Udawatta Kele Sanctuary also known as the Royal Forest Park is one of the major bio reserves in existence to balance the climatic conditions of the highly populated Kandy City. This 257 acre dense rain forest dates many centuries back where the area surrounding Kandy had been a rain forest without any human settlements. The Sanctuary is located on the hillside behind the Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Tooth Relic which was formerly the Royal Palace. To visit Kandy, the last kingdom of Sri Lanka and explore its natural and cultural attractions, you can use the service of a transport company to rent a car in Sri Lanka such as the Online Rent Car that helps you to easily make your bookings online.
During the era of the kings this forest was called “Uda Wasala Watta” or the “Upper Palace Garden” that was also used by the royalty and was out of bound to the public. However, after the British Empire took over Kandy, the forest area began to gradually deteriorate due to wood cutting and pollution by human activities. But in 1856, the government declared Udawatta Kele as a forest reserve and in 1938, it was made a sanctuary. This precious forest reserve helps immensely by providing the water resources to the Kandy Lake from its catchment areas and also contributes in supplying the much important air purification process to the highly populated Kandy city covered by many hills. The Udawatta Kele Sanctuary is rich with vegetation and consists of three canopies including an underground layer. The thick plant life restricts sunlight reaching the soil surface of the forest that helps in preserving the dew and humidity level high which is vital for growth of vegetation. You can also find some giant trees and creepers that are more than 300 years old. Some of the most important places in the forest are The Water Pond, Highest Peak “Kodimale”, The Senkada Cave and the Garrison cemetery with quite a number of Buddhist temples and hermitages also found within.
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.
