Demodara Railway Station
Demodara Railway Station, situated in Badulla District in Uva Province, a distance of 276 kilometres from Colombo along the railway track. The railway station consisting a weight bridge and a crane. The platform is 112 meters long.
Demodara Tunnel / Number 42 Tunnel
The length of the tunnel is 416 feet (127meters).
On the 21st of March in 1921, the first train had been reached to the Demodara Railway Station from Colombo fort.
Thereafter, the railway track was extended to the Badulla and the first train was stationed to the Badulla railway station on the 05th of February in 1924.
Why Demodara is Special?
A train comes from Colombo, first stationed in Demodara Railway Station. Then it started to go around the unnamed mountain which is located in front of the railway station and then going over from the tunnel built in under the railway station. The whole journey will be end in Badulla Railway Station.
The reasons to build the railway track around the mountain are,
In this area, the railway direction should turn nearly 90 degrees to the right for the way to the Badulla.
The other reason is, there was a huge slope, nearly 70 – 80 feet, to the direction of Badulla in the railway track near Demodara Railway station, and to reduce the slope, train had to go around the mountain.
The construction of Demodara tunnel and the method was invented by a great inventor in Sri Lanka who known as Eng. D.J.Wimalasurendra.
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09 Arch bridge
9 arch bridge also known as ‘Bridge in the Sky’ built by the British in 1921, situated in Badulla District in Uva province. This bridge connects two mountains in Colombo – Nanuoya - Badulla railway.
The bridge is located in between Ella and Demodara Railway stations closest to the Ella railway station. People going from Ella railway station to the 9 Arch Bridge by foot along the railway track.
Why people calling it as 09 arch bridge? Because it contains 09 bends aka arches in this simple beautiful architectural structure, which is made from stones with unknown mixture. The railway track is going on the bridge.
Why this is so important? Thousands of locals and foreigners came here to watch the beauty of the scenery and feel it.
There are so many ways to the destination. I guess the easiest and the most beautiful path mentioned in below.
Continue Ella – Passara road nearly 01 kilometer towards Passara, you will meet the starting point of the foot path, for the 9 arch bridge view point, on your left hand side. The walk takes approximately 15-20 minutes to the view point which is going through the jungle.
Hundreds of tourism villas, bungalows, hotels, motels and resorts available around the area.
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Coconut Tree Hill Mirissa
One of the most famous and unique destinations in down south Sri Lanka. Thousands of locals and foreign people come here to photographic the scenery combining with the red floor, Mirissa blue beach and Mirissa whales watching.
It has nearly 35 kilometers from Galle town towards Matara.
People who are visiting the place must be careful because the red floor is slippery around the area.
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Thalpe Beach
Thalpe beach, one of the most attractive places around in down south Sri Lanka which is very closest to the city of Galle.
Why is this so attractive? Thalpe beach area consisting with number of natural pools that people can enjoy their sea bath. The beach area is very calm and unpopulated which makes your mind relax.
It has nearly 10 kilometers from the city of Galle towards Matara.
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Surfing Point Weligama
Weligama is the ideal place for the beginners who willing to be learnt surfing. Hundreds of locals and foreigners are arriving here to experience the sport. Beach and the sea waves are small and continuously occurs which is perfectly fitted for your beginner surfing career. Weligama bay is the famous area for the surfing.
Several surfing points and the trained staffs available in there to give better experience for the surfers.
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Dutch Fort Katuwana | Hambantota
Dutch fort is located in the heart of the town in Katuwana in Hambantota District. In 1645, the Dutch East India Company, popularly known as VOC built the fort. This was the most heavily guarded countryside fort in Dutch history. They primarily considered two factors in order to construct it in this location.
· To protect the land between the southern sea area and the reign of Kandy. Commercially beneficial site for their work. Surrounding area of the fort is usually higher. The Eastern flank of the fort has a flat area that belongs to the sea.
This fort is significant in terms of the land’s geography. The Dutch fort of Katuwana and its environs are depicted on this old map.
According to the topography, the fort’s surrounding site area is crucial for establishing a security centre. The Dutch were well aware of this. However, Sinhalese were aware of this before the Dutch.
According to the Mahavamsa, Katuwana was a gathering point for Sinhalese warriors. Queen Sugala’s castle was also established in this area during the reign of King Maha Parakramabahu (1153-1186). Queen Sugala was the one who gathered the troops to oppose the King. This historical and geographical importance may have led to the establishment of a fort in Katuwana.
Architecture
The fort is square in design, measuring 150 feet long and 150 feet wide. From the exterior, the fort’s boundary wall rises to a height of 20 feet, while the interior wall rises to a height of 8 to 12 feet.
The wall is made from stone with a mixture of lime. Johann Wolfgang, a German chemist, arrived in 1834 and launched an investigation of the fort. He determined that there were two bastions with a total of 12 cannons, which the maximum allowed.
There is only one entrance to the fort. Storehouse, official buildings, gun room, two story houses, complete surgery room for medical purposes, a well and a lift were there with a large compound.
The walls of the fort rise to a height of two floors. Stairs climb up to the ramparts from both the left and right sides of the entrance. The entire structure of the fort is set up in this way.
Attacks to the fort
Attacks by the Sinhalese army were the main reason for the destruction of the fort. The attacks took place on 6th, 7th and 8th of February in 1761. The entrance of the fort was totally destroyed and the buildings were also damaged. The attacks were carried out with cannons. After the attacks, the fort was degenerated day by day and was abandoned for more than 250 years. The detailed evidence given by the three persons, Dr. S.P. Joseph in 1933, Raimers E in 1925 and Kirielle Gnanavimala thero in 1966 were subjected to setup the history of the fort from the beginning to the end.
Since the decade of 1980, the Department of Archaeology in Sri Lanka has been in-charge of this property. This was then published as a monument by the department. The conservation work done by the department of archaeology and the government of the Netherlands in 2007 was the most comprehensive one in history. All unrelated buildings around the fort were demolished and the entrance was reconstructed in its original form. Conserved the ruins in the inner ground and placed an information center beside the entrance.
The concepts behind the erection of the Katuwana Fort.
· Strengthening and demarcation of the Dutch territory which was established along the coastal zone.
· Functioning as a regional purchasing center especially for citrus and cinnamon.
· The locational importance in defense activities as Katuwana is at the end of the low terrain from the coast and at the bottom of central hills.
Visitors can easily access the destination by exiting the Southern Expressway at the Beliatta interchange. The distance from the interchange to the Fort is around 25 kilometers and it takes nearly 40 minutes to get there. This is one of the attractive tourism destinations in the southern region of Sri Lanka.
Traveling to new places is a wonderful way to broaden your horizons. Thank you for sharing.
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