Wilpaththu National Park

WILPATHTHU NATIONAL PARK

This park is situated thirty kilometres west of Anuradhapura near the Nochchiyagama area. It bordered to the north by Modaragam Aru (river) and to the south by the Kala Oya (river) and to the west by the Indian Ocean.
It has been revealed that ancient habitats were here thou sands of years ago. Stone tools, as well as Myasin Fossils of the Mesothic age can be seen every where in this reserve. An ancient burial site has been found in the vicinity of Pomparippu. A speciality of this site is the fact that human remains and every day items have been found is a number of small clay pots contained within a lager clay pot in graves. It is believed that ruins connected to Kuweni are to be found here. Prince Vijaya landed at Kadirmalai Point. Ruins of several Buddhist shrines have been discovered around Ochchappu Kallu, Andaragollewa & Kali Villu. Statues of Lord Buddha and granite pillars have also been found. There is evidence to make us believe that there was a harbour between Kollankanakea and Palugahaturai. This nature reserve in also noted for its fauna and flora. Huge trees, shrubs and grassy areas cover the whole park. Among the flora Veera, Palu, Milla, Kaluwera and Wewarana stand tall. Elephant, Leopard, Bear, Samba, Barking Deer, Wild Buffalo, Jackal and many varieties of birds, reptiles abound. In view of its wide diversity, Wilpattu National Park can be regarded as an area of great importance. *The four stamps in this release depicts starting from the top left hand corner in clockwise: Slightly smaller than the spotted deer, the barking deer shown in this stamp is a rare animal. The male has short harans. White Bellied Sea Eagle shown in this stamp is a large water associated bind. It glides over the sea looking for fish and dives on to the prey as it comes to the surface. Kudiramalai area is in the background. This area was under the sea sometime ago.

Wilpattu National Park (Willu-pattu; Land of Lakes) is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of “Willus” (Natural lakes) - Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka. The park is located 30km west Anuradhapura and located 26 km north of Puttalam (approximately 180 km north of Colombo). The park is 131, 693 hectares and ranges from 0 to 152 meters above sea level. Nearly sixty lakes (Willu) and tanks are found spread throughout Wilpattu. Wilpattu is one of the largest and oldest National Parks in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu is among the top national parks world renowned for its Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) population. The Leopard population in Wilpattu is still not yet known