Pussellawa - tea plantations & rewarding excursions
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Pussellawa, pronounced by locals more like "Pussella", is a town in the Udapalatha Divisional Secretariat of Kandy District, bordering Nuwara Eliya District. Situated at an elevation of around 850 m (2,800 feet) above sea level, Pussellawa is the largest town along the scenic mountain road A5 between Gampola and Nuwara Eliya. It's exactly halfway between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya.
Attractions of Pussellawa's immediate surroundings
Though administrationally part of the Kandy District, Pussellawa belongs to the Nuwara Eliya tea region and is the town with the largest number of tea estates in its vicinity. Most tourists enjoying Sri Lanka's tea region and scenic hillcountry cross Pussellawa. Though they might not be aware of the the name of the inconspicuous town, several visit one of Pussellawa's famous tea estates, such as Rothschild and Helbodde. But only few travellers consider Pussellawa to be a destination for one or more overnight stays. They simly don't know what they are going to miss. Actually, Pussellawa is perfect starting point excursions to discover highly rewarding less-known attractions in the city's surroundings, such as Kotmale Valley, Peacock Hill, and the hidden Frotoft Estate. Frotoft is on the way to the fascinating hiking destination of Charioth Path, which is situated on the ridge of Sri Lanka's main mountain range. Some smaller waterfalls are near the city, such as Helboda Ella or Delta Falls.
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As said, Pusselawa is the best advance base for the said three excursions, Charioth Path, Peacock Hill, and Kotmale Valley, each of which requires half a day for exploration. The mountain roads to Frotoft and to Peacock Hill are in a poor condition, a tuctuc or jeep should be preferred over a normal car or van. The attractions at the Kotmale Reservoir, however, can be reached in a more comfortable way.
Chariot Path
Chariot Path got is a barren piece of land amidst the forests covering Sri Lanka's main mountain range, which stretches from Hanthana near Kandy to Piduratalagala near Nuwara Eliya. Smaller in size, this mix of open grasslands and pygmy forests resembles the famous Horton Plains and offers even more spectacular views. But because Charioth Path can only be reached via a small footpath, which takes around 1 hour uphill, it is much less frequented by tourists. The amazing location got its name from the popular belief that the barren land is the result of being touched by the Pushpaka Vimana, the flying chariot of Lanka's legendary demon king Ravana, who came here with Sita after captivating her and flying with her over his realm to impress her with its scenic beauty.
view from Chariot Path to Adam's Peak
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Frotoft Tea Estate
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Peacock Hill
The backyard mountain of Pussellawa is Peacock Hill, an isolated mountain not belonging to the main range. A bumpy dirt road crossing the tea plantations called "New Peacock" and "Old Peacock" winds up almost to the summit. Only a short hike of 20-30 minutes, moderately uphill, then leads to the spectacular rock formation high above Lake Kotmale, which offers one of the best panoramic views of the central highlands of Sri Lanka, particularly of the tea plantations surrounding Pussellawa and Ramboda.
easy hiking destination Peacock Hill
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view from Peacock Hill to Kotmale reservoir
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Kotmale Valley
In the course of Sri Lanka's ambitious hydropower and irrigations scheme known as Mahawela Development Project, the Kotmale Valley was flooded and the Kotmale reservoir created. Several temples submerged. However, the ruins of the most famous one, Kadodara Viharaya, occasionally reemerge, when in dry periods the water level of the reservoir descends significantly. In commemoration of the flooded sanctuaries and habitations, a new stupa was erected at the slopes of Peackock Hill, not far from the Kotmale dam. The so-called Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya is the largest modern stupa construction in Sri Lanka, almost equal in size to the ancient Ruwanweliseya of Anuradhapura. Ancient sites of Kotmale Valley are Ranamure Pihilla and Dehadu Kadulla, both of them are not far from Kadadora and the dam
ruins of Kadadora Vihara at the Kotmale reservoir
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Kotmale Mahaweli Maha Seya near Kotmale dam
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History of Pussellawa
Legend says that that kings of the medieval Gampola Kingdom, when threatened by enemies, took refuge in the then forested hillcountry region between Pussellawa and Kotmale, where now the tea plantations of Peacock and Rothschild are established.
