Yudaganawa in Wasgamuwa National Park
The Ramayana Trail legend has it that Yudaganawa (also called Yudaganapitiya) was the arena for the final battle between Rama and Ravana. It is said that the destruction caused by this war is the reason why this piece of land can never bear any vegetation again. Similar to Ussangoda in the Deep South, Yudaganawa in Wasgamuwa National Park has a rocky and serpentine soil. This kind of soil contains high concentrations of poisonous heavy metals. Only few plant species tolerate these metals. (Many tour operators mix up the Yudaganawa barren land in Wagamuwa National Park with the more famous Yudaganawa excavation area near Buttala in the south of the island, where the huge Buddhist Kinkine Vehera is situated. But this southern Yudaganawa at the A4 mainroad is not at all a barren land and it is located far away from the other Ramayana trail sites connected with the final battle between Lord Rama and King Ravana.)

