Lion King (Sinharaja) Tropical Rain Forest, Sri Lanka

To keep up with the Joneses.

This time around, it would be Indiana Jones with temperature at 20-34 degrees centigrade, humidity at about 87% & annual rainfall of 5000 mm in the 15 million year old Sinharaja Tropical Rain Forest also known as Lion King Tropical Rain Forest of Sri Lanka, a living world heritage site. Sinharaja meaning Lion king in Sinhala is believed to have been the last redoubt of the Sri Lanka's lion. Lion King Sinharaja Tropical Rain Forest has something for every one with diverse activities & interests: to the nature lover, to the photographer, to the artist, to the ecologist & to the scientist.

IUCN International Union for the Conservation of nature & Naural Resources- Technical evaluation of Sinharaja Reserve states that "Sinharaja is the last extensive primary lowland tropical rain forest in Sri Lanka. It holds a large number of endemic species of plants & animals, & a variety of plants of known benefit to man".

Pocketed between two sizeable rivers

The tropical island of Sri Lanka is well forested, with more than 18899 acres (6648ha) of hilly virgin, uninhabited woodland in the Sinharaja Forest alone. Pocketed between two sizeable rivers, namely river Kalu Ganga from the north & river Gin ganga from the south of the numerous rivers of this paradise like tropical island of Sri Lanka, no larger than state of Virginia, is a virgin tropical rainforest of enormous ecological significance, a treasure trove of biodiversity. The wet zone rain forest, with a breadth of 3.7 km north to south stretches 21km west to east over the hills, along the ridges & across the valleys ranging in altitude 200m to 1300m. This narrow strip of undulating terrain is drained by an intricate network of streams, which flow into the two rivers.

The Portuguese, the Dutch & the British, the spice merchants.

The first records on Sinharaja date back to Portuguese & then Dutch. Sinharaja is home to the spice Cardamom Elattaria ensal. I needn't complete my sentences: they loved our spices while we hated & waged war against them. The forest was first mapped by British who made it a Crown Property in 1840. The first survey was done by Naturalist George Henry Thwaites in the 1850s, recording many plants found in Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest.

People Power

Though Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest was declared a forest reserve as far back in 1875, heavy logging began in 1971 resulting in a people’s protest against the misguided government directive that allowed felling of timber. In 1978 Sinharaja was declared a national reserve & inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage

List in 1988. People Power Prevails!!!! Long live People Power. Live & Let Live

The conversation project making a provision for limited use of the forest recourses to meet the local needs of the inhabitants of the surrounding villages was launched in the run up to the status of UNESCO World Heritage List. Among the variety of resources made available for limited use are Kitul palm (Caryota urens) for honey & jaggery (solidified honey); Weniwal (Coscinium fenestratum) for Ayurveda Medical treatments; rattan (wewal Calamus), used in making baskets & chairs; cardamom Elattaria ensal (as spice); Shorea sp. (for flour); dun Shorea sp. (for varnish and incense).

Tropical Forest

The vegetation of Lion King Rain Forest consists of Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest & Tropical Lowland Forest, with lofty, very straight dominant trees being a distinctive feature. It is reputed to shelter some 120 trees species, including ironwood, satinwood, teak & ebony. The oldest parts of the rainforest comprise dense stands of towering trees enmeshed in exotic tangles of ferns & lianas; the top of the canopy reaches heights up to 45m with giant Newada trees among others. Nearly all the sub canopy tree found here are rare or endangered. The vegetation below the sub canopy is thick. More than 65% of the 217 types of trees & woody climbers endemic to Sri Lanka's rainforest are found in Sinharaja. As the heart of the island's wet zone, on most days the forest conjures rain clouds that replenish its deep soil & balance water resources for a wide area of southwestern Sri Lanka. Sinharaja's importance lies not just in its pristine nature, but also in the high degree of endemism of its species.

Carnivorous plants

Among the carnivorous plants is lovely Baduara. The deep test tube like green flower, Badura, closes its leaf lid whenever an insect creeps in. The flower ages into fiery red.

Mammals

There are 12 species of mammals to be found in Sinharaja, of which eight are endemic to Sri Lanka. Kola Wandura ( Purple-faced langur monkey), Gona (Sambhur), Olu Muwa (Barking deer), Wild boar (Pus scrofa), rusty spotted cats, fishing cats are found here. The purple-faced langur monkey is the most commonly seen of mammals. There are three species of squirrels: the dusky-striped jungle squirrel, flame-striped jungle squirrel & western giant squirrel. Leopard, Badger Mongoose and the Golden Palm Civet have been occasionally sighted. Porcupines & Pangolins waddle around the forest floor.

Birds of many feathers

Lion king Sinharaja Rain Forest is home to a total of 147 species. Among the endemic birds are Ceylon Lorikeet ( Loriculus beryllinus), Layard's Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae), Ceylon Jungle Fowl (Gallus Lafayetti), Spur Fowl (Galloperdix bicalcarta), Ceylon White-headed Starling (Sturnus albofrontatus), Ceylon Wood Pigeon (Columba torringtoni), Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis), Spotted-wing Thrush (Zoothera spiloptera), Rufous Babbler (Turdoides rufescens), Brown- capped Babbler (Pelleurneum fuscocapillum), Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush (Garrulax cinereifrons), Ceylon Blue Magpie (Cissa oronata), White Headed Starling (Sturnus albofrontatus), Green-billed Coucal (Centrophus chlororhynchus), Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus), Ceylon Hill Mynah or Grackle (Gracula ptilogenys) and Legge's Flowerpecker (Dicaeum vincens).

Birds not of a feather too flock together when her poison isn't necessarily mine

An interesting phenomenon in Lion king Sinharaja Rain Forest is that birds tend to move in mixed feeding flocks, led by the fearless Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and the noisy Orange-billed Babbler: It is a mutual relationship observed among birds, a method by which they improve the availability of feed. The food of one species does not necessarily interest another.

Sri Lanka's National Bird

Pedestrian Wali kukula or Sri Lanka Jungle fowl ( Gallus Lafayetti), a very colourful cousin of domestic chicken, endemic to Sri Lanka is found strutting about & scratching the ground for food here in Sinharaja. Sinharaja is an ideal reserve to view Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl. Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl can be seen at Kitulgala as well as Ruhuna Yala National Park.

Reptiles & Amphibians

Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest is home to 21 of Sri Lanka's 45 endemic species of snake. Python ( Python molurus) in here is vulnerable. The most commonly seen reptile is the green garden lizard, while snakes include the endemic Green pit viper (venomous) which inhabit trees, krait (venomous) and Hump-nosed viper (venomous) which lives on the forest floor. There are several endemic amphibian species, including the torrent toad, wrinkled frog & Sri Lankan reed frog.

Natural trails

The three main natural trails of Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest are Waturawa trail (4.7 km long), Moulawella trail (7.5 km long) and Sinhagala (Lion Rock) trail (14km long). At Lion Rock (742 m) we can view the unbroken tree canopy of an undisturbed forest & various hill ranges. At moulawella peak (760 m) we can see Sri Pada Adam's Peak & look over forest canopy. Oh! The leeches are along the trails. That's a plenty of nuisance. Soap or lighter or salt would do.

Hotels

With the eco tourism in Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest on the rise, enterprising new hotels have opened up recently. The Boulder Garden & Rain Forest Edge are top flight of boutique hotels that provide a convenient bases.