Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Thursday, 10 April 2014 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Neil Marine & Company officially handed over the river cruises to MMBL Group. This was inaugurated in the presence of K. Balasundaram, CEO/Director of MMBL-Pathfinder Group, Bernard Goonetilleke – Director, Nandana Dewage – Director and Ranjith Priyantha – Officer in charge of boat yard.
Maha Naga will be available for charter by tour operators in the approaching holiday season, as an added tourist attraction. Maha Naga is built by internationally reputed Neil Marine & Company in its boatyard in Negombo and is equipped with life vests and rings for passenger safety.
Seating is in groups, with four individual seats, two facing each other, and a table in the middle to accommodate food and drink. The boat will have facilities for serving hot/cold beverages as well as other refreshments. A built-in modern washroom facility is an added feature for passenger comfort.
Maha Naga is fitted with two 40 h.p. outboard motors and a 1,000 litre fuel tank to enable reasonably long voyages, up the Kelani River, to the Negombo Lagoon on the Hamilton Canal or in the open sea.
Maha Naga, a name well-entrenched in ancient history and folklore, was a deliberate choice for the tourist boat. It symbolically links one of the three aboriginal tribes of Sri Lanka, the seafaring Nagas, who once inhabited Kelaniya and its surroundings, and the current headquarters of the MMBL-Pathfinder Group in Kelaniya.
The other two other aboriginal tribes were ‘Yakshas’ and ‘Devas’. The Nagas lived in the north and in Kelaniya – the maritime areas of the island’s western seaboard. Maha Naga was the brother of King DevanamPiyatissa and son of King Mutaseeva, who fled to Ruhuna, and eventually, established a kingdom there. Ancient history also provides information on the relationship that existed between the Ruhuna and Kelaniya kingdoms.
Creating an ambience of peace and restfulness similar to the world’s largest mangrove eco region of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, this boat cruise will take a meandering route through undisturbed mangroves of the Muthurajawela wetland located south of Negombo and covers approximately 15,000 acres (6,000 h.a.) including Negombo Lagoon. This is a virtual paradise for nature lovers with spectacular variety of endemic fauna and flora. Occasionally visitors are rewarded with a swishing glimpse of crocodiles or gracefully gliding pythons which are an intrinsic part of the Muthurajawela habitat. 
The quietness of the mangroves and brackish water provide impeccable conditions to breed crabs, popularly known as ‘Ceylon Crabs’ in Singapore and prawns. Passengers will be afforded an exclusive opportunity to buy fish fresh from the water, from vendors, who have set up stalls along the canal. Eventually, there will be tours to explore the fishing villages around Negombo.
The opportunities opening up for river cruises are endless as more passenger boats such as Maha Naga are launched in time to come. Deep and insightful explorations of Sri Lanka’s famous Kelani River are a distinct possibility. Foreign and domestic tourists enamoured by history will find a treat in exploring locations rich in history, around the Avissawella- Ruwanwella area. Maha Naga will undertake cruises all the way to Avissawella, which encompasses the ancient Seethawaka Kingdom, ornamented by wondrous tales of heroism against foreign invaders.
This venture reflects the dynamic initiatives of the Ministry of Economic Development to promote new facets of tourism, and the proactive facilitating role of the Western Province Tourist Board.
Furthermore, the Urban Development Authority of the Ministry of Defence is currently engaged in developing waterways in and around Colombo, which adds to the significance of this venture as a novel tourist attraction.
The canal system of the colonial period provides access from the Kelani river all the way up to the Parliamentary complex in Sri Jayawardenepura, and beyond, to Bolgoda Lake, finally connecting with Kalu Ganga. The UDA effort to develop the canal system will greatly benefit enhanced river cruises and waterway explorations in time to come.
And so, it is that MMBL Leisure Holdings Ltd. is at the threshold of showcasing a new dimension in Sri Lanka’s eco-tourism industry. MMBL-Pathfinder Group has, in recent times, ventured into several untrodden areas of tourism by engaging in niche investments through joint ventures with blue chip companies in the country.
Among them are two noteworthy joint ventures with the Jetwing Group – the development of a city hotel Yarl Hotel, currently under construction in Jaffna, and a pioneering tourism project introducing indigenously developed luxury houseboats in the Benthara River. MMBL-Pathfinder Group is a joint venture partner of Cinnamon Air, a domestic scheduled airline that commenced operations in 2013.
MMBL-Pathfinder Group’s Head Office could be reached on 11 452 99 00, for more information on river cruises. Pix by Ravi J. Arachchige
