

The whole Mana area is browned out

Nothing much pleasing to the eye

Hari reached the rocky bit

Looking back

The whole Mana area is browned out

Nothing much pleasing to the eye

I crawled on

And reached the spot and looked up

Felt like going back

Then she appeared

Zoomed in

Closer

Quite long

Ihala Kotte (IK) Station

Closer look

Long railway strip visible from there

Some smoke going up

Wondering my next move

Then I put the camera aside coz safety is paramount and followed Hari to the top. I felt like an iguana trapped inside a rocky tunnel and when I poked my head out of it, it felt like heaven. In no time we were on the top of Alagalla with a rudimentary flag pole made from a tree trunk and the flag from a saree and a cloth. We both were ecstatic and I’m sure you too will be. I actually danced around breathing the fresh mountain air. Even though sun was still in full force, the breeze kept us safe and the clouds towards the west signaled that we’d not get a gorgeous sunset today. Of course there were many pictures taken and after about 20 mins, we decided to walk to the other end.

The length of the potato rock is about 75-100m and there is plenty of Mana growing in the middle. The top would be the best camping ground but only if the things are right such as slow or no wind, you have the means to carry the backpacks safely to the top, have enough water, etc. Remember, we left our backpacks so there’d be no camping on the summit for us but I wasn’t worried coz it’d have been rather difficult in terms of movement and we were going to find a place on the path towards the Poojagala.

We could see many areas from the top, Ihala Kotte, Hatharaliyadda, Gangoda and many others. Ura Kanda, Bathalegala and Saradiyel Gala could be seen despite the haze. There were many other mountains but we were not so geographically sound like Ashan, Niroshan and other fellow hikers so we just enjoyed the beauty of them. Walking across to the other side we could see the rest of the Alagalla Range all the way towards Poojagala. However the newly erected Pagoda was not visible as it’s at the extreme end and relatively lower in place.

Unlike the path we came through burnt out Mana, this side was a lot better as it had a mini forest all the way and we decided to explore it after getting down. However we saw the iron rod embedded in the rock with a rope which had been used to slide down to the other side. However we didn’t wanna be too adventurous and the rope was definitely gonna take a jumbo’s weight. So we admired the view and got around to get back to the base of the potato and go look for a suitable camping ground. As we were leaving, Colombo bound Podi Menike reached Ihala Kotte and I didn’t forget to picture her either. It was more like seeing trains from Great Western but with a very limited field of view. Until we get down this dangerous rocky hole, you enjoy these pics.

Still not convinced

Got here

Vertical view

Another

Got out of the cave like place

Range stretching towards Poojagala

Poththapitiya

Yeah, got up despite shaky legs

Somebody’s used a Saree and some cloth to make the flag

Looking down at the base of the potato

Some greenery

Looking into the infinity

Must’ve taken a helluva effort to fix it

We’ve gotta walk towards there

There’s the rest of the range greener than this side

Closer look

Looking back at where we came from

See the iron rod buried in the rock to get down. We decided not to be too adventurous though

Swaying in the wind

Then came Podi Menike to IK

Idling

Time to get down

Getting down was no easy feat and my legs kept playing all known musical equipment but finally with the help of Hari and his newly found theory, we managed to reach the safety zone and found the backpacks waiting patiently. The sun was on his way down so we took the path which is to your left when you’re facing the rock in front of you while coming from Poththapitiya side. It goes slightly down and runs parallel to the potato rock. After a little while we reach a small opening but Hari wasn’t in favor of it so we went further on that path looking for a better place.

So we entered the jungle path that leads towards Poojagala and in no time Hari declared that he’d found a better place. So we decided to camp there for the night and leaving our belongings, we further went about 1km on the path which is nice and shady. Our initial plan was to get down back to Poththapitiya and then walk to Ihala Kotte via Dekinda Ella. However we simply didn’t wanna miss an opportunity to walk along this path in the morning. So we changed our plans then and there and walked back to the chosen place to put up our tent and get ready for the night.

We pitched the tent and boiled some water for a cup of coffee. Remember there’s no water source anywhere near so we had to be very careful of our quantity. There was a packet of chocolate fingers which we munched while sipping scalding coffee. As predicted the sunset was ruined by the thick layer of clouds so we didn’t go for a photo shoot. In fact we were about 300m from the point you get up to the potato rock. I didn’t wanna go any further even though the whole path is full of nice camping sites coz I was planning to get back to the opening in the morning for the sunrise. From where we were, there was a nice little forest patch and the other side was the solid rocky surface of the potato rock.

