Sunday, 10 Sep 2023
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Text and pix: Mahil Wijesinghe
It is not every day that you get a chance to spend a morning leisurely in a place steeped in history, art, architecture and peace. It was a prominent vision of the imposing edifice that stood in the misty morning sun light when I entered Independence Square at Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo’s luxurious residential area that nestled in the heart of the bustling city. The...
September is considered a literary month in Sri Lanka. Authors are awarded, volumes of new books published and mega book exhibitions organised to celebrate the month. The ten-day long Colombo International Book Fair at the BMICH opened on September 18. However, this year, the book fair is held under strict health regulations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the good old...
As we enter a new year and a new decade, images of incredible courage and resolution are imprinted in our minds. But most of the religious minded people gather at religious places to get blessings from their faith.
The most important centre of faith for Buddhists is at Kelaniya, ten kilometres northeast of the Colombo city and a short detour off the Kandy Road. Indeed,...
From the most expensive seafood to the more reasonably priced every day fish, the wholesale market in ‘Lellama’ in Duwa has it all
Thanks to the comfortable Colombo-Katunayake Expressway drive, it took me only half an hour from Colombo to Negombo. My destination was ‘Lellama’ a fish market in Duwa, a small fishing island adjacent to Negombo where my camera focused on the...
Ratnapura is blessed with beautiful settings surrounded by fertile greenery. The Batadombalena forest reserve is a journey of discovery amidst shallow streams and moss covered rocks. The surroundings are so peaceful that one could spend time in reflection listening to the gurgling sounds of flowing water. Since the Batadombalena forest is set away from human habitation,...
Text and pix: Mahil Wijesinghe
The silence was broken only by the cry of the peacock in the desolate, remote jungle beyond Ataragalleva. Here a colossal statue...
Although we had always wanted to visit the Handapanagala wewa (roughly translated as ‘rock where the moon shines’), it just did...
Trekking to Batadomba-lena cave
As we sat on the base of an excavation pit dug by the Department of Archaeology to unearth the skeletons of early inhabitants in...
The Dombagaskanda rainforest is a place of exceptional beauty, the Ceylon grey horn-bills nestling in the hole of a giant tree...
Every year from January to April, the Sabaragamuwa region is a mesmerizing picture for visitors who find time to enjoy nature’s...
I first visited the Magul Maha Vihara in 1990 with my mother during one of our regular pilgrimages to Kataragama. Normally,...
Meka den visabeejayak wela (This has become a germ, now), lamented a middle aged fisherman while I was taking photographs of the...
A gem merchant from Ratnapura with varied interests is enthralled with the idea of building a bridge of peace between the...
The ancient cultural concept of the Dagoba, Keth Yaya (paddy field), and Wewa (tank) revolved around the Pansala (temple) and...
This photographic essay is on Sri Lanka’s age-old relationship with temple elephants. During the days of the Esala Perahera, I...
“Jengjengtirikita, jengtakata taka… jengjengtarikitajeng…” the Sabaragamuwe ‘Daul Beraya’ and other drums are often heard from...
Maligathenna Raja MahaViharaya was our destination as we ventured up the rain-swept, slippery hill that nestles the bustling...
Near Ingiriya, meet a community of monastic Bhikkus thriving on the ancient discipline of meditation amidst tranquility in the...
Another day, another place, and we hear another story. As we journey along the road to Batticaloa, passing Manampitiya, we cross...
Grand offerings, Hevisi sounds and stanzas chanted by Bhikkus and fascinating, spiritual evenings attract hundreds of ...
With wild animals, water bodies and trees for company, at the dense Lahugala-Kumana forest, a team of enthusiastic nature and...
Having visited Dematamal Vihara (featured last week), my next destination on the same road was Maligawila, a vast monastic...
Being a land of ancient kingdoms, there is a temple in ruins in almost every corner of our country. Built by kings and princes,...
Tantirimale: The ruins of this ancient monastic complex on the banks of the Malwatu Oya transports us to another era where...
It was a bright sunny morning when we visited Padavigampola and its environs as the morning sun rays filtered through a vast...
Every journey has a beginning; a milestone, a map or a moment that inspires you to travel. When we started on the quest of...
It is not every day that you get a chance to spend a leisurely day in a place steeped in history, art, architecture and lore. My...
This is my second visit to Kitulgala. The first was in the first week of November and I was hoping to meet Samuel Perera now 69,...
It is the first day of an all-new Pirivena (Buddhist higher education institute). Young and impressionable, the youthful monks...
The Veddha or Adhivasi clan chieftain Wanniyala-Atto emphasizes that his clan is desperately trying to preserve what’s left of...
If any country can lay claim to the title ‘Elephant Nation’, then surely it is Sri Lanka. For centuries, the island’s elephants...
The attention of any visitor to the Southern Province is immediately drawn to the city of Galle and its maritime heritage of...
After venerating and offering pooja to the ‘Siyabalawa Devalaya’ at Kebilitta which is revered by pious devotees throughout the...
During the ancient Kandyan period, there was a unique type of Vihara called the ‘Tampita Vihara’ also known as, ‘Deva Matha...
The capital of the Southern Province, Galle is home to a population of around 100,000. Easily reached via the Southern Expressway...
I reached the Degaldoruva temple in a village called Amunugama around 11 in the morning, following a tumultuous journey on narrow...