| Plus |
|
|||
|
A brief sojourn in the jungle Tamankaduwa
District, once the Granary of the East had been laid waste by the
invaders and the whole area had been jungle for centuries until
D.S. Senanayake commenced his colonization schemes in Hingurakgoda
and Polonnaruwa in the early forties. The area became a hive of
activity since all ranks of officers and manual workers invaded
the region to convert the jungle into paddy fields. Packing
light In reality,
a planned jungle trek is not quite so difficult as one might imagine.
I know of people who believed that a sojourn in the jungle is as
expensive as a holiday upcountry but it costs a surprisingly small
amount of money. As far as clothes are concerned, two pairs of khaki
shorts, two khaki shirts, a sarong and a towel are the bare necessities.
Provisions to last a couple of days should include rice, flour,
sugar, a few tins of canned fruit, tea, coffee and eggs. A couple
of cooking vessels are a must. The jungle
is invariably infested with ticks. They are no bigger than a grain
of sand but their sting is not second to a prick with a red-hot
needle. Therefore sleeping on the ground is not advisable. If you
can carry a folding camp cot and a mosquito net, you are sure to
be comfortable. Carry a tarpaulin to serve as a tent. There are
very light, cheap folding beds available in the market. We carried
with us hammocks provided with mosquito nets procured from the army
disposal stores in Pettah. Our party consisted of five people, including
a lady who gave the homely touch to the tasty meals we enjoyed in
the jungle. Back to
basics The Batticaloa
night mail reached Manampitiya by early dawn. At Manampitiya, a
double bullock cart with its characteristic wooden axles was engaged
to carry our baggage to Gonandamana. No vehicle in this age of speed
could traverse the jungle tracks in the Dry Zone except a bullock
cart. We passed Manampitiya
village and entered the jungle tract leading to Gonandamana. The
first village we came to was Horiwila reminiscent of Jaffna with
the usual cadjan fences round the houses showing only the rooftops.
The rocky mountain Dimbulagala with its crystal clear pools at the
top and caves with ruined ancient frescoes was a mile from Horiwila.
This mountain had been the monastery of the Chief Sanga Nayaka of
Polonnaruwa Maha Kasyapa Thero during the reign of Parakrambahu
the Great (1236-1271 A.D.). It had gone to ruin and the whole mountain
was covered with thick jungle. The only remains were a few stumps
of broken granite pillars to remind us of its glorious past. The
caves were occupied by bear and leopard. The road lay
by the foot of this mountain leading to the next Veddah village,
Dalukana. The people of this village no longer lived by hunting
wild animals in the jungle and going from place to place, but led
a settled life working chenas and tending cattle. The village consisted
of a few rickety houses. The names of these villagers disclosed
a mixture of races like Appuhamilage Kandiah who did not know how
he came by this name. The guide We engaged
a tracker from this village who was very familiar with the jungle
tracks and the many species of fauna. Everyone in the village knew
the jungle in his area but Marthelis was a professor of jungle craft.
He was a born tracker. This sort of man takes you through the wilderness
and back to your tent safely. He is always alert, reading every
single hoof mark and sign correctly and knowing the answers to your
hundred-and one-questions. They never let you down in any danger. Having collected
Marthelis, we proceeded on our journey. You could not see a cloud
in the sky. The noonday heat was unbearable but the friendly trees
stood invitingly cool at the fringe of the forest. By and by, the
lofty mountain of Dimbulagala disappeared in the forest vegetation.
We ate our lunch packets under the shade of a gigantic tree and
drank the water we carried in bottles. After a small
rest, the buffaloes that pulled the carts suddenly stopped in their
tracks breathing fast and puffing out with their nostrils, kicking
their feet in apparent fear and excitement for they had scented
the presence of a lurking leopard in the vicinity. A little while
later, we started the journey once again. The sun was setting and
the shadows lengthening when we finally reached the outskirts of
Gonandamana, a lonely spot where one can enjoy a restful holiday.
Here we pitched camp by the bank of a clear stream with rock pools
and icy water cooled by the dense overhanging large Kumbuk trees. New neighbours The rest of
the day was spent in preparing the camp and cooking the night meal.
After a heavy dinner, the only substantial meal for the day, each
one of us retired to his/her hammock or camp cot. It was a fascinating
experience of living at close quarters with the wild animals in
their habitat. The following
day started with the loud catcalls of the peafowl, the earliest
herald of dawn. From every side we heard the ‘Joy joice’
of the jungle fowl. After a heavy breakfast, we started the morning
outing to see wildlife in their natural setting. However each one
carried a gun or rifle in case of need. Leaving the
forest cover behind, we entered Gonandamana proper consisting of
acre upon acre of open grassland interspersed with belts of green
vegetation. These grasslands would have been luscious paddy fields
during the time of the Sinhalese Kings. We first encountered the
most stately of many kinds of Sri Lankan deer. We saw a herd of
spotted deer, over 50 in number, running for their lives with the
young fawns at their heels. In a moment the jungle was silent but
the tracker studied the wind. He took a piece of thread from his
span cloth, held it in the air with his thumb and forefinger to
discern which way the thread swerved and the wind blew. Then he
took us under cover almost within a stone's throw of these graceful
animals. Marthelis was
not the common type of tracker who would egg you to shoot deer out
of season in order to take a carcass or two home to feast on or
sell. The wind suddenly changed and the leader of the herd with
pointed ears and twitching nostrils smelt danger. As the warning
was sounded, they were off again in a flash. For a while there was
the crackling of the undergrowth and then silence. We met herds
of wild buffaloes, some of them with calves, standing heads erect,
with wondering faces, hesitating whether to fight or fly. Each parkland
was separated from the other by a thin fringe of forest. When we
were crossing from one parkland to another we heard the resounding
sound of sambhur. It was a pair. They ran on seeing us but stopped
to turn back, look and run again to safety. The wild boar
that feeds in large numbers are seldom met during day. But at a
distance of about 100 yards we saw them trotting along, unconcerned
and in single file, one after another, probably leaving one mud
hole for another. The rambles of the elephants were revealed in
the broken up branches and the huge heaps of dung left behind. Marthelis
thrust his foot into these droppings and was able to tell by its
warmth how far ahead the animals were likely to be. Although we
were ready for a confrontation we knew that in this type of forest
country with plenty of open space the elephant would always avoid
man rather than face him. The heat of
the day sent us back to camp. We had a splash in the stream with
its cool water before enjoying a meal in the shade. The noon lunch
over, each one reclined in his hammock or camp cot for a siesta.
Marthelis though not much of a talker related encounters with elephant,
bear, leopard and wild buffalo. We set out
on another jaunt in the cool refreshing breezes of the evening and
returned to camp after the sun disappeared behind the trees. The
jungle was more lively by night when the animals came out to feed.
Most of the jungle animals are up by night. However bird life is
silent in the night except for the owl and the nightjar. The ‘kwak
kwak kooroo’ or the song of the nightjar was heard throughout
the night. But our desire to hear the Devil Bird, which haunted
this part of the country, was not satisfied. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
