Horton Plains has been
recognised as one of the best nature reserves in the world. A World Heritage Site, the Horton Plains National Park is situated on the southern edge of the central
highlands midway between
Nuwara Eliya and Haputale. This
picturesque location is Sri Lanka's highest plateau where the land rises up to 2500 metres above sea level.
Horton Plains, named after the British Governor, Sir Robert
Horton (1831 – 37) is home to a
wide variety of flora numbering
57 species of which 29 are endemic to Sri Lanka. So it is with the fauna with 24 species of mammals and 87 species of birds including many migratory birds.
A set of four stamps was released on September 7, 2010 featuring four rare species as a continuation of the series depicting National Parks of Sri Lanka.
The bird featured in the Rs. 5 stamp is the Arangaya – Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush (Myophomus blight) identified as one of the endangered species. Identified as a scarce and shy bird, it can be seen in wet highland and thick jungles, mostly where water is abundant.
In size it is between the bulbul and the mynah. The male is
distinguished by its black beak and legs while the female is brown, paler on the underparts. Both sexes have a blue patch on the lesser wing coverts.
An omnivorous bird, it feeds on small insects, small frogs and worms. Its sound can be heard at dawn in the form of a melodious song.
During the breeding
season (January – May) it's
mostly the male birds that make sounds. The nest is a large mass of green moss mixed with twigs and dead leaves. It is generally placed on a ledge or in a crevice of a rock beside a torrent or a waterfall. The one or two eggs laid by the female at any one time are very pale greenish.
The majestic Sambur (Cervus unicolour) – Rs. 15 stamp – can be spotted at dusk. The dark brown big belly animal is around
102cm – 160cm in height. A full bodied sambur is around 300kg in weight. It is seen both as a lone animal as well as in groups. Its diet comprises rough leaves, grass, tender leaves, fruits and plants. They mate around November and December and the pregnancy lasts six months. The female delivers one baby sambur at any one time.
The Rs. 25 stamp features the
'Ang katussa' – Rhinohon lizard – an endemic species in Horton Plains.
It can generally be seen in the evenings roaming around the branches of trees.It can either expand or contract its body. There are uneven scales on the body. It has got its name 'ang katussa' because of the small horn just above the mouth.
The 'Kalu vandura' – purple faced leaf monkey – (Trachypithesus
vetulus) is yet another vanishing species. It can be seen in the
mornings jumping from one tall tree (around 50 – 60 feet in height) to another making a queer noise. The animal with a blackish face (though called purple faced) tends to peep through branches. Often they are seen in batches of three to eight. They feed on tender leaves, fruits and a variety of seeds.
At one time there were only foot trails to reach Horton Plains but today there are at least three roads to make the steep winding ascent. The best route is via Ohiya with the road rising from Ohiya railway
station.
Many go to Horton Plains to see World's End, considered the
finest view in all of Sri Lanka. It is a five kilometre walk from where the motorable road ends. The steep slope drops vertically for about 1,000 feet (328 metres) and falls away almost as steeply for another 4,000 feet (1,312m). The view is fabulous in the early morning when a crescent of silver – the Indian Ocean – rims the horizon 50 miles (81km) to the south. A heat haze may obscure the view later in the day. During the southwest
monsoon, the only view is boiling, vaporous clouds in all directions. |
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