Knuckles

 Knuckles

name 'Knuckles' is given to this Dumbara mountain range because of a mountain that looks like a folded hand when viewed from the side of the city, which is a part of the Dumbara mountain range. But the Sinhalese people called this mountain range as Dumbara mountain range since then. There was a reason for that because the high peaks of this mountain range are almost always covered in fog.

 Because of that, some areas around here are called Dumbara.

 For example :- Uda Dumbara, Patha Dumbara

 So the name Dumbara fits this mountain range exactly.  Because there is no problem with rain at any time of the year.  Also, most of the day is covered with fog.

 So, I feel that the beauty of this Dumbara mountain range is not found in any other mountain range (in our country).  There is actually a reason for that.  This mountain range suddenly appears and rises as high as the sky.  For example, Mount Gombania is more than 1900 meters above sea level.  Or it is about 2 kilometers high. So these peaks approach this height from a very short distance.  Because of the matter you mentioned, these mountains can be called giants even in the mountains of our country.  So because of this matter, this mountain range has a very unique beauty.

 So there is another high peak called Riverston at the end of North Matale in this Dumbara mountain range.  The specialty is that there are communication towers on the top of this hill.  And through this you can go to Laggala through Matale - Ratthota - Ilukkumbura even for a big vehicle.  But now the road is a little dilapidated.

 So, for that reason, this Riverston road is very popular among everyone in Sri Lanka. So, there are many places to visit on this Riverston road.  You can go to Pitawala Pathana, Pathane Falls, Little World End, Manigala and Walpolamulla village which is known as the smallest village in Sri Lanka and South Asia.

So I told you about this road and Riverston.  So now I will tell you about the Sir John bungalow that I am going to tell you today.

 So you know that after the whites came to Sri Lanka, they occupied the hilly areas of Sri Lanka and created large plantations.  So in this riverston area also, large plantations were created and tea and coffee were cultivated.  So tea was actually cultivated after coffee failed because of a fungus.

 So, the Gona Mada estate that we are talking about was a huge estate of more than a thousand acres where whites coffee was cultivated at that time.  Don't forget to ask why this garden is called Gona Mada garden if you go there.

 This garden starts from the bottom of the mountain and spreads to the top.  Also, you know that usually the bungalow in the garden is built in the most beautiful part of the garden.  So the Gona Mada bungalows in this Gona Mada garden have also been designed in the most beautiful part of this garden.

 This bungalow is a little above 1000 meters above sea level.  Due to the climatic condition of this area, even these bungalows are often covered by fog.  But there are only so many days where you can see the blue sky and the mountains covered with fog.  So, on a clear day, you can even see Sigiriya and Toppigala from this bungalow part of the garden. Also, this bungalow is popular among everyone for bird watching.

Also, Mr. Nadira Weerasinghe (manager) of this sir john bungalow has good knowledge about animals.  So you can go see those animals with him.

 So why is it called sir john bungalow?  The reason for that is another story, when whites left Sri Lanka, this bungalow was donated to a church in Jaffna.  So, Sir John Kotalawala has used this bungalow to take his vacations during the time of that government. For that reason, today this bungalow is called Sir John Bungalow.  Actually, there is no such garden to call Gona Mada Garden now, it has been assigned to Knuckles Forest.

 So this is a wonderful place to have a meal in a very rustic village style with a very beautiful experience in the mist of the cold.  And one thing that needs to be said is the dinner itself.  Because the dinner in this bungalow is served very beautifully by lighting candles. So the wonderful feeling of having a meal with your loved ones in the cold and misty weather with candles burning hot.