Kandy Wace Park The reservoir Gregory of that which surrounds the Temple, and on the other by the handsome wall of the grounds known as the Temple Enclosure. On the lawn will be noticed a monument to the members of the Ceylon Planters' Rifle Corps who fell in the South African War; and another commemorating Sir Henry Ward, one of Ceylon's ablest Governors. For a short walk or drive few places provide a more interesting and beautiful road than that which encircles the Kandy Lake. The formation of this exceedingly ornamental piece of water is attributed to Wickrama Rajasinha, the last of the Kandyan kings. Some of its greatest æsthetic attractions over and above its lovely situation are however due to the interest taken in the improvements of Kandy by many of the Governors and Government Agents who have lived there from time to time. Thus Sir William Gregory added the ornamental wall upon the bund. The upper road affords the best views, amongst which is that depicted by our photograph (Plate 120), taken from Wace Park, a small ledge on the hill-side tastefully laid out at the suggestion of the late Mr. Wace when he was resident as Government Agent. No visitor should fail to take a stroll to this spot, about five minutes' walk from the Queen's Hotel; and those who want specially pretty subjects for the camera should obtain a pass from the Secretary of the Municipal Council, or from the Queen's Hotel, to be admitted to the grounds which enclose the Reservoir of the Municipal Water Supply. This reservoir is reached by the road which passes at the back of Wace Park, the distance being half a mile. The lovely shaded walks around the reservoir, with constant pretty openings disclosing vistas across the glistening waters, present an opportunity to the enthusiastic amateur photographer that should not be missed. Some proof of this may be gathered from plates 126 to 129. The Gregory Road, which is the upper of the two lake roads, provides many beautiful views, and is most convenient for a short walk or drive in the early morning when the mountain air is keen and invigorating. Indeed, the first stroll along this road is one of very slow progress, and as a rule the fresh comer will not go far the first time, but return again and again at his leisure. The streets of Kandy will interest the visitor only in so far as they afford a glimpse of native town life and occupation in the bazaars; this is, however, always amusing to the visitor who is a stranger to Eastern customs. In Kandy it is much pleasanter to visit the bazaars than in Colombo, owing to the cooler atmosphere and the wider and cleaner streets; indeed one may walk through them in comfort. Trincomalee Street and Colombo Street should at any rate be visited. Near the bottom of King Street may be seen the only remnant of Kandy a Kandyan chief's walawwa or residence that has survived from the time of the Kandyan kings. Ward Street is the chief thoroughfare of Kandy and possesses the European stores, banks, the Queen's Hotel, the Kandy Club and the Victoria Commemoration buildings which are occupied as the headquarters of the Planters' Association. of Ceylon. This edifice was erected by the Planters of Ceylon as their memorial of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Turning to the left at the bottom of Ward Street the road becomes very picturesque, and on the way to the railway station the market is seen fronted by a handsome garden of palms, the most prominent of which is the talipot. Upon nearing the railway station an extensive building will be noticed on the right, amidst flowering shrubs and noble trees the Post Office. This part of Kandy is known as the Vale of Bogambra, the scene of many a tragedy in the time of the Kandyan monarchy, including the tyrannous and ghastly execution of the Ehélapola family described in most works on Ceylon. Mahaiyawa 1,725 feet Katugastota 1,534 feet Wattegama 1,620 feet CHAPTER VI THE MÁTALÉ LINE IN the railway system the Mátalé line begins at Peradeniya Junction, Kandy being served by it. The distances of the stations given in the following itinerary are therefore reckoned from Peradeniya Junction. MAHAIYAWA (4m. 71c.).-This station as will be seen from our map is practically in Kandy itself, being only one mile from Kandy station. KATUGASTOTA (7m. 25c.).—Katugastota (three and a half miles north of Kandy) is a picturesque and flourishing suburb of Kandy situated on the Mahaweliganga at the point where the Mátalé carriage road crosses it by an iron bridge. It is much frequented by visitors who have no time to make more distant excursions. One of the attractions consists of a considerable stud of elephants belonging to the Kandyan chief Dunuwilla whose walawwa is on the bank of the river. They frequently engage in river sports under the direction of their keepers to the amusement and delight of passengers who pay a flying visit to the mountain capital. WATTEGAMA (11m. 33c.).-Wattegama is famous for its flourishing cacao and tea estates which contribute considerable freight to the railway. The village is provided with a resthouse containing four bedrooms; and it is generally possible to hire a carriage and pair of horses at the rate of one rupee per mile. Hackeries are always available. 116 Near the station a road connects Wattegama with the Mátalé Line Panwila road. It is the station for the districts of Panwila, Hunasgiriya, Madulkele, Kelebokka and Knuckles. UKUWELLA (17m. 52c.).—Ukuwella is a small village about Ukuwella three miles to the south of Mátalé. The railway station that 1,292 feet takes its name from the village serves a large number of important estates. 1,208 feet MÁTALÉ (21m. 9c.).-Mátalé is the terminus of this branch Mátalé of the broad gauge railway. It is a place of considerable importance as the chief town of a large planting district containing nearly a thousand square miles, the most northerly in which Europeans have opened up estates; it is under an Assistant Government Agent, and is divided into three subdivisions, Mátalé South, East and North, each under a Ratemahatmaya. Upon arrival we find a comfortable rest-house fitted with The rest-house every convenience for the traveller and well provisioned. The town contains one of the largest purely native bazaars in The bazaar Ceylon, extending for almost a mile in one long street shaded by a fine avenue of rain trees, so called from the circumstance that at night the leaves fold into a kind of sac in which the moisture condenses and at sunrise when the leaves open is discharged in quite a shower. Here are to be seen the necessaries and luxuries for the supply of the native community throughout the large and important planting district of which Mátalé is the centre. All the shops are after the fashion of open stalls, and the traders, their goods and transactions, from one end of the street to the other, are open to the gaze of passers-by. The barber, the tinker, the merchant of gay-coloured cloths, and the curry-stuff vendor, are all doing a roaring trade. The mellifluous tones of Ramasamy's voice are unceasing, and the stranger will not fail to be struck with surprise at the inordinate amount of talking required by every trifling bargain. Mátalé The scenery has the same characteristics as the Kandyan Scenery of district, and is especially beautiful in its wealth and variety of tropical foliage. The hills rise to an altitude of five thousand feet, and are wooded to the summits, save where clearings have been made for the cultivation of coffee, cacao, and tea; they exhibit fine specimens of some of the most remarkable trees in Ceylon, including many ironwood trees, with crimson-tipped foliage and delicate flowers. The northern division of Mátalé reaches to Nalanda, on the main road to the famous rock temples of Dambulla; so that the large number of visitors who now journey to Dambulla pass through the heart of this district and see the fine tea, cacao and rubber estates for which it is famous. |