Text & pix by Mahil Wijesinghe | Sunday Observer

Text & pix by Mahil Wijesinghe

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Gadaladeniya Vihara
Sri Lanka is embellished by countless Viharas and Devalas. Not...
2023-09-02 18:30:00 0
Kandy: Elephants add glamour to Perahera
This photographic essay is on Sri Lanka’s age-old relationship with...
2023-08-26 18:30:00 0
Kandy: Jewel of the colonial heritage
I walked the streets of the beautiful hill country capital, the city...
2023-08-19 18:30:00 0
The Royal land
At this time of the year, during the month of Esala (July/August)the...
2023-08-05 18:30:00 0
Sri Dalada Delgamuwa Vihara
One of the grand cultural festivals of the island, the annual Esala...
2023-07-29 18:30:00 0
A soothing balm for mind and body
The mountains beckon. Anyone who has witnessed the resplendence of...
2023-07-15 18:30:00 0
Beira Lake and colonial influence
The Beira Lake is not an unfamiliar place to most of us, but very few...
2023-07-08 18:30:00 0
God Kataragama’s tree shrine of Kebilitta
It is an arduous pilgrimage to the sacred tamarind tree shrine of...
2023-07-01 18:30:00 0
The holy mountain of Vedasitikanda
I looked around Vedasitikanda in the distance, and saw a glistering...
2023-06-24 18:30:00 0
Kataragama Deviyo for all seasons
Pageantry, ceremony and ritual are part of everyday life in Sri Lanka...
2023-06-17 18:30:00 0
Rock-cut Samadhi statue in modern time
Kurunegala, or to use its historical name - Hasthihaliyapura and the...
2023-06-10 18:30:00 0
Kaludiya Pokuna: A secluded pool in Mihintale
We had an opportunity on a two-day historical excursion when the...
2023-05-27 18:30:00 0
Negombo’s colonial charm
One gloomy morning, I was in Negombo, the country’s fourth largest...
2023-05-20 18:30:00 0
The colonial heritage of Hambantota
A few decades ago, the delightful seaside resort of Hambantota was a...
2023-05-13 18:30:00 0
The search for insight
Near Ingiriya, in the Kalutara district, meet a community of monastic...
2023-05-06 18:30:00 0
Ancient splendour of Ruhuna
The sky was cloudy and not so bright in the morning when we drove...
2023-04-29 18:30:00 0
Bird watching, all about patience
This is the time of the year when nature is at her best and one...
2023-04-22 18:30:00 0
Buddhist rock cave temple in British colonial style
A Buddhist temple with a tinge of British flavour! This may sound odd...
2023-03-25 18:30:00 0
A majestic waterfall
You don’t have to go to Europe to visit picturesque mountain towns...
2023-03-18 18:30:00 0
Spiritual sanctuaries in estates
Roadside shrines dedicated to the elephant-headed Lord Ganesh and...
2023-03-11 18:30:00 0
Myriad hues of a hidden Eden
Last month, Sri Lanka Railways added a new train named ‘Seethawaka...
2023-02-25 18:30:00 0
Bodhi on the bank of Kalu Ganga
Although I prefer to visit the less frequented sites around the...
2023-02-11 18:30:00 0
Colonial gems of Ratnapura
Ratnapura, known as Minipura or the City of Gems is my adopted...
2023-02-04 18:30:00 0
Exploring heights of Pilikuththuwa
The ancient cultural concept of the Dagaba, Keth Yaya (paddy field)...
2023-01-21 18:30:00 0
Maligatenna: An abode of kings
The main drip-ledged cave shrine in the lower terraceThe Maligatenna...
2023-01-14 18:30:00 0
The dam that nurtures Uda Walawe
The sprawling Uda Walawe reservoir of Embilipitiya is one of the...
2023-01-07 18:30:00 0
A day in Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
As we enter a new year, images of incredible courage and resolution...
2022-12-31 18:30:00 0
Church that enhances serenity
The awe-inspiring 18th-Century Christ Church Warleigh in Dickoya is...
2022-12-24 18:30:00 0
A hidden world of green carpets
The sounds of birds in the wee hours in the jungle are soothing, as...
2022-12-17 18:30:00 0
Art repository of Kataluwa
The Southern part of Sri Lanka is dotted with exquisite Buddhist...
2022-12-10 18:30:00 0
Relics of an era
‘Ambalama’ is a Sinhala word for a wayside rest-house. I first saw...
2022-12-03 18:30:00 0
Ancient Dambadeniya splendour
Dambadeniya is a majestic, isolated and ancient city off the...
2022-11-26 18:30:00 0
A treasured discovery in Deliwela Kota Vehera
It was a bright sunny morning when we visited Padavigampola and its...
2022-11-19 18:30:00 0
Prehistoric dolmen in Padavigampola
A hamlet in the heart of rural Rambukkana, surrounded by paddy fields...
2022-11-12 18:30:00 0
Imposing rock cave temple in South
Mulgirigala (more commonly called Mulkirigala) is an imposing and...
2022-11-05 18:30:00 0
Forgotten Dutch monuments in Pettah
If, like me, you are a lover of Sinhala songs, you will no doubt have...
2022-10-29 18:30:00 0
Dutch legacy of Galle Fort
The Galle city is home to a population of around 100,000. Easily...
2022-10-22 18:30:00 0
An oasis in the city
Although I frequent remote places in the interior of the country, it...
2022-10-15 18:30:00 0
Dutch colonial architecture in Matara
The easiest way to get to Matara is by the Southern Expressway. The...
2022-10-08 18:30:00 0
A green dream
Imposing steep mountains clothed in a mantle of greenery with patches...
2022-10-01 18:30:00 0
Serenity of Kukuluwa rock cave temple
We set off in the wee hours of the morning to explore the not-so-well...
2022-09-24 18:30:00 0
Discovering Budugala
The sylvan surroundings of this ruined hermitage is also home to...
2022-09-17 18:30:00 0
Wattarama: The hermitage in the wilderness
Looking for something different, something more adventurous,...
2022-09-10 18:30:00 0
Splendour of the Maha Saman Devala Perahera in Ratnapura
I visited the Maha Saman Devala with my family at an auspicious time...
2022-09-03 18:30:00 0
Kelani Ganga: The holy river
The Kelani Ganga is not merely a river. It has holiness beyond...
2022-08-27 18:30:00 0
Seruvawila: The splendour of antiquity
On our journey, in search of the beauty of Trincomalee, we spent...
2022-08-20 18:30:00 0
The seascape echoes with spiritual serenity
Amid the blue ocean and lagoon, stands this thousand-year-old...
2022-08-13 18:30:00 0
A God for all seasons
Pageantry, ceremony and ritual are part of everyday life in Sri Lanka...
2022-08-06 18:30:00 0
If stones could speak
The nique Bodhigaraya (Bo-Tree enclosure) at the Padikemgala Raja...
2022-07-29 18:30:00 0
A forest enveloped in holiness
Ifirst visited the Magul Maha Vihara in 1990 with my mother during...
2022-07-02 18:30:00 0

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