After the coffee break, we sat down and had a little chat by the campfire. For dinner we made instant noodles with canned meatballs. By 8.30pm, we were safely tucked inside our tent and I fell asleep while listening to Hari’s many stories. Well, we’ll see you in the morning with the sunrise. Till then, good night and sleep tight! Oh don’t forget these pictures.

The same claustrophobic point

Hari going down

And using the friction of the butt

Gosh, we were there

The legs stopped playing violin

Last bit

We walked on towards the other side

Zoomed in the top

The shady path and where we camped

And took a short walk

Found him

It was a really nice walk coz of the shade it offered

Pitched our tent

Got the fire going

Nescafe with chocolate fingers

Blazing beautifully

Noodles with chicken meat balls

He came to say goodnight

Day 02

Good morning! Hope you all slept well and we too had a good night’s sleep. However Hari had kept waking up worried we’d be attacked by wild animals while I slept soundly. It’s now 5.30am and we got out and hurried onto the front of the potato rock. It was cold but not unbearable and the early rays of the sun were on his way coloring the sky. We got there in about 10 mins and got ready for the spectacular views the sun had to offer. Morning is my favorite time of the day closely followed by the evening. Sunrise and sunset are my favorite things too apart from waterfalls.

You know the sun’s arrival patterns by now, don’t you? He’s such a drama king and keeps us waiting till the last possible moment and then out of nowhere jumps into the sky without giving enough time to photograph him. This time was no different but I managed to press the shutter at a few lucky intervals. I’ll just let you enjoy the pictures without delaying further.

Good morning!

Nice color reflection on the clouds

Bright orange

Can you see a tiny gem coming up the mountain range?

There he is

Hiding again behind the layer of clouds

Zoomed out

Behind the clouds

Now coming over

Just look at this

We were simply fascinated by the view thanks to the zooming

Wide angle

Huge, ain’t he?

Couldn’t get enough of

Touch of mist in the air

Oh, just look at her

Mana gleaming in the sunrise

Had to take this

The summit with the flag

Let’s go get some breakfast

After about an hour, we were fully thrilled by the morning show. The burnt out Mana looked not so bad after all in the morning coppery rays. So my disappointment was sort of evaporated but not completely. We returned to the campsite, packed our stuff and got ready to have an early breakfast of sliced bread and Tuna paste. It tasted yummy and we soon cleaned our campsite, oh I’ve a lot to say about the cleanliness of the path towards Gangoda coz our people (I’m ashamed to call them our people actually) have run riot with polythene and garbage there. The whole path was littered with thousands of polythene bags, plastic bottles, papers, etc.

All in all the total distance to the Poojagala from this end of Alagalla is around 1.5-2km if I’m not mistaken. Despite the garbage we really enjoyed the morning walk among this forest patch. I would like to plead from our nature lovers and environmental societies to do a project to clean this path. I’m sure it’d really be a worthwhile project and even Lakdasun can do something in the same lines like we did in Muthurajawela. It really is a pathetic sight to see how ignorant and careless people can be and how much they want to destroy our own environment instead of taking care of it. At this rate, we’ll be ended up with a mountain of polythene and plastic bottles and this country will lose its biodiversity in record time.

We made good ground and arrived at the Poojagala Temple in about one and half hours. Here are some pictures of our walk so far.

Walking towards the Poojagala

Looks like Godapara

Plenty of camping sites

Some had already been there

Through the Nelu plants

It really was a refreshing hike

Ups and downs

Colorful

Some more

Another grand place for camping

Closer look at it

Like threads

Bright colors

There’s our target

Poojagala is the extreme other side of Alagalla and is a huge rocky surface about 4000-5000 square meters. It looks like an ideal place to have a temple with almost 360-degree view and it was as if we were going back in time. Our kings used to build palaces and temples on high grounds like these all over the country and it seems the modern generations wanting to do the same probably due to the influence of past activities.

Unfortunately there had been some attempts by some groups to vandalize this place and dig up some treasures. However due to the vigilance of villagers and the construction of the temple has prevented them from blowing off this rock and destabilizing the whole range. Oh by the way, have you notice that the manic treasure hunting has sort of been reduced since lately? Or is it just that they are not being reported anymore? Or have they dug up most of the treasures already and there’s nothing much left? I was puzzled with all these questions while we were shown around the temple by one of the construction workers on site. The work is temporarily halted due to the lack of water coz the nearest stream was about 200ft below the temple and there was no way to pump it upwards to the site.

