Dunsinane Ella - mystic Pundalu Oya Falls
|
Dunsinane Falls, also known as Pundalu Oya Falls, offer rare vistors a true fairytale sight, because statues of Hindu deities belonging to the adjacent Hindu shrine are placed in and beside the stream.
The waterfalls are mainly divided into two parts, the vertical upper fall being located in a distance of only 20 m (66 feet) from the bridge, from where vistors enjoy a nice view to the upper falls, and a cascading second fall just below the bridge. Going along the road further uphill to the east, you can see both falls bisected by the bridge. Going downhill in the other direction, you can find a steep footpath to the bottom of the lower part. From there, you can not see the upper falls.
The waterfalls are mainly divided into two parts, the vertical upper fall being located in a distance of only 20 m (66 feet) from the bridge, from where vistors enjoy a nice view to the upper falls, and a cascading second fall just below the bridge. Going along the road further uphill to the east, you can see both falls bisected by the bridge. Going downhill in the other direction, you can find a steep footpath to the bottom of the lower part. From there, you can not see the upper falls.
Temple with Hindu Statues in the spray of the waterfall
In between the two main falls, there is a Hindu Kovil of the local Tamil community next to the road, just at the right side of the stream. Crossing the vestibul, you can reach the pool at the bottom of the upper Dunsinane Falls, where you can see several statues of Hindu deities. The most conspicuous one is erected on a pedestal amidst the stream. It depicts Goddess Saraswati with her main attribute, the Veena, a large Indian plucking instrument.
|
Mystic Upper Dunsinane Falls close to the Hindu Kovil
|
Lower Cascades of Dunsinane Falls, seen from the bridge above
Goddess Saraswati is the consort and spiritual energy of the creator, Lord Brahma. Venerated as the goddess of learning and guardian deity or poets, Saraswati is also popular with Buddhists. She is a spirit of fine arts in general. Placing a statue of Saraswati within the falling and streaming waters and their spray makes much sense, because her name literally translates to 'flowing one’. Indeed, she is considered the personifacation of the mystic (and once actually existing) River Saraswati, a river often mentioned in the Rig Veda, the most ancient part of Hindu Sacred Scriptures. The Rig Veda calls her ‘best mother, best of rivers, best of goddesses’. Not surprisingly, purification properties are attributed to the River Goddess. |
Seasonal Abundance of Water in the Pundalu Oya region
The water-richest period in Dunsinane and Kotmale is the touristic peak season, end of December, after two months of highest precipitation in this region. The photos on this page were taken in February 2023, after an exceptionally dry rainy season, decreasing the waterflow more than usual. In general, the lowest precipitation in this area occurs in June.
Height of Dunsinane Falls
Be aware that almost all websites you find online (including wikipedia, retrieved 26 August) make exaggerated claims concerning the height of the falls, saying all cascades together measure 100 m (330 feet). But this is not the case on first sight and it turns out to be mistaken when comparing the altitudes of the stream bed before and after Dunsine Falls in Google Earth or comparable maps. The actual total height is around 50 m (165 feet), with the large upper cascade measuring around 20 m (66 feet). The group of cascades below the bridge, not falling vertically, measures almost 30 m (100 feet) in height. Only 100 m (330 feet) further downstream, the stream joins the namegiving river Pundalu Oya, which is a tributary of the Kotmale River.
Location of Dunsinane Falls
The town called Pundaluoya is 3 km further west. The bed of the stream that forms the waterfalls marks the border of two tea plantations, namely Dunsinane Estate to the east and Sheen Estate to the west. Dunsinane Tea Factory is in 5 km distance by serpentine road, but only 1 km, as the crow flies, whereas Sheen Tea Factory is 6 km by road to the west resp. 5 km, as the crow flies.
The scenic road from Nuwara Eliya, crossing the Dunsinane Tea Plantation, is curvy and very bumpy in long parts. This is why the only 20 km (13 miles) drive from Nuwara Eliya takes around one hour. In the other direction, the road distance to Kotmale Dam and Nawalapitiya are 31 km (19 miles) resp. 34 km (21 miles), which takes around 90 minutes.
The scenic road from Nuwara Eliya, crossing the Dunsinane Tea Plantation, is curvy and very bumpy in long parts. This is why the only 20 km (13 miles) drive from Nuwara Eliya takes around one hour. In the other direction, the road distance to Kotmale Dam and Nawalapitiya are 31 km (19 miles) resp. 34 km (21 miles), which takes around 90 minutes.
Name of Dunsinane
Due to the location in between the two estates, the Pundalu Oya Falls are sometimes also called Dunsinane Sheen Falls, blended to Dunsinanshin Ella.
Dunsinane Falls, located in a climatically mild altitude of around 1200 m (3960 feet) is a rewarding touristic destination still genuinely off the beaten path. Historically, Dunsinane one of the oldest tea plantations in Sri Lanka. It already existed in 1870, before the first shipment of Ceylon Tea arrived in London. Like in the case many Ceylon Tea Estates, the name of the plantation and factory was inspired by toponyms known from the British Isles. This old estate is named after Dunsinane Hill in Scotland, which won its fame by being mentioned in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. A supernatural vision informs the royal military leader that he 'shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.' and therefore he speaks 'I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane". The pronunciation of "Dunsinane" in Sri Lanka is similar to that required in the rhythmic verse just cited, slightly stressed on the first syllabe (the "u") and mainly stressed on the last one (the "a"). However, the Shakespearean syllable sounds more like "nane", whereas the pronunciation by locals is more similar to "naan". Anyway, both pronunciations are not the original Scottish ones, as the name of the hill in Scotland is stressed on the second syllable (the "i"). The meaning of this Gaelic name is "hill of ants".
Dunsinane Falls, located in a climatically mild altitude of around 1200 m (3960 feet) is a rewarding touristic destination still genuinely off the beaten path. Historically, Dunsinane one of the oldest tea plantations in Sri Lanka. It already existed in 1870, before the first shipment of Ceylon Tea arrived in London. Like in the case many Ceylon Tea Estates, the name of the plantation and factory was inspired by toponyms known from the British Isles. This old estate is named after Dunsinane Hill in Scotland, which won its fame by being mentioned in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. A supernatural vision informs the royal military leader that he 'shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.' and therefore he speaks 'I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane". The pronunciation of "Dunsinane" in Sri Lanka is similar to that required in the rhythmic verse just cited, slightly stressed on the first syllabe (the "u") and mainly stressed on the last one (the "a"). However, the Shakespearean syllable sounds more like "nane", whereas the pronunciation by locals is more similar to "naan". Anyway, both pronunciations are not the original Scottish ones, as the name of the hill in Scotland is stressed on the second syllable (the "i"). The meaning of this Gaelic name is "hill of ants".