Before having become a main tea growing area of the British Empire, the island was used by the British land barons for coffee cultivation. The area that is now Melfort Tea Estate, which is the tea plantation closest to the town of Pussellawa, became one of Sri Lanka's first coffee plantations in the 1820s, till coffee rust devasted the island's coffee production almost entirely in the 1870s. Rothschild Coffee was founded in the 1840s. So what is now the Rothschild Tea Estate, was originally a coffee plantation during the period the brothers Maurice and Gabriel Worms, nephews of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, were in charge of the estate. However, Maurice was also one of the pioneers of tea cultivation in then Ceylon. Long before James Taylor founded the first Ceylon tea plantation, Maurice bought tea cuttings from China and grow it in a small garden at Condegalle as early as 1841. Nonetheless, the Worms brothers remained coffee producers in the first place. The transformation to a tea estate occured only after their retirement and demise and was the result of the said coffee rust. Due to the location halfway between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, the British also chose Pussellawa as a location of their network of rest houses for European commercial travellers in the 19th century.
Only as late as 1918, more than one generation after the beginning of the tea boom in then Ceylon, Melfort also became a successful tea plantation. In contrast to most other Ceylon tea producers, Melfort is more specialised on green tea than black tea. Today, the Melfort Green Tea is mainly produced at Pusselawa's Sanquhar Estate, the history of which goes back to the 19th century, Sanquhar today also produces rubber in 20% of the property. Rothschild Tea, however, is now by far the largest tea plantation in the area of Pussellawa. The Rothschild tea factory definitely belongs to the most modern ones in Sri Lanka. Rothschild is the world's first tea plantations that received the Global G.A.P. certificate, a standard for safe, socially and environmentally responsible farming practices introduced by the Cologne-based FoodPLUS GmbH.
Before having become a main tea growing area of the British Empire, the island was used by the British land barons for coffee cultivation. The area that is now Melfort Tea Estate, which is the tea plantation closest to the town of Pussellawa, became one of Sri Lanka's first coffee plantations in the 1820s, till coffee rust devasted the island's coffee production almost entirely in the 1870s. Rothschild Coffee was founded in the 1840s. So what is now the Rothschild Tea Estate, was originally a coffee plantation during the period the brothers Maurice and Gabriel Worms, nephews of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, were in charge of the estate. However, Maurice was also one of the pioneers of tea cultivation in then Ceylon. Long before James Taylor founded the first Ceylon tea plantation, Maurice bought tea cuttings from China and grow it in a small garden at Condegalle as early as 1841. Nonetheless, the Worms brothers remained coffee producers in the first place. The transformation to a tea estate occured only after their retirement and demise and was the result of the said coffee rust. Due to the location halfway between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, the British also chose Pussellawa as a location of their network of rest houses for European commercial travellers in the 19th century.
Only as late as 1918, more than one generation after the beginning of the tea boom in then Ceylon, Melfort also became a successful tea plantation. In contrast to most other Ceylon tea producers, Melfort is more specialised on green tea than black tea. Today, the Melfort Green Tea is mainly produced at Pusselawa's Sanquhar Estate, the history of which goes back to the 19th century, Sanquhar today also produces rubber in 20% of the property. Rothschild Tea, however, is now by far the largest tea plantation in the area of Pussellawa. The Rothschild tea factory definitely belongs to the most modern ones in Sri Lanka. Rothschild is the world's first tea plantations that received the Global G.A.P. certificate, a standard for safe, socially and environmentally responsible farming practices introduced by the Cologne-based FoodPLUS GmbH.
Lord Murugan at the Gopuram of the Kovil
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guardian statue at the Sri Kathirvelayutha Swami Kovil
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As many Tamils live in the tea growing areas of Sri Lanka's central highlands, it can come to no surprise that a Hindu shrine is the largest religious building in the town center of Pussellawa. The Sri Kathirvelayutha Swami Kovil Murugan Temple was originally built in the 1880s. This is the period when Tamil coolis first settled in Sri Lanka permantly. On coffee plantations Tamil labourers served only as seasonal migrant workers, arriving from India only for the annual plucking season. However, tea has to be plucked throughout the year and therefore required the permanent settlement of Tamil labourers since the 1870s. The said Murugan temple after restorations was reconsecrated in March 2016. The oldest Christian house of worship in Pussellawa is Holy Trinity Church from 1859.
