ULPOTHA REATREAT

Ulpotha has a living history over 5,000 years old and is rooted in the oldest continuously inhabited region on the island. According to legend, travelling mendicants from the foothills of the Himalayas came in search of the sacred site associated with the Lord Kataragama, an incarnation of the god-child Murugan and the son of Shiva. They believed that Ulpotha was this sacred place, as its seven hills matched the description contained in ancient spiritual lore. After the head priest had a vision in which he was shown how to perform a special devotional ritual, or pooja, they built a temple dedicated to their tantric god at what is now the entrance to the village.

The mountain directly above Ulpotha was also where Prince Saliya, the son of the island’s most storied king, Dutugemunu, established his romantic court over two thousand years ago after he rejected royal life. He married an outcaste woman by the name of Asokamala, who is described in the ‘Ramayana’, the country’s millennia-old mythological and historical epic, as a woman of peerless and legendary beauty. Prince Saliya, the only heir ever to have willingly forfeited his right to the throne, is said to have escaped the ancient royal city of Anuradhapura with his gypsy bride through a secret tunnel hidden in a local cave.

Though much has been said and written about the need to preserve our natural environment and add spiritual quality to our modern lifestyles, the former in great seriousness and the latter with some wishfulness, all too often these words remain firmly separated from the reality of what is deemed practical.

When serendipity brought Ulpotha, which had been abandoned and uninhabited for decades, into the lives of three friends, it inspired them to idealism. Trees were planted, the lands were organically cultivated, traditional wattle and daub homes were built and Ulpotha was brought gently back to a magical life. What made the process an idealistic one was that it was embarked upon and driven by non-financially based motives. Rather than doing something because it made financial sense, it was done for the love and beauty and serenity of it.

The focus at Ulpotha has been on restoration through practice of traditional agricultural lifestyle, bio-diverse organic farming and reforestation. There is no long term goal as such of the founders of Ulpotha but, if there is one, it is simply to practise an unhurried and relaxed lifestyle that is in harmony with nature and their neighbours. 

Opening Ulpotha to visitors allows it to be shared by those who would otherwise not be able to experience it and creates a means of generating some of the financial resources needed to sustain it.

The primary aim of ayurveda is to balance the body’s energies and thus restore one’s health and vitality. Ulpotha is a particularly suitable place in which to undergo ayurvedic treatment, as the food and the environment complement the therapies and serve to underscore the holistic approach of ayurveda itself. Subject to availability, all guests may consult Dr.Srilal, Ulpotha’s resident ayurvedic doctor, to learn about their state of health from an Ayurvedic perspective or to simply satisfy their curiosity. This first consultation is free. If a treatment programme is desired, Dr.Srilal will prepare a personalized detoxification and rejuvenation treatment plan for each individual. Central to the drawing up of a programme is the consultation. Through this the doctor will get a sense of what imbalances are present,and which one of the seven different type of body types is involved. Once a treatment programme is chosen, the doctor will then vary the use of treatment ingredients and medicines accordingly and administer the therapies.

The food in Ulpotha is almost entirely vegan, naturally gluten-free, with an abundance of fresh vegetables, organic red rice and tropical fruit. Based on traditional rice and curries from the area, no specific ‘Master Chef’ has had a hand in the cuisine. Instead the dishes served at Ulpotha have evolved over its 20 plus year existance by a simple process of elimination.

Ulpotha has been written about in culinary articles and is in the esteemed position of having a celebrated cookbook dedicated in its honour! A visit to Ulpotha is a good opportunity to detoxify your system without fuss.

Special diets cannot be catered for but it is fairly easy to pick and choose, depending on your taste, from the many dishes served at each meal. 

As we have no electricity, all food is freshly picked, un-refrigerated, and cooked in terracotta pots on open fires.

OPEN DATES: June - August & November - March
CLOSED DATES: April - May & September - October

The primary reason that Ulpotha is open for only part of the year is to protect its natural environment from excessive strain. For the same reason, guest numbers are restricted to 20 and our prices reflect the revenue needed to sustain this enchanting microcosm from year to year with the least possible environmental strain.

Ulpotha uses age-old organic and bio-dynamic farming methods to protect its flora and fauna and its spring-fed wells. No mechanised farming equipment is used. Everything is done by hand or with the help of buffaloes.

Almost all construction makes use of biodegradable materials. We are proud to say that, with the exception of stone works and the Walauwwa (the main house), the rest of Ulpotha will be seamlessly reclaimed by nature in a matter of months when Ulpotha comes to its inevitable end some day.

You fly into Sri Lanka’s primary international airport, Colombo Bandaranaike International airport, also known as the Kutuyanake airport, which is an hour North of the main city of Colombo and three hours to the Southwest of Ulpotha. It’s very much off the beaten track in the heart of Sri Lanka by a lakeside at the foot of the Galgiriyawa mountains. Geographically, it’s literally in the middle of country on a North-South axis and slightly to the West on an East-West one. In travel time it’s about 1 hour’s drive North from Kurunegala, or 2 hours Northwest from Kandy, and 3 hours Northeast from the airport.