It’s none other than Adisham in Haputale, a monastery run by Benedictine Monks. Having obtained permission for a short stay there, we started from Colombo at 7 a.m. on a working day. We took the road via Avissawella, Ratnapura, Belihuloya and Balangoda. On the way we stopped for lunch which took about an hour and reached Haputale about 1.30. A four kilometer drive from Haputale took us to Adisham.
The entrance to the bungalow had two iron gates, one for pedestrians, the other for vehicles. We stopped at the gate to find no one manning the security post. We did not want to disturb, yet to inform about our arrival, we made a telephone call. It was after sometime that the gate made of iron bars was opened. The drive was lined first with greenery and then with flowering trees and shrubs. We felt as if we were driving to a place far from the inescapable noise of urban life. Really it was! The Adhisham Bungalow stood before us, an Elizabethan country mansion in all its splendour.
The vehicle stopped circuiting the well-kept lawn.
A caretaker came out after some minutes. The friend who had communicated with the Reverend father to get permission for our group to come there told the caretaker that we came from Colombo. We got out of the vehicle and waited. A very young priest came towards us with a broad smile. He introduced himself and said he was in-charge of the place as the Reverend father was away for a few days. “You must be very tired having travelled the long distance from Colombo. Your rooms are in this wing on the first floor. Tea will be served at 4.O’ clock. In the evening I will take you round the bungalow”.
“How kind he is!”
“Yes. They are like that. They have undergone years of training, these Benedictine sect of priests,” said Chrisy.
For afternoon tea there were buns and pastries made in the ovens of the bungalow, with jam and marmalade turned out from its orchard harvests like strawberry, mango and pineapple. My mind turned to the days of my girlhood. Afternoon tea was a pleasant time for the family. My mother called it “tiffin.” Tea was invariable associated with something made at home, like pancakes, “lavariya” or “wanduappa” a type of steamed hoppers.
Now the sun was going down. From this 5,000 feet high vantage point, we could see hills and valleys and the highest mountain ranges of Sri Lanka. All of them were lighted by the setting sun’s bright rays. The closest ranges were clear. On their slopes, roads wound their way to various parts of the Hill Country. The distant ranges became more and more hazy. Yet, we were privileged to see Totapolakanda, Hakgala, Pidurutalagala and the Uda Pussellawa range of mountains. They were etched sharply on the skyline to form a curious outline called the “Sleeping Warrior”. Towards late evening, the valleys between the hills began to fill with mist. Walking on the garden paths with beds of outsize roses, and dahlias of varied colours right round and a constant cold wind, blowing from the forest clad hills we felt as if we were strolling in the lawns of an English mansion!
The people who come to work daily in the miscellaneous sectors of the bungalow were now leaving. We knew the evening prayers had started. A feeling of peace and tranquillity reigned the environs of this century-old mansion. The few priests were absorbed in their prayers. Our chatter too died down. We watched mist descending the hills and filling the valleys. It took only a few moments for the mist to fill the valleys concealing every feature in them. We were enthralled by the unbelievable silence and mist reaching the bungalow from all directions.
“Come in. I’ll show you the interior of Adhisham.” It was the voice of the Rev. Brother who welcomed us in the morning. The rooms occupied by Sir Thomas Villiers and Lady Villiers, the “Blue Room” and the “Horse Shoe Room” were spacious and beautifully done and preserved up-to date in every detail. All the rooms contain handsome fireplaces. Sir Thomas Villiers had taken every effort to make his country home a comfortable place to live in. The monastery has opened the main sitting room and the room which was originally the library of Sir Thomas Villiers for sight-seers. Its terraced lawns, flower-beds full of cabbage-roses, and orchards of apples and strawberries as well as the chirping of the green Barbets, and horn bills will give a visitor pleasant memories to cherish a lifetime.
