lanka matha

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:41:00 +0000

A top International Monetary Fund official expressed concern Wednesday about overall inflation in emerging countries beyond the current spike in food and commodity prices.

Naoyuki Shinohara, IMF deputy managing director, highlighted signs of a broadening upward pressure on prices in a speech to Asian central bankers in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

"Prices for both oil and non-oil commodities rose considerably in 2010, partly in response to strong global demand, but also because of supply shocks for selected commodities, such as weather-related crop damage," he said, according to the prepared text on the IMF website.

"Upward pressure on prices is expected to persist in 2011," he warned.

Shinohara noted that the uptick in consumer price inflation in emerging economies in 2010 was due partly to rising food prices, but the recent bout of high food price inflation "has been quite persistent and is beginning to feed into overall price inflation in a number of emerging economies."

In Asia, "core inflation has also begun to rise -- although the degree of acceleration has varied quite a bit across the region -- suggesting that price pressures are broadening," he said.

The region's economic conditions are ripe for rising prices, he explained.

On one hand, "real wage growth has also picked up in a number of Asian economies on the back of relatively low and falling unemployment and anecdotal evidence of skill shortages," he said.

However, credit growth, which slowed significantly during the global financial crisis, he said, "has turned the corner and is running at robust rates across emerging Asia."

The IMF projects that in 2011 Asia will remain the fastest-growing region in the world, with output rising 8.5 percent in the developing countries.

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COLOMBO CITY TOUR

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:31:00 +0000

  The Colombo City Tour is Colombo's first ever open deck city tour service launched by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority and Ebert Silva Holidays (Pvt) Ltd, in a public - private partnership. Ebert Silva Holidays is the leisure wing of Ebert Silva Group. Ebert Silva Touring Company Ltd is one of the pioneering and largest passenger transport companies in Sri Lanka and also the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for the Best Domestic Tour Operator in years 2007 & 2008.

  The Colombo City Tour adds flavor and excitement to the touristic experience the city of Colombo has to offer, further promoting & enhancing the Tourism Industry consonant with the " Mahinda Chinthanaya " the Vision of H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

  The imposing open-deck double decker bus of the Colombo City Tour has proved to be a magnetic ‘happening’ in the city of Colombo, where both the foreign and local tourists who have experienced the Colombo City have been highly impressed by the panoramic view of Colombo seen and experienced on board the open deck. Thecomprehensive and detailed live commentary enlightens the passengers of the history of this charming city with detailed descriptions of all important places and landmarks of Colombo.

Exotic Botanical Gardens in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:07:00 +0000

Exotic Botanical Gardens in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 03:05:00 +0000

The botanical gardens, embellished with motley of ornamental flowers and exotic plants, are perceived as jewels emblazoned in the picturesque landscape of the island. These gardens are a rich storehouse of a variety of flora collected from all across the world .

Peradeniya Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka

This exotic and beautiful botanical garden in Sri Lanka is situated in the Hill capital, Kandy. Located 4 miles off Kandy and 68 miles off-Colombo, Peradeniya is well know for its large variety of plants ornaments, a variety of other creepers that produce the special spices in Sri Lanka. The great lawns highlight huge tropical trees and various species of bamboo can be found in some places.

The best-known attraction of the garden is the Orchid House, which houses more than 300 varieties of exquisite orchids. A spice garden gives you a first hand introduction to the trees and plants used for the traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Mahaweli river, Sri Lanka's longest river surrounding the area gives an added beauty to this garden. It wont be wrong to say that this garden is one of the best kind in the world and the best in Asia..

Hakgala Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka

This beautiful Botanical Garden is just 10 kms away from Nuwara Eliya City and 180 Km from Colombo. It is the place where flora from far and wide are seen at home. The site has a mythical connotation with many believing that it was once the pleasure garden of the demon king Ravana of the epic Ramayana and the very place where the beautiful Sitha was hidden. It was only in 1860 that the present botanical garden was founded by the British botanist Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites, who was the Superintendent of the more famous gardens at Peradeniya.

The exotic plants found in Hakgala include conifers and cedars from Australia, Bermuda and Japan, and cypresses from the Himalayas, China and as far flung places as Persia, Mexico and California. A special variety of pine was introduced from New Calendonia and there are specimens of this genus from the Canary Island as well. Another interesting tree that adorns this garden is an English oak, planted around 1890, in memory of the famous "hearts of oak" of Britain's naval power.

In addition, there are, for the tourists’ delight, the rose garden and the fernery. The garden will surely send a visitor into reverie.Plants and trees from around the world could be seen at home in the Hakgala Botanical Gardens, just 10km away from Nuwara Eliya City. Hakgala is one of the places one visits as an essential part of a pleasant journey in the famous hill resort of Nuwara Eliya. The site is legendary.

Independence celebration

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 04:31:00 +0000

Change attitudes for true freedom & progress - President at Independence celebrations

The people of our country must change their attitudes about future progress of the country, similar to the manner in which they began to think afresh about achieving victory over the forces of terror. There is the need for an enormous attitudinal change from children to adults to achieve national development, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the nation at the 63rd celebration of Independence in Kataragama today (4 Feb).

This is the true freedom that we believe in, he stressed.

Similar to the success of our conviction that terrorism could be defeated, we have also shown our ability to build large power stations at Norochcholai, Upper Kothmale and Kerawalapitiya, build massive ports in Hambantota and Colombo, develop major irrigation schemes as in Moragahakanda and Uma Oya, and make our cities clean, he said.

He pointed out that all of this will not make our freedom meaningful in the absence of a law-abiding society. 'Therefore, we are committed to building a law-abiding society. The respect for discipline in a society is essential for development.'

President Rajapaksa added that the country cannot be developed solely on popular decisions. 'Inconvenient and difficult decisions are also necessary for the nation's progress. It is the nation's responsibility to take hard and difficult decisions to bring light to the future of our children, rather than take popular decisions that will lead them to darkness ahead', he said.

Following is the Speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the celebrations of the 63rd Anniversary

of Independence in Kataragama.

(04 Feb 2011)

Friends,

I am extremely proud to address you as a nation that has shown immense commitment to the freedom of the motherland.

On this occasion, I remember all heroes who fought for freedom against the world's dangerous invaders and bestowed upon us with a heritage that is precious and invaluable. I also remember with great honour all the war heroes who sacrificed their lives to defeat terrorism.

Friends,

Winning freedom is a challenge faced by every nation. Safeguarding that freedom is an even greater challenge.

The freedom struggle of a country may end in a particular time span. Yet, protecting that freedom is a task that remains forever. We must realize that it is a great struggle continuously carried out with patience, vigilance and love for the country. Therefore, unlike in the past, we have taken many giant strides towards upholding and strengthening that freedom as never taken before.

We now face the immense challenge of restoring all that was lost to the nation, except the lives of those lost, in the thirty years of terrorism. The history of the world has shown that it needs a great deal of time to rebuild a nation that has faced such devastation.

Even at this moment, many countries in the world undergo much hardship due to effects of adverse weather and climate change. Our own citizens living in some parts of our country also face these conditions. Although we are unable to control the effects of extreme weather, we are committed to uplift all those who have fallen victim to it. We have already allocated a large amount of funds for this work and sent it to the authorities concerns.

Friends,

Whatever the obstacles, we shall not delay to regain the lost opportunities for economic development. The best example is that before two years have passed, areas that were littered with deadly landmines are now prosperous and beautiful with a bountiful harvest.

The per capita income in our country had been increased only to USD 1030 through sixty years since attaining Independence. Yet, in the past five years the GDP was increased to USD 2400. Similarly, electricity, supply of water, irrigation and the road network has been expanded throughout the country.

Education and healthcare services have been improved. The public service has been strengthened. The economic environment necessary to expand private sector activity has been established. The rate of unemployment has been brought to a record low.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced persons have been resettled, and necessary steps were taken to uplift the lives of people in all areas. Similarly, we have built enormous bridges such as those at Sangupitti, Kinniya, Manampitiya, Mannar and Katugastota, and flyovers around Colombo. The massive development of roads has been carried out throughout the country. Electricity facilities have been expanded in all areas. Steps were taken to develop dry zone areas through irrigation projects such as Moragahakanda, Uma Oya, Deduru Oya, Weheragala and Rambukan Oya, and the restoration of a large number of ancient irrigation tanks and systems.

Similar to hospitals and schools, the university facilities too have been expanded. The first Nena Sala was established at Kiri Vehera with the blessings of the Kataragama deity. Today, Nena Salas are spread throughout the country. Computer literacy was brought to a high level within five years. Steps were taken to build sports stadiums of international standard at Diyagama, Suriyawewa and Pallekale, especially for our children. We were able to protect our national assets as well as restore and rebuild them as needed. Accordingly, a new airline - Mihin Lanka - was established, the national airline that had been sold out was given to the ownership of the people, and the ownership of the Gas Company was also bestowed to the people. Our nation can therefore, be proud of the past five years as being the most meaningful period since Independence in moving forward with peace and development.

