• Forgotten Heritage
  Dutugamunu’s love trysts
  Many are the places in this mountain country that bears witness to the exploits of warrior prince Dutugemunu, his hideout and his romantic involvement with two beautiful sisters, Kalu Menike and Ran Menike.

  Navangama was the traditional village of blacksmiths in the Kotmale valley, where prince Dutugemunu in disguise sought asylum to prepare for his war against Elara of Anuradhapura. Here he had turned out armanents and agricultural implements. Navagama is no more, being submerged by the waters of the Kotmale reservoir.

by Gamini G. Punchihewa
The Mahaweli ganga rising in the Central Hills on its way picks up tributaries from nearly a score of other rivers, the largest being the Kotmale Oya. The other separate tributaries that form Kotmale Oya are Nanu Oya, Dambagas-talawa Oya, and Ramboda Oya. The Kotmale river flows into Mahaweli ganga near Goraka Oya.

The Kotmale project was inaugurated on February 4, 1979.

The Kotmale Project financed by Sweden (Swedish Kroner 630 million) was inaugurated on February 4, 1979. Altogether Sweden had donated Rs. 9000 million.

The palatial residence and club of the Swede personnel of the project is now an enchanting tourist hotel set against the picturesque mountain frontiers of Gampola and Nuwara Eliya.

Dam site
The Dam site is located at Kadadora about 4.1 miles upstream of the confluence of the Kotmale Oya with the Mahaweli ganga. The water impounded by the Kotmale reservoir is carried through a tunnel about 7.2 km long(4.5 miles) from the dam to an underground power station (in the Atabage valley) with a 134 MW hydro power generating capacity.

Part of the area of Kotmale submerged by the waters of the Kotmale Reservoir and the displaced villagers are resettled in Mahaweli system like C. & B while some are habilitated in the tea gardens around Kotmale.

History
Many are the places in this mountain country that bears witness to the exploits of warrior prince Dutugemunu, his hideout and his romantic involvement with two beautiful sisters, Kalu Menike and Ran Menike.

Navangama was the traditional village of blacksmiths in the Kotmale valley, where prince Dutugemunu in disguise sought asylum to prepare for his war against Elara of Anuradhapura. Here he had turned out armanents and agricultural implements. Navagama is no more, being submerged by the waters of the Kotmale reservoir.

Kotagepitiya (off Maswela on the road to Pusselawa-Nuwara Eliya) is a pastoral village dotted with rice fields and kitul palms reached after climbing steep flight of stone steps.

During my ramblings while working at the Mahaweli Centre, Colombo, around Kotmale in 1990, I met a grand old man - (then over 80 years old) named Weerasuriyage Appuhamy.

He had a good knowledge of the legendary episodes connected with Dutu-gemunu's romance with two sisters - Ran Menike and Kalu Menike and other folk tales about Dutugemunu's hideouts in Kotmale and Kotagepitiya.

On the summit of Kotagepitiya is an antiquated Ambalama coming down from the Kandyan period - an ideal resting place for the villagers who climb the steps to rest.

Gemunu's haunts
Kotagepitiya was the happy haunts of Prince Dutugemunu, where he once in disguise tended cattle atop a hill called Moneragala. He had worked paddy fields there. It is said in folk-lore around Kotmale that he worked as an endera (a sort of cow boy).

The rock out crop where he had rested after a work is still pointed out by the village folk and is called Yahangala.

Weerasuriyage Appuhamy told me that twice a week he climbed this hillock of Kotagepitiya to go to Maswela, the closest town and that kept him physically fit free of heart ailments and high blood pressure as declared by his physician as well.

Gemunu's vow fulfilled
Down Masala on the road to Pussellawa - Nuwara Eliya is a temple called Yathurugehuliadda Raja Maha Viharaya.

One legend has it that when Dutugemunu was looking after the cattle atop Moneragala, he resolved thus:

When I unite Lanka, I will throw this kulla a contraption made of wewel cane to separate paddy from other particles) and where it falls, I shall build a vihara".

The other version of this interesting legend is that yathura means Kamatha where the paddy is threshed. All rice fields overlooking this temple are called Rajatalawa. Hence the more accurate version of this folk-story is
that of the Yathuragehuliadda the place where the paddy was threshed.

Rajamaha Vihara harbours rockcaves where reclining and standing Buddha statues are sheltered. The mural paintings there are fascinating dating back to the Kandyan period. Even the doors of wood are heavy with brass handles. The entrance of the doorway is surmounted by carving of an imposing Makara thorana overhead.