Namunukula
Namunukula (????????) is the backyard mountain of badulla, the capital of Uva Province in the southeast of Sri Lanka's highlands. With a height of 2,035 m above sea level, it's one of Sri Lanka's 12 highest mountains and by far the tallest peak in the east of Sri Lanka's southern mountain range, which stretches from Siri Pada (adam's peak) in the west 100 km to Namunukula in the east. Namunukula dominates Spring Valley, which is the tea plantation area closest to Badulla. On the other side of the mountain is Passara, another tea area of Uva. Uva tea is grown in the entire area between horton plains to Namunukula, which is of about 40 km length west-east. As the crow flies. Namunukula is the most prominent peak of this Uva tea region. There are pathes leading to the plateau of Namunukula mountain. The easiest one branches near the pass between Spring Valley and Passara. The pass is easy to find, as there is only one road running through Spring valley. Just follow the B97 running through Spring Valley to demodara and turn left at the supermarket in the centre of Spring Valley and follow this side road almost to the top. About 300 m before reaching the pass, you can see the hiking path branching off at the left side. The ascent does not require any climbing skills, but it's undoubtedly a strenuous steep hike uphill.
The forested area is home to Macaque monkeys, Sambhar deer and wild boars. Leopards also occur in Sri Lanka's forested highlands. But a hiker will hardly ever spot them. Small shrines for Buddha, Vishnu and Ganesha can be seen on the plateau on the very top, which measures about 150 m in diameter. In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists in the first place, whereas Ganesha worship is predominently Tamil. Similar to Adam's Peak, the more pointed and higher summit in the southwest corner of the mountainous region, there is also a mountain god protecting the region. His name is Indaka. In Badulla it is believed that this mountain god of the Namunukula invited the Buddha to visit the region, quite similar to the story of Saman, the mountain god of Adam's Peak.Unlike Adam's Peak, Namunukula has no giant footprint left by the Buddha. However, nearby muthiyangana vihara in Badulla town is listed as one of the 16 places visited by the Buddha. Confusingly, Namunukula is not only the name of the highest peak but also of this entire part of the mountain range, stretching from the highest summit to Badulla ans Pelgahatenna Pass in the north and Balleketuwa Pass in 8 km distance to the south, as the crow flies. Altogether, the north-south diameter of Namunukula Range is 13 km. The Sinhalese name "Namunukula" means "Nine Peaks" and refers to the entire range. Seen from the central highlands, the most prominent peak nevertheless appears conical and dominating the entire Badulla region.
Even more confusing, the village at the end of the side road mentioned above is also called Namunukula. It's situated at the southern slope of the mountain range at the Ella-Passara road, 15 km to the east of Ella and 5 km northeast of Balleketuwa. Thi
Zvláštní místa v Badulle
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Muthiyangana Raja Maha ViharayaMuthiyanganaya Raja Maha Viharaya leží v centru města Badulla. Historie tohoto chrámu sahá až do dob Buddhy, ale oblast kolem Badully sahá až do 19. až 18. století př. n. l.
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Dowa Raja Maha ViharayaDowa Raja Maha Viharaya (chrám Dowa Cape) leží několik kilometrů od města Bandarawela na silnici Bandarawela – Badulla. Předpokládá se, že tento chrám postavil král Walagamba v prvním století před naším letopočtem.
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Bogoda dřevěný mostDřevěný most Bogoda byl postaven v 16. století během éry Dambadeniya. Říká se, že je to nejstarší dochovaný dřevěný most na Srí Lance. Most se nachází 7 kilometrů západně od Badully.
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Vodopády DunhindaVodopády Dunhinda se nacházejí asi 5 km od města Badulla. Jsou vysoké 63 metrů a jsou považovány za jeden z nejkrásnějších vodopádů na Srí Lance. Svůj název „rosa“ dostaly vodopády podle stříkajících kapek rosy.
