Hulan Nuge Temple

"Hulan Nuge" Raja Maha Viharaya is situated in Lahugala Divisional secretariat area in Ampara district in Southern province. The temple is located in "Lahugala" between "Siyabalanduawa" and "Potuvil". The history of this temple extends beyond 2300 B.C. The Lord Buddha statue depicting sleeping posture situated in this temple and it is one of the oldest reclining Lord Buddha statue in Sri Lanka made with clay. When you entered to the temple, can see main temple cave where the reclining Buddha statue is located. Hulan Nuge cave is considered as the longest natural cave in Asia (720 feet long). This village got its name because of the large "Nuga" tree, which generate noise when the wind blows.

Buddhangala monestery

Sri Lanka's oldest monastery "Buddhangala" is situated in a mountain over 500 feet high. The Dageba has been enshrined with the relics of Buddha and his two leading monks "Seriyuth" and "Mugalan"s remains. King Saddhatissa (brother of Great king Dutugemunu) expanded this monastery. The monastery had been built in and around a rocky mountain scattered with caves and ponds. The temple which is found on site today is built on a mountain which holds the finely carved stone remains of five buildings and a ruined "Stupa", which is yet to be excavated. The half standing stone bridges and stairways suggests that the five rock scattered mountains found a midst the jungle were interconnected creating a 200 acre large monastery comprising  caves constructed with the distinct drip ledge and remodeled with cement, bricks and plaster.

Kudumbigala monastery

Kudumbigala Monastery lies 17 km from Panama and 27 km away from the Kumana village. It is a historically valuable destination built by King Devanampiyatissa in 2nd century B.C. It is recognized as the first refuge made for "Bhikku". He is the initiator to establish Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Kudumbigala monastery complex is located on a land of 600 acres. There are over 200 cave reservations. The caves were carved with drip ledgers "Kataram" in order to protect the caves from rain.

Black ruby barb (Bulath Hapaya)

Common Names: Purple headed Barb, Ruby Barb (Bulath Hapaya)

Scientific Name: Puntius Nigrofasciatus

Family: Cyprinidae

The Ruby Barb  (Bulath Hapaya) originates from Sri Lanka, where they were once plentiful in the forest streams in the upper elevations of the Kelani and Niwala rivers. It inhabits densely grown and fairly slowly flowing hilly streams at an elevation of approximately 300 meters (1000 feet). These regions are tropical but the shaded streams are comparatively cold 20–26 °C. The water stays in the lower part of the temperature range during the winter and increases during the summer and the water is acidic (pH 6.0 - 6.5). A high backed, deep bodied fish that lacks barbels. Coloring is normally subdued, with a pinkish grey body crossed with three to four, faint black bars. The back is usually dark copper brown. In females, the bases of the fins are predominantly black, and in males the whole dorsal fins is black. In breeding condition the males glow with an intense purplish red coloring, and the blackish areas become deep velvety black. A group of males kept together seem to compete for the females' attention by remaining in breeding coloration for most of the time. At maturity, Black Ruby Barbs will reach a maximum size of two to three inches. Males are easily distinguished from females by their larger size and brighter colors. Male Black Ruby Barbs also have dark-tipped ventral fins. The females have clear ventral fins.

Kala Wewa

This reservoir was built by the King Dhatusena who ruled the country during 455-473 CE in the 5th century. King Dhatusena wanted to develop the irrigation system by constructing several tanks, canals, etc in around the kingdom of Anuradhapura. After completion of construction of Kala Wewa, the king built another tank called Balalu Wewa nearby and connected the two, making the biggest tank in Sri Lanka. His son King Mahinda II who ruled the country during 777-797 CE expanded the tank further. Water of the tank was transferred to the 'Thisa Wewa' in Anuradhapura by 54 miles (86.9 km) long canal called Jaya 'Ganga' alias 'Yoda Ela' which has a fine slope of one feet per mile. Kala Wewa is one of the magnificent reservoirs of the ancient world. This reservoir has a circumference of 40 miles and has a total area of seven square miles at full capacity. The ancient spill "Pitawana" is measured to be 216 feet in width and 170 ft in length. The embankment of Kala wewa is 60 to 80 feet high with a base of more than 200 ft and a length of 3 miles.