Udawatta Kele Preserve, is a historic forest reserve on a hill-ridge in the city
of Kandy. During the days of the Kandyan kingdom, Udawatta Kele was
known as "Uda Wasala Watta" in Sinhalese meaning, "the
garden situated above the royal palace". The sanctuary is famous for its
wide avifauna. The reserve also contains a great variety of plant species,
especially lianas, bushes and small trees. There are several giant lianas. Many
of small and medium size mammals that inhabit Sri Lanka can be seen here.
Several kinds of snakes and other reptiles might also be seen. Udawatta Kele
was designated as a forest reserve in 1856, and it became a sanctuary in
1938. The Sri Lanka Forest Department has two offices in the reserve, one
of which (i.e. the one located at the southeastern entrance) has a nature
education centre with a display of pictures, posters, stuffed animals, etc.
Being easily accessible and containing a great variety of flora and fauna the
forest has a great educational and recreational value. Groups of school
children and students regularly visit the forest and the education centre. The
forest is also popular with foreign tourists, especially bird watchers. The
forest is also of religious importance as there are three Buddhist meditation
hermitages and three rock shelter dwellings for Buddhist monk hermits.
No comments:
Post a Comment