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).
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.
ReplyDeleteThanks... 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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