However, much remains to be won in the cause of freedom. There should be opportunity for our people to enjoy the victories and successes obtained by those in the countries of the developed world. Our aim should be the eradication of poverty. For that we need to expand employment opportunities. We must become a high income country by expanding the avenues for income generation. Our freedom will be sustainable only when the gap between the rural and urban sectors is removed, by further expanding services such as electricity, roads, telecommunication, education and healthcare.

Our march forward is most decisive.

The Independence Day celebrations formerly held in Colombo, is now brought to the village. Mahinda Chintana shows the way to a strong, self-sufficient economy. What we expect from such an economy is not only to produce a successful business community but also paddy farmers with a good earning capacity. We also look towards agriculturists who will get the best prices in the world market by supplying vegetables and fruits, as well as tea, rubber and coconut, and also to industrialists who supply goods that are suited to international standards. We look forward to a productive economy that will add value to the produce of our own soil. The goal of the Mahinda Chintana is to bestow on our people their rightful inheritance from our land and the sea around us.

This is the true freedom that we believe in. The people of our country must change their attitudes about future progress of the country, similar to the manner in which they began to think afresh about achieving victory over the forces of terror. There is the need for an enormous attitudinal change from children to adults to achieve national development.

Yet, all of this will not make our freedom meaningful in the absence of a law-abiding society. Therefore, we are committed to building a law-abiding society. The respect for discipline in a society is essential for development.

The country cannot be developed solely on popular decisions. Inconvenient and difficult decisions are also necessary for the nation's progress. It is the nation's responsibility to take hard and difficult decisions to bring light to the future of our children, rather than take popular decisions that will lead them to darkness ahead.

Friends,

We are a country that respects the policy of non-alignment. We have close relationships with all countries. We appreciate the support extended to us in recovering from natural and man-made disasters as well as to take our development forward.

We are one of Asia's oldest democracies. Similar to this democracy, the unity and unitary nature of our motherland should be protected. We have traversed a mature democratic path where we are able to solve our own problems. We have shown the world the humanitarian and democratic values of our society in rebuilding after the destruction of the tsunami and resettling the internally displaced.

As a nation that inherits a proud history of 2500 years, we have a tradition of caring for and giving shelter to all species amongst us and protecting the greenery and environment around us. Our commitment towards human rights is the heritage handed down to us from this historic cultural tradition. Similar to the right of all citizens to the freedom of expression, it is also their duty and responsibility to respect the dignity of the motherland in enjoying that freedom. I wish to emphasize this is also the responsibility of the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and all communities among us, as well as of all political parties.

Friends,

King Dutugemunu commenced his journey to unite this motherland with blessings from this sacred land of the deity of Kataragama. Many of the successful freedom struggles in our history commenced with blessings from this sacred land of Kataragama. It is with similar blessings that I, as the leader of a mature democratic nation, take on with responsibility and confidence, the task of this era -- to align you in the forefront of a rising nation of Asia.

At this decisive time in our country, I trust that you will be with me in carrying out this task, sharing with me the love for our motherland.

May the Noble Triple Gem Bless you!

May the blessings of the Deity of Kataragama be with you!

sri lanka blog site

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:25:00 +0000

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:28:00 +0000

Cricket is considered as a religion in India and people are crazy about Cricket, especially in this part of the world. With ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 coming in the year 2011, the game would rise to new levels. If you are a Cricket fan searching for ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule, Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams, then you need not to go elsewhere as you will get information on Cricket World Cup 2011 fixtures, Cricket World Cup 2011 venue and Cricket World Cup 2011 teams and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 schedule and every other info about ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be the 10th World Cup. Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, 9 Cricket World Cups have been organized by ICC. Australia have emerged winner on the most occasions – 4. Closely following is West Indies, who won the inaugural and the very next World Cup. All the Indian Subcontinent teams – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have won 1 World Cup each. Australia won in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007. West Indies won on 1975 (the first World Cup) and 1979. India won the World Cup in 1983, Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and Sri Lanka won in 1996.

Match	Date	Teams	Venue
1	19 Feb	India vs Bangladesh	Dhaka
2	20 Feb	New Zealand vs Kenya	Chennai
3	20 Feb	Sri Lanka vs Canada	Hambantota
4	21 Feb	Australia vs Zimbabwe	Ahmedabad
5	22 Feb	England vs Netherlands	Nagpur
6	23 Feb	Pakistan vs Kenya	Hambantota
7	24 Feb	South Africa vs West Indies	New Delhi
8	25 Feb	Australia vs New Zealand	Nagpur
9	25 Feb	Bangladesh vs Ireland	Dhaka
10	26 Feb	Sri Lanka vs Pakistan	Colombo
11	27 Feb	India vs England	Kolkata*
12	28 Feb	West Indies vs Netherlands	New Delhi
13	28 Feb	Zimbabwe vs Canada	Nagpur
14	1 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Kenya	Colombo
15	2 Mar	England vs Ireland	Bangalore
16	3 Mar	South Africa vs Netherlands	Mohali
17	3 Mar	Pakistan vs Canada	Colombo
18	4 Mar	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Ahmedabad
19	4 Mar	Bangladesh vs West Indies	Dhaka
20	5 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo
21	6 Mar	India vs Ireland	Bangalore
22	6 Mar	England vs South Africa	Chennai
23	7 Mar	Kenya vs Canada	New Delhi
24	8 Mar	Pakistan vs New Zealand	Pallekelle
25	9 Mar	India vs Netherlands	New Delhi
26	10 Mar	Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe	Pallekelle
27	11 Mar	West Indies vs Ireland	Mohali
28	11 Mar	Bangladesh vs England	Chittagong
29	12 Mar	India vs South Africa	Nagpur
30	13 Mar	New Zealand vs Canada	Mumbai
31	13 Mar	Australia vs Kenya	Bangalore
32	14 Mar	Pakistan vs Zimbabwe	Pallekelle
33	14 Mar	Bangladesh vs Netherlands	Chittagong
34	15 Mar	South Africa vs Ireland	Kolkata
35	16 Mar	Australia vs Canada	Bangalore
36	17 Mar	England vs West Indies	Chennai
37	18 Mar	Sri Lanka vs New Zealand	Mumbai
38	18 Mar	Ireland vs Netherlands	Kolkata
39	19 Mar	Australia vs Pakistan	Colombo
40	19 Mar	Bangladesh vs South Africa	Dhaka
41	20 Mar	Zimbabwe vs Kenya	Kolkata
42	20 Mar	India vs West Indies	Chennai
43	23 Mar	First Quarterfinal	Dhaka
44	24 Mar	Second Quarterfinal	Colombo
45	25 Mar	Third Quarterfinal	Dhaka
46	26 Mar	Fourth Quarterfinal	Ahmedabad
47	29 Mar	First Semifinal	Colombo
48	30 Mar	Second Semifinal	Mohali
49	02 Apr	FINAL	Mumbai
*To be confirmed. Most probably it would be played in M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (Bangalore).

Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Sri Lanka is the only country providing a safe retreat for young orphaned elephants. Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka is one of the two such sanctuaries in Sri-Lanka tending and caring for the domestic baby elephants and this has now become quite well known worldwide.Pinnawela elephant Orphanage is the home for about 60 elephants, out of which many are baby elephants found, abandoned or orphaned in the wild. They are being taken care, fed and trained by the wild life authorities. The best time to visit is during the feeding times, when one will have the opportunity of seeing the baby elephants being bottle-fed.Pinnawela elephant orphanage is located northwest of the town Kegalla, 77 Kms from capital Colombo and about 13 Km. from Kegalle Town on the Kegalle- Rambukkana Road.. It was started in 1975 by the Sri Lanka Wildlife department. These 24 acres large elephant orphanage is also a breeding place for elephants, 68 elephants were born since 1984, and it has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world.The orphanage was primarily designed to afford care and protection to the many baby elephants found in the jungle without their mothers. In most of these cases the mother had been either killed or dead. In some instances the baby had fallen into a pit and in others the mother had fallen in and died.

