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Udawatta Kele Sanctuary, often spelled as Udawattakele, is a historic forest reserve on a hill-ridge in the city of Kandy. It is 104 hectares (257 acres) large. During the days of the Kandyan kingdom, Udawatta Kele was known as "Uda Wasala Watta" in Sinhalese meaning, "the garden situated above the royal palace". The sanctuary is famous for its extensive avifauna. The reserve also contains a great variety of plant species, especially lianas, shrubs and small trees. There are several giant lianas. Many of small and medium size mammals that inhabit Sri Lanka can be seen here. Several kinds of snakes and other reptiles might also be seen. Udawatta Kele was designated as a forest reserve in 1856, and it became a sanctuary in 1938.〔 Bhikkhu Nyanatusita & Rajith Dissanayake, Udawattakele: “A Sanctuary Destroyed From Within”, ''Loris, Journal of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka'', Vol. 26, Issue 5 & 6, 2013, p. 38.(View: )〕 〔Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakälē: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 1–19.(View: )〕 〔 〕 The Sri Lanka Forest Department has two offices in the reserve, one of which (i.e. the one located at the southeastern entrance) has a nature education centre with a display of pictures, posters, stuffed animals, etc. Being easily accessible and containing a great variety of flora and fauna the forest has a great educational and recreational value. Groups of school children and students regularly visit the forest and the education centre. The forest is also popular with foreign tourists, especially bird watchers. Scientific nature research has also been carried out in the forest by researchers. The forest is also of religious importance as there are three Buddhist meditation hermitages and three rock shelter dwellings for Buddhist monk hermits.〔 Bhikkhu Nyanatusita & Rajith Dissanayake, Udawattakele: “A Sanctuary Destroyed From Within”, ''Loris, Journal of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka'', Vol. 26, Issue 5 & 6, 2013, p. 38. (View: )〕 〔Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakälē: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 1–19.〕 ==History== It has been recorded that the brahmin called Senkanda, from whose name the city's original name Senkandagalapura derives, lived in a cave in this forest.〔 〕 The rock-shelter or cave now known as the Senkandagala-lena is located on the slope above the temple of the tooth and can be visited. The Senkandagala-lena collapsed due to a landslide in 2012. The legend says the brahmin brought a sapling of Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi here and planted it in the present day site of Natha Devala.〔 Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakäle: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 1–3.(View: )〕〔 〕 It was used as a pleasure garden by the Kandyan kings. The forest was reserved for the Royal family and the pond situated in the forest was used for bathing.〔 The public was restricted from accessing the forest hence the name Thahanci kele (Sinhalese for Forbidden forest).〔 Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakäle: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 1–19.(View: )〕 During the colonial era some of the land near the Temple of the Tooth was used to build the Kandy garrison cemetery.〔 Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakäle: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 57.〕 In 1834 governor Horton built a path, Lady Horton's drive, within the forest in remembrance of his wife. Henry W. Cave mentions the trail is about three miles long. Lady McCarthy's drive, Lady Torrington's road, Lady Gordon's road, Lady Anderson's road, Gregory path, Russell path, and Byrde lane are the other named walks in the forest. Some roads have gone in disuse long ago and are overgrown by the forest.〔 Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakäle: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 71–73.(View: )〕 The remains of a fortress, overgrown by the jungle, can be found on two hilltops in the southeastern side of the forest, near the Forest Department nature education centre. 〔 Karunaratna N. ''Udavattakäle: The Forbidden Forest of the Kings of Kandy'', Colombo: Department of National Archives; 1986. pp. 91–101.(View: )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Udawatta Kele Sanctuary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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