The Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka and the Kingdoms of Yore
What attracts the discerning traveller to Ella would be the quintessential peacefulness of the cloud forests and tea plantations that dot the hills and mountains in the region. The growing number of fauna and flora makes it an attractive place to explore and trek through. There are many natural attractions of Ella to see and we highlighted some of the best of them for you to check out when you visit Ella, in the central highlands of Sri Lanka in our last blog – “Visit the Natural Attractions of Ella.” The man-made attractions of Ella are quite fascinating and we are going to list out the best of them for you to check out when you visit Ella, in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.
Demodara Nine Arches Bridge
One of the best ways to travel to Ella is definitely by train, making it an ideal way to backpack through the manmade attractions of Ella and its surrounding areas. One such place would be the Demodara Nine Arches bridge, considered one of the marvels of 20th century engineering and architecture. Almost 100 years old, this breathtaking bridge was made only using cement and stone, and commissioned by the British Government during its colonial rule to provide transport between the mountains. A local named Appuhami came forward and built the bride, without the use of steel, as the materials commissioned for the project was used for WWI war efforts. The curved path the bridge takes makes for some amazing vistas during the train ride.
You may take a hike from the Ella train station or take a train ride to towards Demodara (the next train station) to see the Nine Arches Bridge.
Demodara Loop
There is a fascinating tale from long ago about how the Demodara Loop came to be. The spiral railway track was carved into the mountain to give access and ease of transportation to the tea estate to freight the tea production from the region to the capital. As the elevation from neighbouring mountains was too apart, the civil engineers and surveyors of the time came up with a great solution. Once you spiral around the mountain, you then pass through to the Demodara tunnel when moving towards Badulla. The following image made available at the Demodara Station explains how it is done.
Images: Youtube , Visit Ella
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