The Healing Water of Madunagala

The tiny bubbles that surfaced the dark waters shimmered in their constant up ward journey; they were little globules of air that resembled silky pearls. Over the moving ripples a misty smoke left the water, soon dispersing as it mingled with the warm southern air. Miraculously medicinal, the Madunagala hoe water wells in Mahapalassa in the south of Sri Lanka have stood the test of time, generously offering their healing waters to the throngs of people that have for years gathered to bathe.

At the entrance, we were initially greeted by a series of stalls that sell local fruits, sweets & various trinkets & knickknacks to the hundreds of people that come to the hot water spring each day, with vendors beckoning us to try a ripe mango or taste one of the many soothing medical herbal drinks on offer.

The spring stood in the form of a series of wells huddled in a group of six. In the centre stood the main but smallest, surrounded by a few larger ones resembling the petals of a flower. A few people had already gathered around with plastic buckets and cans pouring the hot water over their heads.

The high temperature of a hot spring is a result of the heat from the earth’s mantle, which is often referred to as geothermal heat. The temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth & whenever water seeps deep enough into the earth’s crust it will be heated as it meets these rocks.

Hot springs in Sri Lanka are distributed along a narrow land belt running from Hambanthota to Trincomalee within the boundary of three main geological plates; the Wanni, Highland & Vijayan complex. The Madunagala hot spring is located in the Highland & Vijayan boundary. This hot spring is 11,582ft deep with its water running at a speed of about 645ml per second, and is of varying temperatures.

I eagerly dipped my hand in each of the wells curiously exploring the varying degrees of heat that engulfed it. The smallest well sitting in the centre was actually the highest in temperature. At 440’c the water was bubbling, releasing a thin smoke into the air. The water from the rest of the wells stood at varying temperatures of 38’C , 32’C and 26’C.

The hot water is said to consist of 22 elements such as Sulphate, Nitrate, Calcium, Sodium and chloride. The combination of these elements as well as other minerals blended in the water is said to cure skin aliments, arthritis, asthma and a number of other chronic illnesses. To gain the healing effects of this water however, one must avoid the use of soap. “ the water from these wells have very strong healing powers that can not only cure physical ailments but it also has the power to relax your mind”, said one of the visitor as he slowly poured a bucket of hot water from the smallest well on his feet. 

No one knows exactly when or by whom the hot water spring was discovered but the local folk believes that during the 5^th century BC group of 12000 Buddhist monks from a nearby temple, suffering from an incurable skin rash had been told of its miraculous healing quality through a dream. Thereafter they had cleared the jungle in search of the spring which had ultimately cured them.

Since then, it has been conserved and believed to have miraculous healing powers by the hordes of people that come from across the country each day to bathe in its powers spend a few hours cleansing body & mind with the healing waters of Madunagala leaving thereafter refreshed and happy.