Meeyan Ella waterfall Hike Miyan Falls is a waterfall with a deep history many people need to learn about. The waterfall is located near Ulakotte railway station along the railway line to Kandy. Meeyan Ella waterfall Hike
The stream that creates Meeyan Ella Falls originates from Helen-Maditta in Alagalla Hill. Initially, the waterfall fell as a single stream over a rock,
flowed through the villages of Varagoda and Talagolla, and joined Talagolla Oya. Talagolla Oya joins Ma Oya at Boelle.
But today,
the waterfall falls as two steams about 50 meters apart along two grooves artificially cut into the rock surface. It is interesting how this mighty waterfall turned into two smaller waterfalls.
After the last Kingdom of Sri Lanka fell into the hands of Britain,
they started building a railway line from Colombo to Kandy to bring the valuable goods produced in the mountains to Colombo for export. The section of the railway line between Polgahawela and Kandy was built in the mid-1800s; at Alagalla, they faced the challenge of building the railway line across the large waterfall of Miyan Ella.
The British had to build a tunnel about 1000 feet through the Alagalla Rock to cross the Rat Falls. Realizing that this was a huge task, they looked for alternatives. The final decision of the British was to block the waterfall upstream, cut two deep grooves in the rock, and leave the waterfall as two small waterfalls.
With the completion of this task, in 1867, the British created a horizontal cut 1400 feet long and 18 feet deep along the Alagalla rock to lay the railway line, which was completed to Kandy. A large water flow washed away the canal and the railroad several times.
By the beginning of the 20th century,
and it was decided that the tunnel should be built as originally planned. The 1307 ft (400 m) long tunnel through the Alagalla rock was constructed between 1905-1906. As this tunnel is located between tunnels 5 and 6, it is named tunnel 5A.
It is also the second longest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka,
the longest being the Singimale Tunnel, which is 1865 feet (558 m) long.
The new Matara Beliatte 2018 ft (615 m) long Nakuttiya Tunnel will soon reach this location.
You can reach these waterfalls from Ulakotte railway station. Walking 275 meters along the railway,
If you want to explore the tunnel, talk to the train staff at Ulakotte and know the latest train schedules. Facing a train in the 400-meter-long tunnel can have fatal consequences.
You will find the old railway route along the cliff of Alagalla Rock parallel to the rail tunnel. The waterfall is about 150 meters away on this road. Meeyan Ella waterfall Hike
The coconut tree at the start of this old railroad has a story. This point marks the grave of S.P. Appua. He passed away in 1974.
The banana trees on the left also point to another grave of a railway worker named Samara at Gallen,
who passed away while on patrol.
The tunnel is usually wet as it flows over the Rat Falls waterfall. After about 75 meters, you will find a large hole in the left wall that opens into the outer cliff.
Now, this hole provides fresh air to those passing through the tunnel. Meeyan Ella waterfall Hike