Water falls

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 05:21:00 +0000

Picturesque Water falls in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Sri Lanka is blessed with all the essential ingredients to form a variety of picturesque waterfalls. Numerous rivers and streams amounting to more than 100, precipitous mountain ranges and platens, rains from two monsoons, convectional and cyclonic rains get together to form the most attractive falls .The mountains of Sri Lanka abound with waterfalls of exquisite beauty. The island is blessed with 103 rivers and more than 130 waterfalls and many of them are virtually unknown, hidden away in forest or approached by steps and remote tea plantation tracks. In fact for it’s size Sri Lanka has recorded water falls than another country. Sri Lanka’s numerous rivers, fed by two half yearly monsoons, with topography of high and steeply scarped peneplains, and riverbeds of hard erosion-resistant metamorphic rock, all provide ideal ingredient for the formation of waterfalls.To experience the true essence of Nature in the land of scenic beauty, Sri Lanka, it is a must to visit at least a few of the innumerable waterfalls of the country.Remarkable compact of the highland most in the centre rising abruptly and plateau like in character which is likened to a huge watered fortress and had been used as such during the European invasions of the Portuguese Dutch and the British. If not for the treachery of some Sinhala Chiffons, Lanka ‘s hill country would not have fallen into the hands of the British so easily.The formation of the Hill country is most conducive to the formation of waterfalls in Sri Lanka . The unbroken, mountain wall in the south rises abruptly to a more than 5000’ for a distance of about fifty miles or so thus forming a precipitous nature vary favourable for the formation of waterfalls. This natural feature combined with a number of rivers radiating from the central hills flowing all around to the lowland forming a large number of cascades of which a considerable amount is spectacular to behold. Number of waterfalls thus formed are numerous in proportion to the size of the island. Some of those are really hidden in the elevated mountainous jungles, you could only reach them by foot or through narrow tracks formed by the tea pluckers in the steep tea plantations, most of those falls are confined to the centre, south and east of the hills and a few to the west and many of the falls could be seen in the N’ Eliya and Badulla districts.

Some of the major water falls in Sri lanka with their distinctive features can be named as the following:

- The tallest Bambarakanda Ella (241 metres), that looks as if liquid light is pouring down.

- The grand Diyaluma Waterfall, 171 metres in height.

- The Duhinda Falls that has a number of fables attached to its name.

- The striking Bopath Ella that derives its name from the sacred Bo tree's leaf and is also renowned to be a famous picnic spot.

- The Ravana Ella which associates itself to the great epic, Ramayana and is named after the powerful king of Lanka, Ravana.

- The Saint Claire's which combines two waterfalls the Maha Ella and the Kuda Ella.

- The Kirindi Ella falls that merges itself into the Denewak Ganga.

- The gigantic Galagediyana Ella, which is one of widest falls of Sri Lanka.

- The Devon's Waterfall that gives a peculiar appearance because of its compilation of three cascades.

- The ecstatic Alupolla Ella that lies close to Ratnapura.

- Laxapana (115 metres)

- Rathna falls (111metres)

They are at their fullest capacity during the wet season (except Laxapana which gets rain throughput the year) from October – March when there is heavy rains in the Dry zone. Especially Bambarakanda and Diyaluma depict an extremely attractive panorama with a soft white trail of unbroken mass of foam gliding down gracefully. You should not miss such an eye-catching spectacle,

Main access to Bambarakanda is through a motor able road through Haputale Kalupahana the latter about 22 kms from Balangoda and 32 kms from Wellawaya,

Diyaluma falls fed by Poonagala Oya could be seen from Koslanda – Wellawaya road and is 13 kms from Wellawaya town. There is a legend behind Diyaluma falls and the people believe that this is a work of a god for a young prince to weep forever in this wilderness, whose runaway romance ended in the death of his beloved.

Ravana falls visible from the Ella-Wellawaya road near Udunuwara village is connected with the great Epic Ramayana and the people still believe that Sita, Rama’s wife had been hidden in a cave behind the falls by Ravana, the great King of Lanka who abducted Sita.

Bakers falls gets its name from Samuel Baker who discovered it and this is a good break on the way to the world’s end at Horton Plains.

One of the most famous is the Devon falls about 95 kms high and several cascades joining together to add to its beauty and named after a pioneer coffee planter Devon and could be reached along Hatton – N’Eliya road.

Another magnificent falls is Diyaluma in the Badulla district fed by Badulu Oya, tributary of Mahaweli. This about 63 kms high fall is one of the broadest and its breath taking beauty adds to the dignity of Badulla, and ancient Hill capital and at present the chief city of the Uva Province. One can reach the fall travelling about 5 kms from Badulla along Badulla – Mahiyangana road and follow a footpath for another 2 kms.

Striking Bopath falls is famous for its, shape of a Bo – leaf and falls from a height for about 100’. This unique formation itself adds to its beauty with a perfect heart shaped leaf resembling a leaf of the scared Bo – tree of the Buddhist and getting its name BO – path. This is located about 15 kms. For Colombo – Ratnapura road and seems to be a favourite picnic spot.due to its proximity to Colombo. You will have to take the turn at the Higastenna junction and drive to view this spectacular falls.

Train journey between Nanu Oya and Ambewela gives a good view of the 75 feet high Elgin Falls. When dropping from a precipitous rock face resembles a bridal veil is Bridal Falla, which could be viewed from the winding highway to the Nuwara Eliya plateau. St Clares said to be widets waterfall in Sri Lanka and comprises 2 falls namely Maha Ella, 80 metres in height and in three cascades to Kotamale Falls and Kuda Ella 60 m height falls into the Kotamala Falls too; could be viewed from about 3 kms from Talavakelle. Another beautiful one is Ratna Falls close to Kandy – Mahiyangana main road. Snake – shaped Garandi Falls is at Ramboda – Talawatanne of the Nuwara Eliya district. At the top, two eaterways are combined and falls as one downwards. Claos to this one, there is anothert named ramboda falls and when you travel to Nowara Eliya through Peradeniya, both Falls could be viewed.

Apart from these there are other falls you could easily behold; Alupola Falls 200 feet high is 25 Kms away from Ratnapura in the Wewalwatta village; Lover’s Leap 100 feet high starts as small fountain from the Southern slope of Pidurutalagola, highest mountain in Sri Lanka; Mawanella Falls is in the Iunuwatte village could be reached travelling 35 kms from Nuwara Eliya towards Udapussellawa and another 13 Kms towards Napola gap. Ramboda falls could be viewed from the Ramboda Bazar on the Nuwara Elita – Ramboda road. On of the widest Falls is the Galagediyanna falls is close to Colombo and off Dedigama where the famous Kotaveraha Dagoba is located, 35 feet high waterfalls offers a breath taking sight; Dhuwilli falls situated below the Samanala wewa a reservoir and 27 Kms from Balangodo town and walk about 3 kms after coming to Kaltota.

This spectator gift of nature to Sri Lanka should never be missed when you visit this isle !!!!

Philippines to offer medical tourist visas

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:02:00 +0000

Allowes foreigners to stay in the country for six months without applying for extensions as regular tourists are required

The Philippines said Tuesday it would introduce special medical visas for foreigners, as the country seeks to grab a bigger share of Asia's booming health tourism industry.

The medical tourist visas, to be introduced this year, will allow foreigners to stay in the country for six months without having to apply for extensions as regular tourists are required to do, according to the Bureau of Immigration.

"The visa will help the Philippines become competitive in the lucrative medical tourism market in Asia now dominated by Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand among others," immigration bureau deputy head Ronaldo Ledesma told AFP.

The government is banking on its English-speaking and internationally trained doctors among its advantages, as well as medical and surgical costs that are up to 50 percent cheaper than the United States or Europe.

"We are blessed with a rich pool of doctors, nurses and other health professionals and we might as well exploit this opportunity to cash in on the medical tourism boom," Ledesma said.

"We are optimistic that once we begin offering this visa, we will have more visitors from Europe and the United States."

The Philippines' health department launched a programme in 2004 to promote medical tourism by encouraging state hospitals and specialised private institutions to compete with medical organisations elsewhere in Asia.

Tourism in Sri Lankan on a roll

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:36:00 +0000

ANYONE visiting the varied tourist attractions served up in Sri Lanka would be quite in order to think that God created the world in six days and devoted the seventh entirely to this paradise island that is suspended breathtakingly like a teardrop in the Indian Ocean.

Since the end of the three-decade long secessionist conflict in 2009, that took its toll in blood and tears, there has been a dramatic turnaround in the security situation with normality quickly restored and every part of the country now open for unimpeded business.To showcase this important development globally, the Sri Lankan government has declared this year as “Refreshingly Sri Lanka, Visit Sri Lanka 2011”—though the positive message had already got around because last year the country reached its target of 600,000 visitors, with revenues earned from tourism in 2010 estimated at over $700,000 making it an important contributor to the country’s economic development. Here the newly appointed Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Dr. Nalaka Godahewa—who worked for 18 years in the private sector before being co-opted to head (and which he successfully turned around) the state insurance corporation, and then in 2010 moved to the Ministry of Economic Development to take on his current post—outlines to The Manila Times the rejuvenated road map for tourism in his country in 2011, and beyond.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for Sri Lanka Tourism in the decade ahead?

