WAWULPANE LIMESTONE CAVE

Wavulpane Limestone Cave is situated at a valley with acclivities belonging to Buluthota hills in Rakwana range of mountains at north-east of Ambilipitiya town.

The only geological structure that has an interior cascade (sub-terraineian waterfall) in the world and the largest and the oldest limestone cave in Sri Lanka is this cave which is located in the village called Wavulpane in Kumburugamuwa Gramaseva Division that belongs to Kolonna Regional Secretarial Division.

There are three ways to access this place. Wavulpane Vidyalaya can be reached proceeding on Sanwardhana road that can be found by paddling 10 km turning to Buluthota route from Thunthota junction in Ratnapura Ambilipitiya route or proceeding along os Sanwardhana road that is confronted by passing 14 km on Ambilipitiya- Sooriyakanda route. There is only a 500 m walk from Wavulpane Vidyalaya to Wavulpana cavern. Instead this cave can also be confronted by proceeding more than 10 km turning from Miriswelpatha junction in Kolambageara village beside Ratnapura Ambilipitiya main route.

The environment in the vicinity of this cavern which is located nearly 912 ft. high from sea level, belongs to a government reserve.

It is said that a surveyor named S. Frank, who came for regional survey adjustments in 1942, has estimated an area about 29 acres and 20 roods from vicinity of the cavern for a reserve.

Even, Dr. Arthur C. Clark who was a worldwide popular scientist has asserted that Wavulpane cave is 500 million years old. The annual rainfall of this area that belongs to an intermediary climatic zone is 4500 mm and annual temperature is 29.5º degree celcius. South-east and south-west monsoon procure the rainfall bounteously. The vicinity of this cave is replete with solid that belongs to Cambrian age.

Streamlet called “Halvini Ela” that origin from the right ravage of the tributary of Walave River named “Adolu River” streams through the major limestone cave at Wavulpana. This limestone cavern, which has two parallel gateways, is 7.5 m tall and 5.6 m wide though the interior of the crypt would measure different heights in each location. Stalagmites and stalactites in these grottos elate the observers with wonder and pulchritude. The burgeon stalagmites and hanging stalactites have different girths.

The interior of the cavern looks like a felicitous mansion engraved by nature. The hanging large stalactites from apical and dome roof from qua chandelier alias candelabrum. Halvini rivulet streams through dense darkness of the cavern creating small pools among riffles.

Besides the main limestone cave, there 12 more grottos in this limestone rock, some of them must be climbed using a ladder to reach.

A cave that can be considered as a maternity home of bats is located above the right side of the exit. This limestone cave famed as a bats’ colony consists with a small cave named “Malwathu” chamber, which is used to whelp by bats. It is believed that this name referred to the large number of little bats in the grotto. Sometimes snakes, which loiter in the cave to prey these night babies, can be confronted. Besides, this cave is infested with thousands of cockroaches and pests. It is discovered that more than one million bats abide here. This bat population consists with 7 species and nearly 7 lacs of them belong to a carnivorous species that depends only on insects like mosquitoes.

The yellowish spring that emanates at the summit of the limestone rock is a significance confronted in the journey. Ancestors have believed that by bathing the amber water of this fount all the skin-deceases can be healed. This fount flows with a capacitance of 261 per second and minerals like calcium, carbonate, iron, hydro side, and magnesium consist in water make it amber. It streams 75 m afar from the spring-head and pours down in to the cavern at the defile creating an intra-fall in the limestone cave. This particular subterranean waterfall is about 15 m. tall.

Wavulpana reserve which is located in an intermediary climatic zone is significantly home to flora of both wet and dry zones. Through the estimations done by botanists, about 160 species of flora have been exposed in this reserve.

This virgin reserve, which is still an intact eco-system, is also home to two of the most world’s foremost paddy species namely Oraisa Gravlata and Oraisa Igniggiriya. The field of Madu trees (false saga palm or Cycas cricinalis) locally called as “Madu Henyaya”, which spreads in 2 km distance from the limestone cave, must specially be mentioned here as it homes to much more than 4,000 palm trees. At a glance, this significant attractive reminds the Jurassic age lived about 18 billion years back from today.

Wavulpana is one of our national heritages. A step beyond, it is also a world heritage. Thus, it is our responsibility to protect this legacy on behalf of prospective succession.