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Bible Rock with the wife, sons, daughter, nephews and nieces…..during Christmas




    “Dedicated to the families and beautiful friendly people of Aranayake and its environs….our thoughts are with you” 


Immaterial of one’s origins, December is a month for families to be nestled whilst sharing the joys of holidays and the festivities, and what better way to indulge than to go hiking whilst enjoying the seasonal spirit with an adventurous bunch of family members to the elusive but omnipresent Bible rock (Bathalegala ) in the district of Kegalle. 

On the morning after Christmas, we drove to Mawanella and turned right to Aranayake. A few kilometres before Aranayake is the turnoff to the Batalegala temple and thereon another two plus kilometres on a narrow winding and an ascending road took us closer to the foothills of this near vertical mountain. There ends the motor-able road. 

A friendly villager voluntarily offered us his immaculately clean garden to park our vehicles. The gentlemen also offer us tea, water and biscuits for our hike in return for nothing in particular.  A portrayal of true Sri Lankan hospitality, thoroughly appreciated by us the travellers, to these unknown surroundings.



The initial walk was a gradual climb on a rugged unpaved road. With a sharp turn to the right appeared a mix of shrub and large trees with a narrow path paving the way to the top. Every step was a foot high and sometimes more, not less. The ascent was tiring and lung testing, but a surprisingly inexplicable mist emerged and rejuvenated us to venture. Tiring, but a fascinating climb. 




With a lone tree to signify the summit, the view was breathtaking. A chill in the air made us realize that we were definitely in a different climate and a zone. The transformation was obvious and the altimeter read 681 meters above sea level with a splendid view from GAMPOLA to NAWALAPITIYA and KADUGANNAWA to the KNUCKLES Mountains. Awe-inspiring scenes of Sri Lanka.

A Buddhist shrine and a large gantaraya (bell) signified the religious identity to this peak and were told that the rock becomes a place of worship on poya days for the villagers of HATHGAMPALA. 

The trip was in a day and the climb to this constantly intriguing mountain plain was our goal. However, a river bath on the way back and lunch at the Ambepussa rest-house was also a pleasurable experience. The family felt a sense of achievement; not only through an adventure but also through bonding and shared love…. Good times…. And we will do it again, during the next season of festivities.  Maybe, to a different destination or to the same, just to see our new found friends.





Location: Bible Rock, Sri Lanka

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