Thirty years ago, Sri Lanka was one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world. We were well ahead of most of our Asian counterparts. However, due to the impact of war tourism got stagnant. In fact, countries like the Maldives hugely benefited with tourist getting diverted from Sri Lankan beaches to the Maldives. Now that the war is over and peace has returned for good, our challenge is to once again create global awareness about the unique tourism product that Sri Lanka has on offer. Particularly we must make the world realize that Sri Lanka is not only a beautiful tourist destination but also today one of the safest destinations on earth for tourists.

What measures are you putting in place to streamline and invigorate the local tourism industry?

We want to approach tourism development in a structured manner. The starting point is creating an environment conducive for tourism which will include building capacity, improving infrastructure, introducing more innovative transport solutions, investor facilitation and raising standards in the tourism industry.

Secondly, we need to focus on attracting new tourists by focusing on specific markets and also ensuring that arriving tourists experience a joyful time in Sri Lanka. This will lead to repeat arrivals and positive word of mouth. Improving the global perception about Sri Lanka is also an important long term task. Due to adverse media publicity for a long period of time people, some countries have a wrong perception about Sri Lanka. Contrary to what some people might think, we are very peaceful country which has one of the least crime records in the world. It is one of the safest destinations to travel. Four main religions have been practiced in harmony in Sri Lanka for centuries and we have never had violence related to religion. Sri Lanka is a friendly nation with smiling people. Many tourists rate the friendly smile of the people as one of the biggest attractions of repeat visits. So we need to convey these positive messages to the world. We believe in conveying our message to the world more through public relations and visiting journalists’ programs than advertising because the credibility is greater when a journalist writes what he or she has actually experienced.

What do you feel Sri Lanka has to offer the global tourist which makes it stand out as an attractive and desirable destination?

I would like to highlight three things. Firstly, it is an authentic destination, a country which has more than 2,500 years of history and a rich culture. Even though it is predominantly a Sinhalese Buddhist country, a variety of ethnic groups live in harmony practicing four main religions. Sri Lankan spices and gems were well known globally for thousands of years. It was a main stop over in the famous silk route connecting east and west. Secondly, it is a compact island which you can traverse from one end to the other within four to five hours and if you are flying within one hour. This is a huge plus as one can see many parts of the country during a short period of time and in fact if you spend one week in the country you can cover almost all you want. The third aspect is the diversity of our tourism product. Within this small island we offer almost anything and everything that another tourist destination can offer—and even more! The product ranges from pristine beaches, a rich heritage, the healing powers of Ayurveda medicine, the thrills of sports and adventure, the spirits of festivals, the diversity of culture, scenic beauty and the love of nature and wild life. Coming to Sri Lanka and spending one or two weeks will give you a better experience than one you could achieve by traveling to a number of destinations in the world over a longer period of time. Sri Lanka according to many written accounts is a paradise on earth, a true wonder, that is why in our tagline we use the phrase “Wonder of Asia.”

What will be the main thrust of 2011 on the tourism front which has been declared by President Mahinda Rajapakse as “Visit Sri Lanka “ year?

After the end of the war we have set ourselves of reaching a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016.

To achieve this we need about 30 percent growth year on year. In 2010, which was the first year in our action plan we were able to achieve 46 percent growth which was indeed a positive start. With the government’s declaration of the year 2011, as “Visit Sri Lanka” year during this year we want to create awareness of the diversity of our tourism products. Therefore, each month of the year we have decided to dedicate to promote a particular tourism product.

For example, January is beaches, February for sports and adventure, March for meetings incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, April for people and culture, May for religious tourism, June for weddings and honeymoons, July for mind and body wellness, August for heritage, September for wildlife, October for community tourism, November for culinary and December for shopping and entertainment. In reality all these products are available throughout the year. But we are highlighting one of them each month through various activities simply for the purpose of creating greater awareness.

What would you recommend as your top five must visit tips for a tourist coming to your country?

Someone coming to Sri Lanka should actually look for a diverse experience. It is not proper to isolate a particular attraction as best because there are so many different options for a tourist. But for tour planning purposes one can look at southern beaches of Sri Lanka, heritage sites in the cultural triangle, wild life centuries of Yala, Wilpattu or Udawalawe, the scenic beauty of the hill country and the Temple of Sacred Tooth relic in Kandy.

Sri Lanka to host Biennial Fulbright South and Central Asia Regional Conference

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Jan 18, Washington, D.C.: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in coordination with the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, will host a regional Fulbright Program workshop in Colombo from January 26-28, 2011, a media note issued Tuesday by the Department of State said.
The professional development workshop will bring together staff from Fulbright Commissions and U.S. embassies in the South and Central Asia region to share best practices and information about Fulbright and other academic exchange programs in the region.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Alina Romanowski will host a moderated conference call from the State Department with media on Thursday, January 20, 2011 from 10:30 � 11:00 am on the Fulbright Program in South and Central Asia.
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia A. Butenis and Deputy Assistant Secretary Romanowski will provide opening remarks in Sri Lanka on January 26, followed by a key note address on U.S.-Sri Lanka relations from Jayantha Dhanapala, former Ambassador to the United States from Sri Lanka and UN Under Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs. James R. Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs will also give remarks after the plenary.
The South and Central Asia region comprises thirteen countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Almost 1,500 U.S. and non-U.S. scholars, students, teachers, artists, and professionals receive Fulbright and other academic exchange program awards to and from South and Central Asia each year.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government's flagship international exchange program and is supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world.
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants from over 155 countries with the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Fulbright Program participants are among the more than 40,000 academic and professional exchange program participants supported annually by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

