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By Jeevan Pereira

Ella is 270 kilometers away from Colombo by train and the Night Mail that sets off from Fort late evening takes 12 hours, bringing you there in the early hours of the morning. 

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The Ella Gap

What is so special about Ella, which is located just a few kilometers away from Bandarawela, is that it forms a big part of the Ramayana trails. The Ravana Falls, The Ravana Ella Cave and the Seetha Amman Kovil are just a few Kilometers away from the Ella town.

The story behind this is that ‘demon king’ Ravana is supposed to have taken the newly captured Seetha to his cave close to the Falls and is believed to have kept her in captivity there for severalyears.  A more colourful story says that Seetha and her maids bathed in the waters of the Ravana Ella and the famous Ella Gap is where Hanuman is said to have scrambled up in search of Rama’s queen.

A Growing Difference

Of late, the Ella town has changed from a sleepy provincial hamlet to a glittery tourist destination. It is not that it has lost its charm, but it has come a very long way from a mere pilgrims rest to a place that actually alt supports a night-life.  Where one can even indulge in the occasional Caribbean specialty - an ice cold Mojito.

But that’s at night.  In the day, it still maintains its aura of the old historic spot that will attract the Lonely Planet reader to discover the wonders of the legendary world of the Ramayana and remains a trekker’s paradise of mountain trails and breathtaking scenic pathways.

The first five minutes of the walk down from the Ella station would pander to that impression of a yet-to-develop-town with sparsely interspaced night-kades interspersed with a bakery at the most, yet the first instance one hits the heart of the town the scene changes into WiFi Cafés, Eateries with colourful Western sounding names as well as food and the most jaw dropping one of them all – a coffee shop advertising Special Cocktails from Pina Coladas to Cuba Libres.

Toothy Beetle Stained Grin

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The Grand Ella Motel

Ella shows growing evidence of catering to the tourist dream- from the variety of food it offers (pretty bland for the local palate) to its people who come up to you with a constant smile and offer free guide advice in English. What maybe surprising to the curious traveler is the smattering of English that the native of Ella has picked up all to the objective of catering to the rising tourist figures - even the old tea plucker sitting on her haunches will be saying: “Welcome! Welcome!” and “That way, that way,” with a toothy beetle stained grin. It is certainly helpful when climbing the Little Adams Peak (which rises over 1284m above sea level) but also helps to add to the charm of Ella.

And of course there are the places to stay which can be found at every turn and corner literarily. Ravana Heights, Alta Vista, Sunny Side and Country Comfort are some of the many signs pointing towards the higher plains of Ella promising a fantastic view with a place to rest.

The Grand Ella Motel, which is one of the oldest in the area and the most famous, was quite bereft of guests the day we arrived, yet I was told that January and February saw it full to the brim of visitors from around the world. The Motel has apparently seen a 5% to 10% increase in reservations over the past year, while most guests are from India and Europe, including France, I was told that the guests not only come for the Ramayana Trails but for the rock climbing and trekking as well.

Getting Noticed alt

Ella itself has hit the blogosphere and one entry from Boston Massechussettes on tripadvisor.com talks about Dream Café, calling it a rare exception at Western food made in Sri Lanka and that it has tasty dishes ranging from French onion soup to tuna steak that actually suit the palettes of the West.Evidence enough that Ella has managed to mould itself into the tourist ideal.