Destination
Balana Fort
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You can reach the ancient Balana Pass area by starting near the Kadugannawa Railway Station, travelling 5 kilometers along Potthapitiya Road and turning to the byroad leading to Balana.
The Balana Fortress faces the slope of a steep cliff. To reach the Fortress one has to leave the road and climb about 500 meters across a tea estate. In the Kandy Kingdom era, our heroic armies would have fought the battles of their lives against the European invaders among these foothills. In the olden times there was only a trail through thick, inhospitable jungles. The Balana Fortress is a historic location where the foreign invaders to the Kingdom were taught bitter lessons of defeat.
In the Kingdom of Kandy era the frontier dividing Hathara Korale and Galabada Korale fell across Balana. Today this area belongs to the Yatinuwara hill region. ‘Bathalegala’ stands tallest among the Hathara Korale mountain range, as seen from Balana, situated 2,000 feet above sea level. ‘Oorakanda’ and ‘Devanagala Rock’ are seen in closer proximitiy.
Buildings in the Mawanella town are seen like small matchboxes from a distance. The square-shaped Balana Fortress is 102 feet long and 116 feet wide. Only its 4-foot-thick granite foundation is visible today. It was apparently renovated during the British Rule. The foundation shows that there were circular-shaped bastions at the four corners of the fortress.
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