About Lord Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:08:00 +0000

  Having gained this doctrine the Buddha thought how difficult it would be for humanity to understood because of their attachments and lust. Trying to teach it to them would be vexation for him. However, the god Brahma asked him to teach the doctrine, because some people, who were not too impure, were falling away from not hearing the teachings. Then the Buddha in pity for beings surveyed their conditions and saw some of little impurity whom he could teach. At first he thought of his former teachers Alara Kalama and Uddaka, but in his clairvoyant awareness he realized that both of them had just died in the last few days. Then he decided to teach the five mendicants who had been with him in their striving. Perceiving that they were in the deer park at Benares, he decided to go there.
                Along the way he met an Ajivika ascetic named Upaka, who when told of the Buddha's enlightenment, merely said that he hoped that it was so and went his way. When the five mendicants saw Siddartha Gautama, they thought they would not rise in respect but would offer him a seat. However, as the Buddha arrived, they spontaneously greeted him as a friend. They still criticized him for living in abundance, but the Buddha explained that he does not live in abundance. He spoke to them as one enlightened, and they had to agree that he never had spoken to them in that manner before. While he admonished two of them, the other three went off to collect alms; then he spoke with those three while the other two went for alms. In this way all five soon attained insight and the supreme peace.
                In this deer park at Benares the Buddha gave his first sermon in which he explained that the two extremes are not to be practiced by the one who is enlightened - what is joined with the passions and luxury which is low, vulgar, common, ignoble, and useless, nor what is joined with self-torture which is painful, ignoble, and useless too. Avoiding these two extremes the enlightened follow the middle path which produces insight and knowledge and leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana.
The Buddha declared that Kaundinya had understood the doctrine, and he welcomed him as the first monk in the community by saying, "Come, monk, well proclaimed is the doctrine; lead a religious life for making a complete end of pain."2 After further instruction the other four mendicants were also admitted into the community (sangha). Then the Buddha preached to the five that the body, perceptions, feelings, the mind, and even discriminating consciousness are not the self or soul. By turning away from the body, perceptions, feelings, mind, and discriminating consciousness, one becomes free from craving and emancipated. Life then becomes religious and is no longer under finite conditions.
Yasa, the son of a wealthy guildmaster, lived in luxury at Benares, and like Siddhartha he became disgusted with his palace attendants. After hearing the Buddha's doctrine he left home and became the first lay disciple in the new Community. The first women to become lay disciples were Yasa's mother and former wife. They were soon followed by four friends of Yasa and then fifty more. The Buddha then suggested that the sixty disciples wander around separately to preach the doctrine so that others may be liberated from the fetters of illusion, while he went to Uruvela in Magadha.
There thirty men of royal blood had entered the forest with their 29 wives and a courtesan for the one who was not married. When the courtesan ran off with their gold, silver, and gems, they all went to search for her and found the Buddha. He asked them if it was more important to seek for that woman or for themselves. When they agreed that their selves were more important, they sat down so that the Buddha could teach them how to seek within themselves.
Shakyamuni was sitting under a banyan tree when a Brahmin named Drona approached him in awe, asking if he was a god. The Tathagata said no. The Brahmin asked if he were a kind of nature spirit (gandharva or yaksha), but again the Buddha denied it. When he asked if he were a human, he denied that too. Finally Drona asked him if he was neither divine nor non-human nor human, then what was he? The reply was that he is Buddha (awake).
Shubha, a Brahmin student, asked the Buddha why humans differed so much in birth, intelligence, health, and so on. Shakyamuni explained that beings are heirs of karma, the consequences of their actions. Evildoers may experience happiness until their deeds ripen, and the good may experience bad things until their good deeds ripen. The pure and the impure create their own destinies; no one can purify another.
Also living in this region were three Brahmin brothers of the Kashyapa family. They were ascetics with matted hair over the age of seventy and were the most respected religious leaders in Magadha with a total of about one thousand disciples. The Buddha spoke with the oldest, Uruvilva Kashyapa, but it was difficult for him to accept that such a young man could be so holy. Finally the Buddha used his mystic powers, and convinced of the Buddha's superiority Uruvilva decided to follow him. The Buddha suggested that they ask his five hundred followers what they wanted to do, and they all decided to join as well, shaving their hair and beards and throwing their ceremonial utensils into the river. The two Kashyapa brothers saw the implements in the river and eventually joined as well with their disciples.
On the way to Rajagriha the Buddha and the thousand disciples saw the volcanic mountain Gayashirsa with its glowing fire. The Buddha preached his sermon on fire - how the sensations, perceptions, thoughts, and actions are burning with the poisons of covetousness, anger, and ignorance. At the capital he preached to King Bimbisara about the triple doctrine of almsgiving, precepts, and good works. The king declared that all five of his wishes had been fulfilled - that he might be king, that a Buddha would come to his kingdom, that he would meet him, be instructed by him, and understand the teachings. After the sermon King Bimbisara donated a bamboo grove near the capital as a site for a monastery.
Also at Rajagriha lived the agnostic Sanjaya, who also had many disciples under two named Shariputra and Maudgalyayana who were seeking enlightenment and a better teacher. Shariputra observed Assaji (one of the first five mendicants in the Community) begging and learned of the Buddha's teachings. He told Maudgalyayana, and they told the two hundred fifty disciples of Sanjaya. Even though Sanjaya tried three times to stop them from going away, they all went to find the Buddha, who greeted them with the revelation that these two would become his greatest disciples. Within two weeks of joining the community both Shariputra and Maudgalyayana had become enlightened.
In meditating Maudgalyayana had trouble with drowsiness and falling asleep. The Buddha suggested several remedies including laying down for a while to sleep before resuming meditation. The uncle of Shariputra was a skeptic like Sanjaya and told the Buddha that he could not accept any conclusive doctrine. Shakyamuni simply asked him if he recognized his own doctrine as conclusive. Caught in self-contradiction, he realized the weakness and limitation of skeptical philosophy. Then the Buddha explained the law of causation in human life.
Having heard that his son had become a Buddha, King Suddhodana sent Udayin to invite Shakyamuni to the capital at Kapilavastu. Udayin was converted to the new religion, and Shakyamuni returned to his home town. His father criticized him for begging for food when he was rich enough to feed thousands of followers. Shakyamuni replied that mendicancy was the correct custom for his line, by which he meant the line of Buddhas. Verbal discussions were not enough to win over people who had known him as a boy; so the Buddha used his mystical powers to convince them.
Siddartha's half-brother Nanda was about to be declared crown prince and married to Sundari, the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, but he decided to join the community instead. However, he could not help thinking about Sundari; so the Buddha gave him a vision of hundreds of heavenly maidens, though this was later criticized by others as a wrong motivation for seeking enlightenment. Eventually Nanda repented of this motivation and asked the Buddha to dissolve his promise of these maidens, and Nanda attained enlightenment and became an arhat (a term meaning "worthy" or "honorable" used for disciples who attained the highest level of awareness).
Siddartha's son Rahula was also admitted to the community at the age of ten, but later a rule was made that minors under twenty could not join the community without permission from their parents. Many Shakya nobles also joined the community at this time (according to legend 80,000) including Ananda, Anuruddha, Devadatta, Bhaddiya, and Kimbila. On the way to Buddha they were accompanied by their barber and slave, Upali. They sent him back to Kapilavastu with their jewels, but afraid of the Shakyas' reaction, he put them on a tree and rejoined the five aristocrats. Upali, who was of the lowest caste, was ordained first giving him seniority over the nobles he had served so that their Shakya pride might be moderated. Like Mahavira, the Buddha taught in the ordinary language of the people rather than in the aristocratic Sanskrit.
Complaints that monks wandering around during the rainy season trampled the grass and destroyed living creatures led the Buddha to adopt the custom of staying in retreat during the three months of rain. After one of these retreats a wealthy householder from Shravasti, who became known as Anathapindada ("Giver of alms to the unprotected"), confessed to the Buddha that he enjoyed his investing and business cares. Shakyamuni suggested that he be a lay disciple and continue his work and use it as a blessing for other people. So Anathapindada invited the Buddha to spend the next rainy season at Shravasti, the chief city in Kosala, where he purchased and built the Jetavana Monastery. Later when Anathapindada was dying of a painful illness, Shariputra went and taught him the mental concentration for the avoidance of pain usually only taught to monks, and Anathapindada died in peace.
The Buddha liked the Jetavana Monastery to be quiet, for he once dismissed Yashoja and five hundred monks for talking too loudly after they arrived. However, they went to another place near Vaishali and made great spiritual gains. Later when the Buddha traveled to Vaishali he noticed that the area was illuminated. He told Ananda to invite Yashoja and the five hundred monks to the hall with the peaked roof. When they arrived, the Buddha was sitting in silent meditation; they too joined him in silent concentration. Every few hours Ananda approached the Buddha to ask him to greet these monks, but Shakyamuni remained silent and in the morning told Ananda that if he understood meditation better he would not have kept asking him to greet the monks, who were likewise sitting in immovable concentration.
A new monk once confessed to the Buddha for having eaten meat in his almsbowl, but the Buddha forgave those who ate meat that was not prepared for them. Their ethical principle was not to harm any living creature. Yet he criticized those who hunt and kill animals for sport and warned his followers not to accept any food from such blood-stained hands.
After Shakyamuni's father died as a lay disciple, he declared that a lay disciple, whose mind is free from the poisons of lust, attachment, false views, and ignorance, is no different than anyone else who is free. Fearing a famine the Shakya warrior chiefs agitated for a war with the Kolyas over water rights to the Rohini River. The Kolyas had built a dike to conserve water; when they refused the Shakyas' demand to dismantle it, both sides prepared for war. Just before the battle was to begin, the Buddha spoke to both sides, asking them to compare the value of earth and water to the intrinsic value of people and the human blood they were about to spill. He told a parable about a decrepit demon, who fed on anger and took over a royal throne becoming stronger as more anger was directed at him until the true king came and calmly offered to serve the throne which led to the diminishment and disappearance of the anger demon. In this way the war was avoided.
