photoswonder

Horton plains, the highest plateau in Sri Lanka, was traditionally known as Mahaeliya until it was renamed Horton plains after Sir Robert Horton, a British governor. It was gazetted as a Nature Reserve on 5th of December 1969 and was upgraded as a National park on 16th of March 1988. Two escarpments falling from the Horton plains have contributed to it's awe inspiring physiognomy, " the small world end" and "the big world end". The park is the home to Sambar, leopard, primates, a spectrum of flora and rare bird life like the Crested serpent Eagle, the Mountain Hawk Eagle, the Blue Flycatcher and the Whistling Thrust.

Me,Dineshkumar, sugumaran, nature photographer, wildlife photographer, worlds end,Horton planes,sri Lanka, trip,friends from Webster international school, grass land, animals and plant diversity

There is a large water pond built in the summit of the rock. According to the folks who lived around, the king use to bathe in this pond so often when he is in the palace .The ancient irrigation engineers who designed this had tried to get the advantage of its natural existence of this part of the rock.This is further supported by converting a cavity on the rock to a pond. It is still a mystery the way the water being pumped up to ponds as there are no fountains found on top of the rock. The rumor says that water is carried to the ponds from the summit of a mountain which is in a higher elevation than the Sigiriya rock. The elevation difference creates the required head to pump the water. However, still it’s a mystery.

Most people in sri lanka can identify an Araliya tree no matter how little they know about trees. With its gnarled branches, long leaves and distinctive flowers, it is easily one of the most common and identifiable trees in Sri Lanka.The bark is grey and scaly. The branches have a swollen appearance and thicken towards the ends. A cut made on any part of the tree will exude a milky, sticky sap. The leaves are smooth and shiny, upto one foot long with well defined veins. They appear at the ends of the branches. The flowers which appear in clusters, again at the end of the branches, are scented. The petals are waxy and the centre of the flower is usually a different colour to the rest of it. For example the white flowers generally have a yellow centre. There are many varieties ranging from deep crimson to orange to white. The flowering season is from March to May but throughout the year the tree usually produces flowers.  The Temple tree is so called because the scented ...

Peradeniya Botanical Garden-Kandy Sri Lanka