It was around 9am and after a brief tour around the still being built temple premises, we departed for Gangoda which loomed so far down. I believe the elevation gain from Gangoda to the top of Poojagala somewhat similar or even greater than what it was like at GW. I was wondering how on earth we were to get so far down but now that we were fully committed, there was no going back. While we gather our wits about, you take a look at these pictures.

Closing in

It really is an ideal place for a temple

Portrait

Paddy fields of Gangoda

Shelters of the workers

Huge rocky surface

Lot of work to be done

Replica of Lord Buddha’s footprint

Must’ve been real tough to bring it up here

Just imagine spending a day up here on a full moon Poya day

Interior of the Pagoda

Me with one of the two caretakers

Gosh, we have to get down to this area

The climb down was very challenging indeed. The heat and the steep rocky and dusty path seemed to make it extremely difficult. After a great difficulty we reached the water collection point and there was a tiny but constant flow of water being collected by the path to a large container. There were some gallons hanging from a tree for those who climb up to take with them to be used at the temple. It’d really be a difficult task but I guess the villagers do their best to help with little things like these.

Photographing was completely halted due to the fact that we had to focus 100% on the downhill path but we managed to capture Udarata Menike going to Badulla. I’ll just let you enjoy the precious few pictures we took as there’s no point in making you suffer with our troubles. However, again another word of caution, please plan your journey carefully especially if you’re using the path from Gangoda.

Very steep and slippery

Even this side is too browned out

The Moisture has been dried up

Downhill we went

Reached the precious water collecting point. See the notice asking to carry water cans uphill to the temple

Fallen from a tree

Still a long way to go

There comes Udarata Menike

Goes towards IK

Time to go

We got down to the end of the steep path around 11am feeling exhausted and sweating like pigs. From there it was a walk along the road to the Gangoda Station. We came to the station around 11.30am, just in time for the 11.40am Matale bound train. Our plan was to go to Ihala Kotte in it and then visit the Dekinda Ella. However our plan had to be adjusted due to the inevitable delays of the SL Railways. So we scrapped the plan to visit Dekinda Ella and even then the water levels must’ve been abysmal due to the heavy drought in the area. Here are some pictures in and around Gangoda Station.

Hari taking selfies

Towards Aranayake and Mawanella

So steep and was very surprised how they managed to build them

A real challenge

Gosh, worst part is finally about to end

Hari admiring the view

There’d been a ceremony during the Poya Day

Please stick to this

Ok, final glance and on our way

Curious to see a jumbo in this area

Notice and please read

Hope you can see the bird in the picture

Oh my gosh, can’t even believe we were there

Sheer height

Trying to blend with the rusty colors

Near the station

The station master was a friendly person and we had a little chat with him while we waited. Our plan was to take Udarata Menike from Kadugannawa after Dekinda Ella but now the train times have been shot to hell, we decided to go to Rambukkana in a tuk-tuk and then take a train to Colombo from there. We found a tuk-tuk and reached Rambukkana around 1pm and had a sumptuous meal at a hotel. Afterwards, we came to the station and found a Colombo-bound slow train which stopped at every single station and hopped in just in time as Udarata Menike was more than 40 mins late.

Here we are

Can see a small tunnel like in the distance

Closer look

Badulla bound train

Good old German lady

Went without stopping

Nice, ain’t it?

Isolated

Pond in front of the station

Yet to bloom

View of Poojagala over the station

We walked on

Rail track from the top

Other side

Another look at Poojagala

 

Rambukkana Station

Going to the station

View from the bridge

Other side before we got in

Around 4.30pm, we reached fort and went to our separate ways to our homes. Oh guess what, despite Udarata Menike’s delay, she’d made very good ground between Rambukkana and Fort and eventually had cut down her delay to just 15 mins.

Well, that’s the adventure of Alagalla by Hari and me. I hope you enjoyed the journey and finally I managed to fulfil my dream of camping at Alagalla and added her to my done-list. However, the to-do-list is growing at a faster rate than the done-list so it looks like I’ll never catch up with them in this life time.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing our experience. I’ll see you again with yet another fairy-tale. Until then this is Sri saying Au Revoir!