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Maha Oya hot water springs of Sri Lanka



On the route from Batticaloa to Colombo is the Maha Oya Hot Water Spring. This is one of three areas with hot water springs in Sri Lanka: at Kanniya on the eastern coast, in Mahapelessa in the south of the Hambantota district, and the Maha Oya springs on the Badulla to Batticaloa road.
Sri Lanka is situated on the Indo-Australian plate. It has no active volcanoes, but there are three major plates: Wanni complex, Highland complex, and Vijayan complex. The Mahapelessa hot springs are situated in a line from Hambantota to Trincomale between the Highland and the Vijayan complexes. All hot springs are suitable for bathing, generally with a bucket from the well. Local councils charge a small fee to enter the hot spring complex.
The Maho Oya spring has a number of wells with water ranging in temperature from lukewarm to about 56 degrees Celsius.


The thermal waters are said to contain properties that soothe rheumatic pains and skin ailments.











MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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  1. UnknownOctober 4, 2014 at 11:54 PM

    Appreciate your work & wish you all success. Really I visited your page to know more about the kitten. It’s 100% similar to our ‘Kit’; always prefer to watch water flowing.

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  2. Martina NicollsOctober 5, 2014 at 10:59 PM

    Thanks... there were 3 or 4 kittens playing in the water - they were fascinated with the bubbles of air surfacing from the cracks in the ground. They didn't seem concerned about the heat of the water, but they were only playing in streams of water, and not in water of any depth. Cheers, Martina

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