This beauty is located in a 6 km distance from Pelmadulla town. To taste the alluring beauty of this attractive which would measure 100 m high and 18 m wide, one has to complete an odyssey and the beauty would compensate the great effort at last.
The causative factor for this is that one has to travel 6 km along Kuttapitiya road from Pelmadulla town and walk about 250 m along a steeply gorge which is really difficult to cross over to approach Kirindi Falls. And the danger of climbing down the same route back in return would add more to arduousness.
This place has been selected as a logistic tourist circuit under the assistance of Pelmadulla Divisional Secretariat and Ministry of Tourism in Sabaragamuwa Province with the intention of facilitating tourists. A observation platform and 425 concrete stairs have already been constructed. Climbing these stairs is also a tiresome deed though not as dangerous as before.
Kirindi Falls origins at “Kaluwara Mookalana” (Kaluwara virgin forest) which is located in higher region 8 miles away from the slope of the fall. Then it runs through two Gramasewa Divisions namely Kuttapitiya and Kirindi Falls. From the place that the steep ends onwards the stream is denominated as “Denawaka” River. Throughout its odyssey the stream has been denoted in several names. The fusion with Kalu River happens at Malwala not far from Ratnapura in Sri Pada route.
Distracting the elegant beauty of Kirindi Falls as an endemic latent desolation has overwhelmed its vicinity. If one turns his eyes from waterfall to its vicinity a sense of uncertain fear and doubt eventually appears deep within his or her heart. This sudden shock is an abstruse feeling which is enough to intimate the dreadful affliction upon transmigration. That itself is an excessively pleasing psychical condition. It is surprising to experience that a waterfall overflows in the season of heavy rain entirely dries up in droughts. On the other hand, though she is beautifully visible in heavy rainy days the sustained terrific and ferocious grimness is unavoidable. Her exceeding beauty would subdue you and strive to prey you. Thus one must thoroughly keep in mind not to be a prey of her current by being hasten to feel her infatuating beauty.
The vegetation spread over the higher region and vicinity of Kirindi Falls is distinguished as a reserve densely populated with valuable and rare trees and innumerable species of fauna. The forest is home to very precious herbal trees like Goraka (Garciana cambogia), Muguna (Mimusops elengi alias Sapot), Aralu (Oroxylum indicum), Weniwalgata (Coscinium fenestratum), Girithilla (Argyreria populifolia) and inestimable colossal trees like Hora (Dipterocarpuszeylanicus), Kekuna (Candlenut tree alias Canarium zeylanicum), Nathavu (Xylopia parvifolia), Oorukanu or Ooruhonda (Lasienthera apicalis), Welan (Pterospermum suberifolium) and Dum tree. Also quadrupeds like wild boar, Olu Muwa or Veli Muwa (barking deer), jackals, rabbits, Indian moose deer (Moschus miminna), porcupine and both venomous and anti venomous serpents like snake, viper, rock snake (Python molurus), Kunakatuwa (Hypnale nepa) and whipsnake (Passerita mycterixans) have made this reserve of their abode. It is said that earlier Kuttapitiya, vicinity of Kirindi Falls, was referred as “Kushtapitiya”, as the folk story goes, a King who suffered from a rare leprosy has kept himself in dark in this place.
Villagers’ opinion about the reason why this waterfall was named Kirindi Falls is due to the high density of Kirindi creepers that covered the whole area at that time. Elders still believed that they get rain in drought seasons by evacuating the natural pool locally called “Diyagathwala”, which is right at the feet of Kirindi Falls.