Bomburu Ella.....Bomburuella waterfalls in Sri Lanka...

Ulpotha - Anuradhapura

Overview of Ulpotha

 

Ulpotha has been a pilgrimage site for thousands of years and remains an oasis of tranquility in the heart of Sri Lanka. It is a beautiful private hide-away open to guests for part of the year; a place of total peace, where you can experience the warm, generous and gentle hospitality which Sri Lankans love to offer.

Ulpotha is a traditional working village cradled on the one side by low mountains and a lotus ringed lake, and on the other by tiny emerald green paddy fields. Our focus, at present, is on the restoration of an ageless agricultural way of life including bio-diverse organic farming and reforestation of the land and its immediate surroundings.

Guests are welcome to Ulpotha and those who come will find a natural sanctuary of exceptional beauty where the main activity is simply relaxing in its remarkable atmosphere of peace and calm. However, for those more purposeful in nature, Ayurveda therapies and Yoga classes are available.

 Living in Ulpotha

As much as it is about anything, Ulpotha is about experiencing a relaxed and contented lifestyle.Its practise is based on the appreciation and need for leisure and pleasure, whether in work or in play, and the need for adequate rest if a life is to be well lived.Traditional lifestyles provided room for all the ingredients required for a balanced existence: a personal and immediate relationship to family, community, nature and the spiritual world; an attitude that reflected work as a lifestyle rather than as labour; a valued place for play; as well as ample time to rest.

Ayurveda in UlpothaUlpotha has recently introduced an exciting program of Ayurveda treatments since it possesses the ideal climate and environment for the practise of this deeply traditional art. Until recently, Ulpotha had offered non-specific and general native treatments such as steam and infused water baths. The main reason for the absence of Ayurveda in Ulpotha was that the founders wanted to wait until the right person crossed their path to carry out what is a very specialised therapeutic practise. Ayurveda does not rely purely on knowledge, but includes the spiritual and the intangible in a holistic approach to good health and healing.

The primary aim of ayurveda is to balance the body’s energies and thus restore one’s health and vitality. Ulpotha is a particularly suitable place in which to undergo ayurvedic treatment, as the food and the environment complement the therapies and serve to underscore the holistic approach of AYURVEDA itself.

Ayurveda’s programmes begin with detoxification therapies, which consist of preparatory and specialized elimination treatments. Preparatory treatments are called oleation and fomentation therapies and consist of oil applications, massage, steam and medicinal bath therapies. Specialised elimination therapies on the other hand consist of emesis, purgation and inhalation treatments among others. All of these are used to bring the body’s energies into balance, though not all of them will be necessary in all cases.

All treatments, regardless of the personalized elements of a treatment that stem from a personal consultation, contain preparatory and elimination therapies. The preparatory therapies are the ones everyone likes and most ayurveda is known for - massages, oil applications, steam baths, saunas and herbal baths. Elimination therapies on the other hand, are the ones that some - if not most - people will find a little bit more challenging to accept. They consist of what is more commonly known as panchakarma (ie. the five specialized elimination therapies): emesis (vomiting), purgation, inhalation, enemas and blood-letting.

Yoga in Ulpotha

Many of the UK's most respected yoga teachers come to Ulpotha. As the teachers usually change every fortnight several types of yoga - usually Hatha, Sivananda, Iyengar and Astanga - are available at different times in the season. If you are keen on doing yoga we recommend you look at Our Yoga Programmes to see which teacher is coming before you book. Every morning there's usually an optional yoga class in a large, open-sided building with a palm leaf roof, or in the cool dappled shade of a banyan tree. Some teach one class a day, others two and some run separate classes for yoga students of different standards. Many also guide early morning walks in the beautifully wooded surrounding hills. If you are coming from the UK it may be worth trying out a class in Britain or talking to the teachers who teach at Ulpotha before deciding when you'll book.

As Ulpotha attracts some world-class yoga instructors some guests go mainly for the yoga classes. But it isn't primarily a yoga centre, there's no pressure to attend classes and life doesn't hinge on classes of any kind. So you won't feel an outsider if yoga isn't for you. This is a place to unwind, be gentle with yourself, live close to nature and simply be, rather than a place to exercise and strive.

Adam's Peak Season Began......

The pilgrimage season runs from Unduwap poya (December) to Wesak poya Festival (May), reaching its peak mid-season at Medin poya. At this time, there is a constant stream of pilgrims & the top can get very crowded. The busiest period is during January to February.

The climb is still quite possible in the off season too. However since the path is not lit in the off season you will need a torch at night. It often rains here in the afternoon here, especially in the off-season.

At other times the temple on the summit is unused, & between May & October the peak is obscured by cloud for much of the time.

Pacing the ascent............

All of us ought to pace the ascent so that we could endure physical stress to avoid exhaustion. Warm clothes should be worn to avoid wind chill & catching cold at the summit after sweating it out during the climb. Approximately 20,000 people scale Adam's Peak on weekends during the pilgrimage season. The endless steps can shake the strongest knees, & if the shoes don't fit well toe-jam starts to hurt too. Hats would come handy since the morning sun gets strong quite fast. Stretching leg muscles before & after the climb is a good idea so that we will not be limping for the next few days. We can have Ayurvedic oil massages too.

Routes.........

The three routes taken by the pilgrims who climb the Peak today are Ratnapura route, Kuruwita route and Hatton route.

The road to Adam's peak takes you past some spectacular waterfalls & winds through the heart of some of the finest tea-growing country in the world. For much of the way it is above 200m. From Nuwara Eliya, the A7 runs through dryer country in the rain shadow of hills to the southwest & northeast. It climbs to Nanu Oya & Lindula, where a right turn leads up a beautiful mountain road to Agarapatana. In Talawakele, Sri Lanka's Tea Research Institute has played a major role in improving Sri Lanka's tea production. The road drops as it crosses the railway line & winds through the tea estates of Dimbula. Along this stretch, there are some magnificent views from the road. You first spy the 80m St Clair Falls, dropping in three cascades down to the valley below. Opposite the view point for 98m Devon Falls, an enormous bronze tea boiler introduces you to the St Clair Tea Center, a good place to stop for a cup of tea.

Hatton is one of the major centres of Sri Lanka's tea industry on the Colombo-Kandy-Nanu Oya (close to Nuwara Eliya) railway & the road. 33km by road southwest of Hatton, is the small settlement of Dalhousie. It is from Dalhousie, the shorter (7km) & more frequently used route from the north start. The road is illuminated in season by a string of lights, which look very pretty as they snake up the mountainside. Out of season you can still do the climb, you'll just need a torch (flashlight). The approach from Hatton side is a cake-walk with steps constructed on the path right through to the top & the base from which most pilgrims trek to the top of Adam's Peak. It is tortuously winding route from Hatton through Norwood up to Maskeliya at 1280 m, skirting the attractive Castlereagh reservoir, an enormous HEP programme. If open, it is worth stopping by the immaculately kept small stone Anglican Church (1878) at Warleigh in a picturesque setting overlooking the tank. As you cross the dam, which is protected by the military, & pass through the new town of Maskeliya (the old one was flooded to make way for the tank), the pyramid shape of Adam's Peak

Ratnapura is the starting point for the classical route to Adam's Peak via Gilimale & Carney Estates. The southern route from the Ratnapura side (11km), starts from Palabadella. Many pilgrims prefer to make this longer, much more tiring-but equally well-marked & well-lit seven-hour climb. The really resolute & fit could climb from Dalhousie & then walk down towards Ratnapura, a long but rewarding day.