Krisha Gautami was stricken with grief when her only son died. Unable to find a physician who could bring him back to life, someone suggested that she go to the Buddha. He told her to get a handful of mustard seed in the city, but it must be from a house where no one has ever lost a child, spouse, parent, or friend. Eventually she came to realize how common death was and put aside her selfish attachment to her child.
Prajapati, the aunt and foster mother of Shakyamuni, asked to be admitted to the community. With Ananda acting as intermediary the Buddha established eight conditions for the admittance of nuns into the community. Nuns had to make obeisance to all the monks even the newest, and nuns were not allowed to criticize a monk, though monks criticized nuns. Although they were not treated equally, at least women were allowed to join the community. The sexism was also apparent when the Buddha told Ananda that the religious life would only last five hundred years instead of a thousand because women had been admitted.
A legend tells how a disciple used magical power to get a sandalwood bowl that had been tied from the top of a bamboo pole as a kind of contest. When the Buddha heard of it, he forbade those in the community to use such magical powers and had the bowl broken up and used as perfume. He suggested that his disciples only gain adherents by the miracle of instruction.
In the ninth year after the enlightenment the Buddha was at Kaushambi, and the monk Malunkyaputra complained that the Buddha never explained whether the world is eternal or temporary, finite or infinite, or whether life and the body are the same or different, or whether arhats are beyond death or not. He even threatened to leave the community if the Buddha would not answer his questions. First the Buddha asked him if he had ever promised to explain these things; he had not.
Then he told the parable of a man who was pierced by a poisoned arrow, and his relatives summoned a doctor. Suppose, he said, the physician had said that he would not remove the arrow nor treat the patient until his questions had been answered, such as who made the bow, what kind it was, all about the arrow, and so on. The man would die, and still the information would not be known. Then the Buddha told Malunkyaputra that a person would come to the end of one's life before those metaphysical questions he had asked could be answered by the Tathagata. Those questions do not tend toward edification nor lead to supreme wisdom. However, the Buddha's teaching regarding suffering, its cause, and the means of ending it is like removing the poisoned arrow.
A conflict arose in the community when a monk who refused to admit he had committed an offense was expelled. Some complained that this violated their principle that only evil deeds committed with conscious intent are morally reprehensible. However, the Buddha declared that the two greatest ways to obtain demerit are not to ask forgiveness after committing a wrong and not to forgive one who has confessed and asked for forgiveness.
A Kalama nobleman from north of Kaushambi admitted that he had doubts because various teachers expressed contradictory views. The Buddha responded that he was wise not to believe everything but to question with reason and by experience. After thorough investigation whether the teachings are good, free from faults, praised by the noble, and when practiced lead to the welfare and happiness of oneself and other beings as well, then they may be accepted and lived.
At Asyapura they found Brahmin priests sacrificing horses, sheep, goats, cows, and other animals on bloody altars decorated with images of gods. The Buddha told his followers not to be deceived but to purify their hearts and cease to kill. They should not refuse to admit they are ascetics, who enjoy robes, bowl, bed, and medicine. In their simplified lives they learn how to calm their bodies and concentrate their minds to awaken the four religious qualities of loving friendship, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. The Buddha also declared that in regard to this ascetic life all the castes are equal.
A monk named Sona in the Sitavana Monastery at Rajagriha was so zealous in walking that his feet left a bloody trail. The Buddha asked him if his lute could be played well if the strings were too tight or too loose. Just so, excessive zeal may make the mind weary and one's thoughts irritable and uncertain. He suggested to Sona that gradual progress led to self-mastery and happiness rather than anxiety.
A young Brahmin named Vakula was so infatuated with the Buddha that he continually kept him in his sight. The Buddha explained that the one who sees the dharma (doctrine) sees the Buddha, but Vakula still always remained in his presence. Finally at the end of the rainy season the Buddha asked him to go away. Realizing that Vakula was climbing Vulture Peak to commit suicide, Shakyamuni went after him and called him back lest he destroy the conditions for winning great fruit.
An ambitious disciple named Purna decided to spread the doctrine to the Shronaparantakas. The Buddha knowing that they were a dangerous people asked him what he would do if they insulted and abused him. Purna said he would consider them good and kind for not hitting him and throwing rocks at him. But what if they hit and throw rocks? Then he would be glad they did not use clubs and swords. If they used clubs and swords, he would be glad they did not kill him; even if they kill him, they will have delivered him from his vile body. So equipped with patience and love Purna went to the Shronaparantakas and was about to be killed by a hunting archer for fun, when the hunter was so struck by how willing this person was to die that he stopped and eventually accepted the three refuges of the Buddha, the Doctrine, and the Community.
Another monastery at Purvarama near Rajagriha was donated by Vishakha, the daughter of a rich man. Once at this monastery the Buddha remained silent on the moon day when the preaching service and confessions by the monks took place. Finally the Buddha said to Ananda that the assembly was not wholly pure. Maudgalyayana perceiving who the immoral person was, asked him to leave; when he refused to leave three times, he was escorted out of the hall by the arm. The Tathagata thought it strange that he should wait until he was thrown out. Then the Buddha declared that he would no longer attend these sessions, but the monks would recite the regulations themselves.
When Shakyamuni was about 55 his personal attendant at the time, Nagasamala, insisted on taking a different road than the Buddha advised and was beaten by robbers. At the Shravasti Monastery the Buddha announced that he wanted to have a permanent attendant. Shariputra volunteered, but the Buddha said his work was teaching. Maudgalyayana and others were also rejected. Ananda remained silent, but Shakyamuni asked him if he would find it a bother. Ananda said that it would not be bothersome, but he did not consider himself worthy. Then he offered to do it on the following eight conditions: that he not have to accept gifts or alms given to the Buddha nor dwell in his chamber nor accept invitations offered only to him and that he may accompany the Perfect One when the monks are invited, that he may present him to those who come from a distance, that he may have access to him at all times, and that whatever teaching he missed by absence should be repeated to him by the Perfect One's own lips. The Buddha heartily agreed, and Ananda was his personal attendant for the rest of his life.
Shakyamuni was able to tame a dangerous robber and admitted him into the community. He also bathed and treated a monk, who was suffering from dysentery and had been neglected by the other monks because he lay in his own excrement. On another occasion he found that a leper understood the doctrine very well as he explained that whatever has a beginning must have an end.
About 491 BC when Shayamuni was 72 a schism arose in the community, because his cousin Devadatta wanted to take over as head of the community; but Buddha refused saying that he would not even turn it over to Shariputra or Maudgalyayana much less to a vile one to be vomited like spit. Devadatta became resentful and used his magical powers to win the favor of Prince Ajatashatru, the son of King Shrenika Bimbisara. They plotted together to take over the kingdom of Magadha and the Buddhist community. Bimbisara and the Buddha were to be murdered, but since Bimbisara turned over his kingdom to his son he was merely put in prison where he soon died, though chronicles stated he was killed by his son.
Hired killers were converted by the Buddha, but Devadatta tried to roll a huge boulder from Vulture Peak down upon the Buddha. However, only Shakyamuni's foot was scratched. Yet spilling the blood of a Tathagata with murderous intent created terrible karma for Devadatta. When he had learned of his intent, the Buddha had already declared that Devadatta's words and actions were not to be considered as representing the community in any way. Although he had gained a few followers, these were persuaded to return to the real community after long sermons by Shariputra and Maudgalyayana when Devadatta fell asleep after his own talk. Abandoned and with his psychic powers destroyed by his evil intentions Devadatta soon became ill and died.
King Ajatashatru, who had also listened to Mahavira, was eventually converted by the Buddha, but his previous evil intentions and actions prevented him from attaining the enlightenment he might have achieved in that life. Ajatashatru married the daughter of the Kosala King Pasenadi, and Pasenadi's son married a maiden of the resentful Shakyas who was secretly of low birth. Her son, Vidudabha, swore revenge against the Shakyas. Pasenadi killed his powerful general and his sons, replacing them with the nephew Digha Karayana. While Pasenadi was listening to the Buddha, Digha hurried off and put Vidudabha on the throne. Pasenadi tried to get help from Ajatasatru but died of exposure on the way to Rajagriha.
Surveying the world the Buddha became aware of Vidudabha's intention to attack the Shakyas and three times was able to convince him to turn back, but on the fourth time the Shakyas' karma for poisoning the river could not be averted, and they were massacred. Enough Shakyas remained, however, to accept a portion of Shakyamuni's relics after his death. When Shakyamuni was 79, both his chief disciples, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, died. Shariputra died in the home where he was born, but Maudgalyayana was killed by robbers to balance karma from a former life.
At the age of eighty the vitality of the Tathagata's body seemed to diminish, and he declared that he had only three months to live. Ananda missed the opportunity to plead with him to stay until the end of the eon as Buddhas could do, and Ananda was later blamed for that by the Community. Finally Shakyamuni took his last meal, ordering a smith named Cunda to give him some mushrooms (literally pig's food or pork) and give the monks other food and then bury the rest of the mushrooms. Sharp sickness arose with a flow of blood and deadly pains, but the Buddha mindfully controlled them and declared that he would die in the third watch of the night. He sent word that Cunda was not to feel remorse but consider this giving of alms of the greatest merit.
Ananda asked the Buddha how he was to act toward women. The Buddha advised him not to see them; but if he saw them, not to speak to them; but if speaking, to exercise mindfulness. Then he said his burial was to be handled by the local Kshatriyas. That evening Ananda brought the local families to say goodby, and then the Buddha answered the questions of an ascetic named Subhadda. Before going through the four stages of higher awareness into nirvana, the last words of the Buddha were, "Decay is inherent in all component things. Work out your salvation with diligence."

