Saptha Kanya ( si, සප්ත කන්යා) (''Meaning - Seven Virgins'') (also known as Upper
Laxapana Mountain Range) is a mountain range in
Maskeliya
Maskeliya is a town in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is the site of the 1974 crash of Martinair Flight 138, the worst air disaster in Sri Lanka.
It is known for its mountains, waterfalls, unique ethnic background and estates. The actu ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. In Tamil it is known as Anjimalai ( ta, அஞ்சிமலை) (''Meaning - The Five Peaks''). It is a ridge of seven peaks near the Norton Estate bordering the
Sabaragamuwa Province and
Central Province. The tallest peak is 1,569 m from the sea level.
Origin of Name
The literal meaning of the name Saptha Kanya is ''Seven Virgins''. However, folklore also mentions that the name is a corruption of ''Svaptha Kanya'', meaning ''Sleeping Virgin''.
Aircraft Incident
4 December 1974, the aircraft,
Martinair Flight 138
Martinair Flight 138 was a chartered flight from Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The aircraft was operated by the Dutch airline Martinair on behalf of Garuda Indonesia. On 4 December 1974, the aircraft, a McDonnell Dou ...
crashed into the mountain shortly before landing, killing all 191 people aboard – 182 Indonesian
hajj pilgrims bound for
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow val ...
, and 9 crew members.
See also
*
Geography of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, formerly called "Ceylon", is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Indian subcontinent, in a strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes. The nation has a total area of , with of land and of water. Its coa ...
*
List of mountains in Sri Lanka
The following page lists the mountain peaks of Sri Lanka.
Mountains
See also
* '
* '
References
{{Geography of Sri Lanka
Mountains
Sri Lanka
Mountains
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śr ...
References
Mountain ranges of Sri Lanka
Populated places in Nuwara Eliya District
Landforms of Central Province, Sri Lanka
{{SriLanka-geo-stub