How Cyclone Ditwa Shattered Our Village of Rajathalawa 🌀⛈️

April 02, 2026

The small village of Rajathalawa, centered around Gampola in the Kandy District, was a place of peace until the " Ditwa Disaster " struck us in a way we never imagined. From the 23rd to the 26th of November 2025, the rain poured down without a moment’s rest. Although a deep sense of dread lingered in the hearts of the villagers, fearing that something terrible might happen, no one in their wildest dreams thought nature would be this cruel to our village.

On the 27th, the streams and trees seemed to turn frantic and wild, bringing us the most tragic news of our lives. The lower part of the village had suffered a massive landslide. Over five or six houses were buried instantly, with people still inside them. The entire village was filled with a single, continuous wail of agony. People ran around like "mad cats," driven by the pure terror of the destruction and the overwhelming grief of losing neighbors who had served our village so selflessly.

According to the orders of high-ranking officials, we were no longer permitted to stay in our homes. In the pouring rain, we stuffed a couple of pieces of clothing into bags and fled through the thick jungle. There was no proper path for us to walk, as the roads were cracked and blocked by fallen trees. For over a week, we had to take refuge in a temple in the neighboring village to ensure everyone’s safety. It was a bitter, painful experience that I will never forget.

A few days later, the bodies of the deceased were recovered, plunging the entire village into deep shock once again. We couldn't even give those people a proper final farewell in a decent coffin, because there was no way to travel from the village to the town to buy one. Along with the Chief Priest of the village, the remaining people quickly put together wooden planks to make makeshift crates to bury them. It was a sight that shattered our hearts over and over again. Even then, only two or three bodies could be recovered. To this day, the unrecovered bodies of our loved ones lie decaying beneath that mound of earth.

It took more than a month to restore even a fraction of the village to its former state. For nearly a month, people struggled painfully to survive without electricity, water, food, or even a single CTB bus for transportation. Even today, the village has not returned to the way it was. Although the roads were cleared and electricity was restored, many houses remained cracked. People were ordered to leave the village for good, breaking the very essence of what we called a "village." Today, only a small group of people remains. Whenever we pass the landslide site, a heavy sigh escapes us as we look at the piled-up earth. If nature hadn't looked at our village so unkindly that day, our people would still be living in happiness.