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:40:00 +0000

The Udawalawe National Park situated in the dry zone of the country and belonging to Sabaragamuwa & Uva provinces. The park area is 30,821 ha. The park was established in 1972.

The park lies within dry zone and small segment lies within intermediate zone. The long dry season is characteristic feature. Main source of rainfall is southwest monsoon (May � September) and mean annual rainfall is about 1520mm. the mean annual temperature is around 29�C.

Park consists of dry lowland forest, riverine forest, thorny scrublands and grasslands. One special attraction of the park is the Udawalawe reservoir and the Walawe River which flows through the park.

The main tree species found in the forest area are the satin (Chloroxylon swietenia), Milla (Vites pinata), ebony (Diospyros ebenum) and Ehala (Cassia fistula). Riverine forest dominated by Kumbuk (Terminalia arjuna) & Mandora (Hopea cordifolia). Mana (Cymbopogon confertiflorus), Illuk (Imperata cylindrica) and Daminiya (Grewia tiliaefolia) are found in grasslands & scrublands.

Udawalawe National Park is world famous for its large elephant populations. In this park one can observe elephants at any given time of the day. Other than Elephants water buffalo, spotted & barking deer, wild boar, sambhur, jackal & ruddy, grey & striped necked mongoose are also found in this park. Though the leopard, jungle & fishing cats have recorded in the park sightings are very rare.

The park is also famous for birdlife. Crested serpent eagle, changeable hawk eagle, white-bellied sea eagle & grey-headed fishing eagle are the main raptors found in the park. Painted stork, open bill, little & Indian cormorant, Indian darter, many species of waders are also found within the park. Among the forest birds are the warblers, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Malabar pied hornbill, Sikir Malkoha, Blue face Malkoha, common Caucal, and grey hornbill.

How to get there
Uda walawe is easily accessible via Ratnapura after a 4 hours drive. You can also reach Udawalawe from Downsouth via Tangalla or Hambantota. Udawalawe is closer to Haputale and Bandarawela if you are coming from central hills.Yala National Park also near by Udawalawe.

HORTON PLAINS

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:31:00 +0000

Horton Plains National Park is in the highlands of the country belonging to central province. This is the highest plateau in the country. This was declared as a National Park in 1988. The park area is 3160 hectare.

The second & third highest mountains of the country namely Kirigalpotta & Thotupola respectively are found within the borders of the park. Park receives rainfall from both northeast & southwest monsoons as well as inter-monsoonal rains.Frequently occurring mist and clouds are one main source of precipitation. With annual precipitation of about 5000mm Horton Plains is the most important catchments area of the country. Three major rivers of the country start from this area namely Kelani, Walawe & the Mahaweli the longest river of the country. There is a slight dry period between January to March. Due to altitude the area is comparatively cold. Mean annual temperature is around 15�C and during colder months it will go down further where it is cold enough to create ground frost.

Park consists of montane cloud forests embedded in wet montane grasslands. Horton Plains has rich biodiversity. Most of the fauna and flora found in the park are endemic and furthermore some of them are confined to highlands of the island.

Forests are dominated by Calophyllum sp. & Syzygium sp. Giant tree fern Cyathea sp. and colourful Rhododrendron are among the main attractions. Park is also famous for beautiful flowers of endemic Nellu (Strobilanthes sp.), Bovitiya (Osbeckia sp.), Binara (Exacum trinervium) and many other orchid species. Endemic dwarf Bamboo (Arundinaria densifolia) dominates the edges of the river while Chrysopogon zeylanicum and Garnotia mutica dominate the grasslands.

Though this was one of the best elephant habitats in the country they are locally extinct due to poaching & sports hunting occurred during the British colonial era. Leopard and Sambhur & wild boar are the most common large mammals in Horton Plains. Endemic Bear Monkey, Rusty- Spotted and Fishing cats, Otter, Black napped hare and Giant Squirrel are among other mammals. Many species of endemic & threatened rats & shrews are also found in the park. Diversity & endemicity of reptiles (Lizards) and amphibians are remarkably high.
Though this is cold highland plateau the bird diversity is very high. More than 70% of Sri Lanka’s endemic birds are found here.

How to get there
Horton Plains can be reached from Nuwaraeliya or Talawakale easily.

YALA

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:38:00 +0000

Yala National Park is situated in the southeast region of the island in the dry zone boarding the Indian Ocean. Park area is belonging to two provinces namely South and Uva Provinces. The total area of the park (which is of 5 blocks) is 97,881 ha but only Block I and Block II are open for visitors.

The park was initially established in 1938 only with block I and other blocks were included later.Rainfall is highly seasonal. Main source of rainfall is Northeast monsoons (December – February) and inter monsoonal rains during March-April. Mean Annual Rainfall: 900 – 1300 mm. Area is experiencing drought during June –October. Mean annual Temperature 27o C. Daily temperature above 30oC is not uncommon.Vegetation is mainly consists of Secondary lowland dry monsoon forest & semi arid thorny scrublands. Small patches of riverine forest, mangroves, sand dunes and dry grasslands also presented.

Forest area is dominated by Palu (Manilkara hexandra), Weera (Drypetes sepiaria), Malitthan (Salvadora persica), Ehala (Cassia fistula), Divul (Limonia acidissima) and Kohomba (Azadirachta indica). Thorny scrubland is dominated by Eraminia (Ziziphus.sp) and Andara (Dichrostachys cinerea). Sonneratia, Acanthus, Rhizopora and Lumnitzera species dominate the mangrove vegetation.

All the big game mammals of the country are found within the park. Elephant, Leopard, sloth bear, Spotted Dear, Wild Boar and sambhur. Apart from them small mammals such as Black naped hare, Grey, Ruddy & Striped necked mongoose, Grey Langur & porcupine are common small mammals.

Park is also famous for its abundant bird life. Over140 species have recorded so far within the park. Changeable Hawk Eagle, Crested serpent Eagle, Malabar pied Hornbill, Jungle fowl, painted Stork, White Ibis and Black necked Stork are commonly seen

How to get there
You can reach yala from South coast via Tangalla and Hambantota or via Udawalawe from Ratnapura, Haputale or via Bandarawela, Tanamalwila from Nuwaraeliya.Yala is close to Udawalawe national park

