Thudugala Ella waterfall

The Thudugala Ella
The Thudugala Ella
Location	Dodangoda, Sri Lanka
Type	Cascade
Total height	8 m (26 ft)

Last updated March 07, 2019

The Thudugala Ella (Sinhala: තුඩුගල ඇල්ල) waterfall is located in Thudugala village in Dodangoda Divisional Secretariat in Kalutara District of Western Province, Sri Lanka. Out of around 382 recorded waterfalls in Sri Lanka, the rank of this is 268th.^[1]

A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.

Dodangoda Divisional Secretariat is a Divisional Secretariat of Kalutara District, of Western Province, Sri Lanka.

Kalutara District is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the town of Kalutara.

Attraction

The fall, which has become a famous bathing place,^[2] is situated in an estate once owned by a British and his wrecked country house can still be seen there. There is also a natural stream pool surrounded by “Ketala” plants and fern. In the nearby forest reserve, there are many beautiful migratory birds and local birds, e.g. “pale bellied flower pecker”, the smallest bird in the country.^[3]

The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state‍—‌the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

A stream pool, in hydrology, is a stretch of a river or stream in which the water depth is above average and the water velocity is below average.

Though shorter than other waterfalls in Sri Lanka such as the 263 metres (862.9 ft) high Bambarakanda Falls, the 8 metres (26.2 ft) high Thudugala Ella^[4] has been listed as one of the most popular waterfalls in the country by Lanka Council on Water Falls (CLWF).^[5]

Bambarakanda Falls is the tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka. With a height of 263 m (863 ft), it ranks as the 299th highest waterfall in the world. Situated in Kalupahana in the Badulla District, this waterfall is 5 km away from the A4 Highway. The waterfall was formed by Kuda Oya, which is a branch of the Walawe River. The Bambarakanda Falls can be found in a forest of pine trees.

Another fascination here is that a tunnel runs under the waterfall and comes out on top at one side of it.

Tunnel An underground passage made for traffic

A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through the surrounding soil/earth/rock and enclosed except for entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube construction techniques rather than traditional tunnel boring methods.

Route

The route to the waterfall starts from Katukurunda Junction off the Galle Road; 5 miles (8.0 km) from there on Matugama Road to Thudugala junction and from there 8 miles (12.9 km) to the waterfall.^[6]

Galle is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District.

Matugama is a semi urban town surrounded by mountains. It is an electorate of the Kalutara district, in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The town is located 64 km to the south of Colombo. Matugama is also spelled as Mathugama.

When travelling from Thudugala junction, you will come to another junction called "Ellagāwa (Near the waterfall) Junction" with a signboard of a rubber plantation so you can easily recognize it. From there, if you want to go to the waterfall and its natural bathing places, you will have to take the left road which runs over a small bridge nearby. The right road will lead you only to an artificial bathing place, which does not have a view of the natural beauty of the Thudugala Ella waterfall.

Signage is the design or use of signs and symbols to communicate a message to a specific group, usually for the purpose of marketing or a kind of advocacy. A signage also means signs collectively or being considered as a group. The term signage is documented to have been popularized in 1975 to 1980.

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds, plus water. Thailand and Indonesia are two of the leading rubber producers. Forms of polyisoprene that are used as natural rubbers are classified as elastomers.

A plantation is the large-scale estate meant for farming that specializes in cash crops. The crops that are grown include cotton, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar cane, sisal, oil seeds, oil palms, rubber trees, and fruits. Protectionist policies and natural comparative advantage have sometimes contributed to determining where plantations were located.

Direction to the waterfall
The signboard at the junction...
Roundabout in the middle of the junction ...
The left road to the waterfall...

Tourism

The site is slowly being developed as a tourist attraction.

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Horton Plains National Park is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of 2,100–2,300 metres (6,900–7,500 ft) is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region was designated a national park in 1988. It is also a popular tourist destination and is situated 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Ohiya, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the world famous Ohiya Gap/Dondra Watch and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Nuwara Eliya.

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References

↑ Samaraweera, Dodangoda (21 Oct 2009). "Help conserve Thudugala falls" (PDF). The Island. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
↑ "Waterfalls of Sri Lanka". Lakpura Travels. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
↑ "Tudugala Falls". Lanka Council On Waterfalls (LCWF), Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
↑ "Highest Waterfalls Index". Lanka Council for Waterfalls (LCWF). Retrieved 28 March 2012.
↑ "Waterfalls Index". Council on Lanka Waterfalls (CLWF). Retrieved 28 March 2012.
↑ Wickremaratne, Dharman. "Sri Lankan Waterfalls - Thudugala Ella" . Retrieved 28 March 2012.

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[1] Samaraweera, Dodangoda (21 Oct 2009). "Help conserve Thudugala falls" (PDF). The Island. Retrieved 5 April 2012.

[2] "Waterfalls of Sri Lanka". Lakpura Travels. Retrieved 28 March 2012.

[SriLankanWaterFalls-3] "Tudugala Falls". Lanka Council On Waterfalls (LCWF), Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 17 April 2012.

[SriLankanWaterFalls_index-4] "Highest Waterfalls Index". Lanka Council for Waterfalls (LCWF). Retrieved 28 March 2012.

[5] "Waterfalls Index". Council on Lanka Waterfalls (CLWF). Retrieved 28 March 2012.

[6] Wickremaratne, Dharman. "Sri Lankan Waterfalls - Thudugala Ella" . Retrieved 28 March 2012.