Chairman : Krisantha G.Nissanka.

To visit eco sites around kolonna 135KM from Colombo there is no oasis in Maduwanwela, that is Maduwanwela Club located in a serene atmosphere with a twenty arce land were you can relax.

Visit - Google Map

 Eraporuwa Water pool (Natural)

Situated 26 kilometres from Embilipitiya, the ancient mansion is reached on the Kolonna road. The Maduwanwela Walauwa was originally built during the early 1700s when Maduwanwela Mohottala was gifted land by the king of Kandy for his valour in the defeat of the Dutch Garrison at Katuwana. The family was granted more land later till they owned over 80,000 acres in the area. The last nobleman to carry the Maduwanwela name was Sir James Maduwanwela who was commonly known as Maduwanwela Maha Dissawe. He was a colourful character, notorious for his dislike for the British rulers. A good indication of what he thought of the colonial masters is his selection of floor tiles with the head of Queen Victoria used to decorate the floor. The Dissawe who was a man of small stature, seemed to have had a complex about his height since all the doors and entrances to the mansion were made so that any tall person would have to bow very low before entering. The stone archway at the entrance of the Walauwa too has been designed so that a person on horse back needed to demount.
Currently the mansion is under the protection of the Archaeology Department. Though the Walauwa is promoted as a tourist destination with many billboards directing visitors to it, for reasons best known to the Department, tourists are not allowed to take photographs. Irrespective of such bizarre restrictions, the mansion still remains a fascinating edifice of magnificent architecture and is well worth a visit. It has over 120 rooms designed for various purposes and has 21 courtyards (Meda Midul) as well. The numerous stories of love, courage and scandal associated with the noble occupants of the mansion adds to the charm of the place which takes the visitor back to an era long gone.
On the way, there is the small town of Panamure, rekindling memories for some who still remember the saga of the Panamure Ath Raja, the magnificent tusker who became a legend due to its stubborn resistance to be tamed after being captured along with its herd. The controversy which resulted due to the killing of this king of beasts led to a public uproar and the eventual banning of kraals in the 1950s. The episode brought much disrepute to the scions of the Maduwanwela clan who organised the kraal. Capturing wild elephants in kraals was a common practice among the elite of the day. The Panamure kraal became folklore with many poems and songs articulating what was one of the cruellest deeds committed at a time when cruelty was not at the levels seen today. The tusker which led the captured herd was killed when all attempts to tame it failed bringing to an end a sad episode which put the small town of Panamure permanently on the map.
Though an Archaeology Department sign marks the spot where the captured elephants were tethered, little remains of the place except for few stone pillars on which the elephants were tied.

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Wawulpane, Kollona has a cave of Miocene limestone also name Wawulpane cave after the thousand of bats living in the cave.

Inside the cave there is a spectacular subterranean waterfall within  150 feet. This is a unique sight.

you will only like it if you don't mind getting dirty ( Bat droppings , insects,...)

Adventure travel Sinharaja

Dense, dark, wet and mysterious - Sinharaja is a primeval forest for meditation, relaxation and for scientific exploration. This relatively undisturbed expanse of primary forest is a Sri Lankan heritage - the last patch of sizeable lowland evergreen Rain Forest still remaining more or intact or undisturbed in our island.

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The infamous Panamure kraal was carried out in August 1950 in Kolonna in the Ratnapura district. About eight acres of land from the 54,000 acres of jungle which belonged to then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Francis Molamure had been cordoned off for this operation. Around thousand villagers had been recruited and 12-14 female elephants had also been brought in to control the wild elephants in this major elephant kraal.

In order to prevent any elephants dying from exhaustion after being chased a long distance

by the villagers, a huge waterway too had been built within the compound of the kraal.

It is said that the villagers succeeded in capturing 17 elephants at the end of this huge operation. They had succeeded in noosing all except one stubborn elephant which revolted violently furious that its herd was caught; the elephant had reacted strongly, making it virtually impossible for the men to bring it under control.

Even though Sir Francis Molamure had ordered that it be set free, the elephant had refused to escape leaving behind its herd. As a result it had eventually been shot down raising a huge public outcry over its death and the inhuman manner in which elephants were being captured. This eventually led to the banning of such operations in the country.The last kraal is said to have been held in 1952.

Today only for very special purposes, permits are issued by the government to capture elephants and that too is done using modern methods, such as drug immobilization minimising any form of injury to the animals.

A programme conducted by the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and also the Elephant Owners’ Association helps meet the country’s requirements of tamed elephants.

In fact, the Association helps to protect these captured elephants, train them and also their mahouts.

The President of the Elephant Owners’ Association. Diyawadana Nilame, Nilanga Dela Bandara and the Secretary, Dhamsiri Bandara are the officials responsible for conducting these programmes.

The Zoological Garden and various religious institutes are provided elephants from Pinnawala. At times we also present elephants to other countries, explained Dhamsiri Bandara.

 Dooli / Aralu Falls