It was a Friday, 24th January 2020. I reached school at 5.00 am and we started our journey at 5.30 am. We went to Ritigala using the road from Kandy to Katugasthota and then Matale. We had our breakfast at Dambulla and started singing songs and having fun.
When we reached Ritigala, we saw we could have a huge adventure there. When we entered, the time was about 7.40 am. We first reached Banda Pokuna, a vast and huge pond.
The climate was different from Anuradhapura. We went ahead and clambered over the rocks, we jumped over the mud and ran across to the next destination in Ritigala. It was the monks’ dining place. From there, there were pathways to different places. There were lots of trees around. We then went to the library, and the hospital. Finally, we went to see the 850 years old tree.
We travelled on to Kala Wewa, a reservoir was built by king Dhatusena for agriculture. We had our lunch there. The cool wind was a wonderful feeling. I felt really relaxed with the birds’ chirping and the cool breeze. I felt really grateful for king Dhatusena at that moment.
From Kala Wewa, we went straight to the Aukana Buddha statue. It was in a temple. The Statue was 48 metres tall and carved out of stone. It was made by Barana when he worked in Kala Wewa. From Aukana Buddha statue’s top, we can see the Parakrama Samudraya.
We left at about 5.30 pm and came to school on the same road that we went to Ritigala. We came to school at 7.05 pm. It was an adventurous trip that I will never forget.
Article by Amash De Silva (5C)
