Eat an Aggala and Climb My Son (අග්ගලා කන් ඩෝන් පුතා, හෙලේ නගින් ඩෝන් පුතා) Part II

The summit of the mountain is an amazing sight from near and far. According to chronicles the first trail to climb Sri Paada was established during the reign of King Vijayabahu" (1065-1119 AD). The first constructions at the summit have taken place during King Nissankamalla (1198-1206 AD). Since then the architecture at the summit has transformed from a simple shelter to a Kandyan style temple. Perhaps the present form of its architecture has come due to the difficulties of maintaining a building with a Kandyan style roof in a place that experience strong winds and rains.

The area surrounding the mountain is declared as “Peak Wilderness Sanctuary”. That means constructions within the reserve are highly regulated and controlled. That kind of protection is essential for the sustainability of the mountain eco-system of Sri Paada range. However, there was a proposal to construct a cable car system to make the pilgrimage easier. Perhaps the VIPs who do not want to experience the difficulty of climbing the mountain for hours or those who want to take advantage to make quick money are the proponents of this hideous idea. With that all kinds of commercial enterprises will follow. Perhaps the day we see hamburger and pizza franchises on the trails is not very far.

Garbage left by pilgrims has become the biggest environmental problem in recent times. People bring all sorts of processed food and leave the packages on the mountain. Although there are some small shops along the trails that sell food items, it is not easy to find a warm and tasty meal due to the cold temperature at the higher elevations. The rotis and breads sold in these shops look like frozen food and not appealing at all. However, it is possible to find a steaming cup of tea or coffee or herbal drink from those shops. The prices are also higher as you climb higher and higher. It is understandable because everything has to be hand carried to these shops.

In good old days people used to carry the necessary food with them in individual packages. Everyone except small children carried a shoulder bag called ‘sahalluwa (සැහැල්ලුව) which literally meant light carry bag. It contained a pack of cooked food, few snacks like ginger toffee (ඉඟුරු දෝසි) and biscuits, and a piece of warm cloth. There was also a piece of copra or a candle to light at the summit. More weight you carry, more difficult it is to climb. Therefore sahalluwa was a very logical idea. Nowadays, there are lighter back packs that make the climb even easier.

When my father used to lead groups of pilgrims we always left home before the dawn. Each member carried packs of home cooked breakfast and lunch. The banana leave used to pack food make them even more delicious. We consumed those foods at scenic spots on the route like Kithulgala. The Kelani river at Kitulgala became famous as the set of World War II movie “Bridge on the River Kwai” by David Lean. It has won 7 Oscars, 3 BAFTAs and 3 Golden Globes in 1958. In fact the original site of this bridge is in Kanchanaburi, Thailand but the movie was filmed in Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Some remnants of the set are still at the movie set. I have been to the original site of the bridge in Thailand many times with my friend Suparb who introduced me the exotic tastes of many Thai dishes.

After arriving at a base like Nallathanniya on Hatton route or Palabadgala on Rathnapura route, we rested for a while, dipped in the cool waters of a stream and cooked the dinner. Pots and pans for cooking could be rented from one of the few shops around. The dinner was also packed liked the breakfast and lunch and carried in the sahalluwa. The climb began around sunset. It is the best time to climb because of the cooler ambience. Until dinner is partaken at a spot on the trail, we had sweetmeats like inguru dosi and aggala to get some extra energy and keep warm. It is believed that loads of ginger in inguru dosi and pepper in aggala help to combat coldness. Aggala is the special food so much associated with the pilgrimage to Sri Paada. Some climbers sing in duet style… “අග්ගලා කන් …. ඩෝන් පුතා, හෙලේ නගින් …. ඩෝන් පුතා (Eat an Aggala and Climb My Son) to cheer up small children. Therefore, this piece is not complete without a description of aggala and a tale associated with it.

Aggala is somewhat similar to laddu in India. Unlike Laddu which comes in several tastes and colors, aggala has a unique taste and color. Besides that I do not think laddu contains generous amounts of pepper as in aggala. 

Making Aggala

You need palm treacle and roasted rice flour in 1:2 proportion. You also need salt and pepper according to your taste.  Broken pieces of raw cashew can be added for extra flavor. Keep some extra amount of roasted rice flour to coat aggala when formed in to balls.

In a round bottom pan boil the treacle over medium heat until thickened. If treacle is not available, you can boil sugar with some water until it becomes a slightly caramelized liquid. But do not let it become bitter by complete caramelizing. Remove pan from fire and add the roasted rice flour, salt and pepper (and cashew). Thoroughly mix the ingredients. The mixture should be malleable, not too soft, not too hard. 

When the temperature of the mixture has reduced enough to handle, form about 20-25Cm diameter balls. Press the balls with your palm and fingers to make them firm. Finally coat the balls with the reserved roasted rice flour.

Extra dash of freshly ground pepper is usually added to aggala for the pilgrimage to Sri Paada. That extra dash gave a hot kick to cheeks and ears to counteract with coldness. I think people selected to carry aggala for the journey because it is easy to carry. It also has load of sugar to give energy required for the climb.

Once a neighbor brought some aggala for the journey and distributed them among the group (called nade). But they were teeth breaking hard. I hit my aggala hard on a stone to break it into pieces. Seeing my action mother stopped me saying that it will hurt the feelings of that lady.

Therefore, the lessons for those who plan to make aggala are, (1) do not over boil treacle until it become like a toffee mixture, and (2) make them lightly with a compassionate feeling.