Dates: - 20th and 21st December 2014
Crew: - Family
Transport: - car
Katharagama and Tissa are two places that we customary visit. We try to
stay in different locations in close proximity in each stay. Last time, we
stayed in “Kodigahawewa Forest Resort” in Julle Pallamalma in April this year and
this time it was “Taprospa –Tissa”. My previous blog: - http://simple-travels.blogspot.com/2014/06/katharagama-pilgrimage-april-2014.html
was an article about our previous visit.
There are two routes; Rathnapura-Udawalawe Road and A2 from Matara Side.
First route is 40 km’s lesser than the second. There are about 230 to 240 km’s from
Ganemulla to Tissa and I took 6 hours with two stoppages for breakfast and
lunch.
This was our 3rd stay in this hotel but the first blog article about the
place. Before the booking, we went through travel webs about the hotel and saw
quite a few bad comments. Taprospa-Tissa is found facing the Tissa Lake and it
has a panoramic view of the Tissa Lake and its surround. Whatever the comments
about facilities and food, this place can’t be given away as its relaxing,
elegant and breathtaking atmosphere of “Tissa Wewa”.
Tissa wewa is a man-made lake and it is one of the large tanks in the
southern part of Sri Lanka. This wewa was built to provide water for irrigation
and Tissamaharama city in those days as well as today and it was restored
during the British era. Embankment is now used as the road goes to Katharagama.
Since wewa is close to birds’ sanctuary, a large crowd of aquatic birds can be
seen such as herons like egrets, bitterns and other wildlife as well. There is
an island in the wewa, which is called “Kok Duwa”, we had been there once before
by a boat (not this time) and observed large crowd of herons. But this “Duwa”
is not clearly visible from Taprospa-Hotel. Flocks of egrets were seen descending
onto trees in the boundary especially in the evening.
There are wetlands adjoined and around Thissa Wewa. I walked along a
gravel road that goes parallel to the wewa to interior villages of the eastern
part. After few hundres of meters that becomes a narrow foot path through a wetland.
I observed different kind of birds and wild creatures, but I was unfortunate to
capture those by my basic camera.
Couples of fishing boats were seen on the edge of the wewa and those
were parked nearby small houses. I’ve not seen anybody other than a small boy
and her mother and inquired them about fishing, her reply was that they do
fishing only in the morning and in the evening but not in the middle of the day.
This time it was different experience for me especially because of my
walk into the interior along the wewa through a wetland. I observed variety of flora
and fauna, enjoyed the environment and identified one of the places that
produce fried fish that are sold on the bund of the Tissa Wewa.
Not like in our previous visits to Tissa and Katharagama, this time dry
zone got heavy rains and all of these reservoirs were fully loaded with water. Wind
was also not so hard like last stays in Tissa Wewa. There were more greenery,
which pleased our eyes and surrounding was fresh and cool due to cloudy climate.
Netha, Dula and Ranu were all enjoyed and did all rituals as usual at the
Katharagama, Sella-Katharagama and redeemed our vows given at Thissa Bodiya
about our Dulithi’s School in Thissamaharama Vihara.
Visit:- Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/97932574@N06/sets/72157650286851250/ for more pics.
