Kitulgala | |
|---|---|
 View of the Kelani river | |
  Kitulgala Location of Kitulgala within Sri Lanka | |
| Coordinates:6°59′50″N80°24′40″E / 6.99722°N 80.41111°E /6.99722; 80.41111 | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Sabaragamuwa Province |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (Summer time) |
Kitulgala is a small town in the west ofSri Lanka.[1] TheAcademy Award-winningThe Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed on theKelani River near Kitulgala,[2][3] although nothing remains now except the concrete foundations for the bridge. Kitulgala is also a base for white-water rafting,[4] which starts a few kilometres upstream and also popular as a location for adventure based training programs.
The Kelani river is wide at Kitulgala, but it is shallow apart from a deep channel near the opposite bank, so in the drier months it provides a safe and attractive place to swim, wash and play.
The river can be crossed by walking out across the shallows and crossing the deep channel in a dugout canoe, which is stabilised with an outrigger.
Sri Lanka's most recently discovered bird, theSerendib scops owl was originally heard calling byDeepal Warakagoda in these forests.
The hills above the rubber plantations also havemountain hawk eagle,crested treeswift andLayard's parakeet.
The agriculture around Kitulgala is typical of the hilly wet zone. The solitary fishtail palm,Caryota urens, which is calledkitul in Sri Lanka, gives rise to the town's name. Its sap is concentrated into a delicious syrup, not dissimilar tomaple syrup, and crystallized asjaggery. It is also fermented to makepalm wine. The pith is used to makesago, and the fibres to make rope.
Bananas of bothred and yellow varieties are grown. The yellow bananas are only some 8 cm long, but are sweeter and tastier than the commercial strains available in the West.Rubber trees are also grown on the higher areas.
Manybirders stay at Kitulgala. This area has most of the rainforestbird species that are found at the World Biosphere Reserve atSinharaja, although in lower numbers. However, the secondary forest and cultivation at Kitulgala is more open than the pristine woodlands of Sinharaja, and elusiveendemic species likeSri Lanka spurfowl,green-billed coucal andspot-winged thrush may be easier to see.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 BritishWorld War II film byDavid Lean based on the novelThe Bridge over the River Kwai by French writerPierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of theBurma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It starsWilliam Holden,Alec Guinness,Jack Hawkins, andSessue Hayakawa. The scene creation of the film was done inSri Lanka and many of them were at Kitulgala area including the bridge explosion.