CNN TRAVELLER NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:15:00 +0000

Every flick of the leopard’s tail and canine-flashing yawn is met with a flutter of camera shutters. Vying for the best view of the nonchalant feline are tourists packed into seven jeeps.
The leopard, seemingly fully aware that he’s at the top of the food chain, seems to be enjoying the attention. After 20 minutes, he stands up and, just like a domestic tabby, stretches, yawns and then wanders off into the thorny scrub jungle of Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park.
The jeeps move on in search of elephants, crocodiles and buffalo. And, even better, crocodiles munching on buffalo.
The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is a subspecies endemic to the Asian country. Yala National Park has what is thought to be the highest density of leopards in the word, despite them being classified as endangered. In recent times, it’s the tourists who have been scarcer.
In May 2008, the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice read: ‘We advise against all travel to Yala National Park and the areas around it following a number of serious security incidents in the park in October and November 2007 and attacks in January 2008 close to the park.’
Advice for the rest of the country, especially the north and east, was even more inauspicious, warning of a high threat of terrorist attacks from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – known to everyone as the ‘Tamil Tigers’.
By the time I arrived in Sri Lanka in October 2009, the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, had announced the conflict between the government and a Tamil faction seeking an independent state was over, after the Tamil Tigers’ leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed on 18 May.
Before long, the FCO had retracted its warning about travelling to Trincomalee in the Tamil region of the north east and Yala National Park on the south coast. Sri Lanka’s most visited tourist attraction was open again.
On a hot, humid evening, after a successful day watching leopards and crocodiles eating buffalo, I have a candid chat with Ranjith Katugampala, the general manager of the Yala Village Hotel.
‘Until August 2007, this hotel was booked out by [mostly British] tourists. Then in September they closed the park after some terrorist problems,’ he says.
The LTTE had skipped around the east coast and landed on the beach near Yala National Park, killing villagers and setting up home in the 100,000-hectare reserve, thus gaining a foothold in an area largely untouched by violence. But the manager’s problems were short lived; by August 2009 the lodge was 60 per cent full. Crucially, many chefs and hotel professionals have returned from abroad, and the wildlife does not seem to have been significantly affected. And nor was it during the 2004 tsunami.
On the beach that day, my driver recalls seeing buffalo and leopards sprinting away from the sea some 20 minutes before the waves hit. ‘I thought it was an LTTE helicopter attack at first,’ he says. ‘Then I thought the world was ending.’ For 16 of his colleagues and 31 tourists it was.
Despite these natural and man-made disasters, Katugampala (who climbed up a tree to escape being swept away by the tsunami), like most others in the tourism industry, is confident. ‘Everyone had a hard time and people lost jobs, but now the travel ban has been lifted, we are doing well again.’
‘It is looking good now,’ he says. ‘Our bookings for 2010 were almost back to normal.’ But, also like others, he doesn’t deny it will be tough to attract tourists back in numbers.
After I cleared immigration at Bandaranaike International Airport, a sign greeted me: ‘Just arrived in the land of —– miracles’, the penultimate word covered in a patch of paper sellotaped to the poster. We later learned that the president himself had demanded the word ‘small’ be covered up on all tourism literature. ‘It’s more than a small miracle,’ he argued, allegedly. He was right.
The marvellous story of this tear-shaped, some say pear-shaped, island, linked by a thread of limestone shoals to India, is replete with myths of kings and concubines and legends of medieval merchants finding such a vast wealth of spices and gems that the Sanskrit word for Sri Lanka, Swarnadip, became the word ‘serendipity’.
Colonial forces, recognising the natural resources of Ceylon, as it was called until 1972, and the deep port of Trincomalee, described by British Admiral Horatio Nelson as ‘the finest harbour in the world’, began a succession of Portuguese, Dutch and then British rule in the late 18th century.
One British castaway, Robert Knox, captured by the king in 1659, spent the next 19 years in exile and wrote of the island: ‘Its soil is rich beyond description; its forests abound with timber; its mountains are believed to contain mineral treasures of the most valuable kind; and, it is certain, that no country in the world can rival the fragrance of its cinnamon, and the beauty of its ivory.’
The first stop on my tour of Sri Lanka began with a precarious climb up to a fantastical place with an unparalleled view of this rich domain: Sigiriya, or Lion Rock. As the centrepiece of the so-called Cultural Triangle in the centre of the island, Sigiriya is one of seven Unesco World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka.
Through head-high lion claws carved at the base of the rock, a rickety iron staircase climbs around the overhangs and rocky undulations to a flat 1.6 hectare summit. Walls are decorated with remarkable fifth century frescoes of voluptuous, scantily clad ‘heavenly maidens’.
On top are the remains of a palace, carved out during the reign of King Kashyapa I between AD 495-477. The king buried his father alive and killed his brother, who was heir.
Looking down from up here, Sri Lanka flourishes all around. It is the country’s very own Shangri-La. No wonder King Kashyapa hardly ever left (although that might have something to do with the 500 concubines he kept on the rock). And from this height, it is impossible to imagine any conflict.
Yet, driving later that day to Trincomalee in the north east, until recently a no-go area, the high military presence is testament to a time of troubles.
The frequency of sand-bagged roadblocks increase to every 100 metres as we approach the city and I spot the motto ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’, painted on a wall. The city of Trincomalee, which also lends its name to the district, was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.
On the way to the Hindu temple, said to have been a sacred Hindu shrine for more than 2,500 years, my guide tries to explain the origins of the conflict.
The majority of the country’s 20 million population (73 per cent) are Buddhist Sinhalese, thought to have arrived from north-west India around 500BC.
The mostly Hindu Tamil minority (around 18 per cent) arrived from southern India in the 13th century. Over the next few centuries, some Tamils wanted to create their own independent state.
The power struggle between the two groups varied from high level politicking to jungle warfare and, finally, full-scale conflict in the 1980s.
Government soldiers, fingers on the triggers of AK-47s, watch as Tamil Hindus climb up to the temple to receive a blessing and tie a ribbon around a tree in hope. They stop and look out on the Bay of Bengal as a fishing trawler pulls in far below the temple to make an offering.
I spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the food markets of ‘Trinco’. They haven’t seen tourists here for years and the locals are keen to chat. The Tamils, favoured government officials of the British, retain the influence of the 133 years of British rule as much as the Sinhalese.
Market sellers stop to talk cricket in heavily accented, but grammatically correct English, smattered with 19th-century idioms. A slight wobble of the head finishes every exchange.
After a long drive over the cold and misty highlands, dominated by tea plantations, my trip finishes in Galle (pronounced ‘Gaul’) in the southeastern corner of the country. It is very different to Trincomalee. Tourism may have faltered here, but it has been the quickest to bounce back.
Five star hotels, such as Galle Fort Hotel, Amangalla and The Sun House, attract sun-seekers and honeymooners looking for luxury at competitive rates. It is also the country’s cultural centre, with a literary festival held in 2010 that attracted authors such as Ian Rankin and Antony Beevor.
The main attraction in Galle is the fortified old colonial city. I sit on the wall to eat kadala, a fiery mix of chickpeas, chillies, curry leaves, onions and coconut, eaten from a newspaper cone. The locals milling around smile knowingly as my eyes water.
The full moon shines in the sky, lighting the city walls. A full moon means Poya day, a Buddhist holiday. Children play cricket on the greens, while teenagers leap from a height of 20 metres into impossibly narrow pools among the rocks. The ubiquitous tuk tuks zoom around ox-pulled carts. A cream Morris Minor drives past, headlights illuminating the lighthouse. Then a sudden warm rain shower scatters the crowds.
As the sun rises early on my last morning in Galle, I wander down to the beach where Sri Lanka’s famous stilt fishermen go about catching their lunch. They smack the rough Indian Ocean with fishing rods, occasionally hooking a nibbler.
A couple of bleary-eyed tourists snap photos at this ancient fishing method. It is as tenacious as it is traditional. The ever-positive Sri Lankans appear to have overcome terrible obstacles to protect this beautiful island and share it with visitors, and they continue to do so, but it will take more than serendipity.

Sri Lanka to scrap visa on arrival

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Sri Lanka has revived plans to scrap the visa on arrival for foreigners, except Maldivians and and Singaporeans, and will launch an on-line visa application system, officials said Friday.

The government was to discontinue granting landing permits from October 1, but the scheme was put on hold following objections from the tourism industry. However, the authorities will now implement the system soon, officials said.

An immigration department source said the tourism industry had argued that foreign holidaymakers would be discouraged from visiting if they have to go to a Sri Lankan embassy for a visa before travelling.

The Sri Lankan president's office in a statement said Friday that the authorities will soon launch an on-line application system for foreign nationals to get their visas through the Internet.

"The President instructed officials to quickly introduce a simple system of obtaining visas through the use of the Internet," the statement said. It did not elaborate.

"We are working on a system to expedite the visa applications online," an official at the immigration department said.

He said visitors from Singapore and the Maldives, which grant Sri Lankan passport holders landing permits on arrival, would be exempted from having to obtain a visa before reaching the island.

Sri Lanka has granted foreign tourists a 30-day visa on arrival since the 1970s as part of a move to promote tourism, which was badly affected by the island's 37-year ethnic conflict.

The local tourism industry has been buoyed by a near 50 percent increase in foreign visitors since fighting ended in May last year. Sri Lanka hopes to attract over 700,000 tourists in the New Year.

Sri Lanka expects 8.5 percent growth in 2011: central bank

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:52:00 +0000

Sri Lanka's Central Bank on Tuesday forecast the island's post-war recovery would accelerate this year with 8.5 percent economic growth on the back of a blistering expansion in tourism.

The country's economy grew 8.0 percent in 2010, up from 3.5 percent a year earlier when security forces were in the final stages of crushing Tamil Tiger rebels and ending decades of ethnic bloodshed.

"We expect growth to accelerate to 9 percent in 2012 and 9.5 percent in 2013," Central Bank governor Nivard Cabraal said in a statement outlining the bank's monetary policy for 2011.

Cabraal said business confidence and receipts from tourism had boomed since the end of the war in May 2009, while foreign investment and export earnings had also picked up.

Tourist visitors to Sri Lanka topped 600,000 in 2010, a near 50 percent jump on the previous year.

The island's foreign reserves hit a record high of 6.6 billion dollars by the end of 2010, helping the country to notch a 900 million dollar balance of payment surplus, Cabraal said.

Sri Lanka's foreign reserves slipped to less than a billion dollars during the final months of the conflict, forcing the government to secure a 2.6 billion-dollar bailout package from the IMF in July 2009.

Sri Lanka to drop references to colonial 'Ceylon'

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:58:00 +0000

Sri Lanka is to drop all remaining references to its British colonial name "Ceylon" from state institutions, a government spokesman said Thursday.

The cabinet considered a proposal to rename the Ceylon Electricity Board and decided it should be extend to other official organisations, an information ministry official told AFP.

"The cabinet decided to bring in legislation to effect the name change not only for the electricity board, but other organisations which still have 'Ceylon' as part of their name," the official said.

Ceylon was a transliteration given to the Indian Ocean island by its British colonial rulers from the Portuguese name Ceilao.

The island became independent from Britain in 1948 and reverted to its traditional Sinhalese name of Sri Lanka in 1972 when it became a republic.

Ceylon however is likely to remain in common use in the tea export industry, where the name is highly-valued for denoting the distinct flavour of tea produced on the island.

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Culture of Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (lanka matha) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:43:00 +0000

Culture of Sri Lanka
Unique and very rich

Culture of Sri lanka is very unique like it's beautiful places, ancient ruins, weather conditions, etc. Though the Culture of Sri Lanka society is more than 2500 years old, it is really Buddhism that was the most influential civilising force of the country. People got delimite ideas about what is right and wrong, beneficial results of good deeds in this life itself and vice versa. Lives of the Buddha and his noble disciples had a good impact on the people. People were taught to be sincere, kind, truthful, harmless and to help the downtrodden etc. Buddha’s teachings that emphasised the equality of man and the idea that man is noble not by birth but by his behaviour and actions, helped to make the caste system which was prevalent in India so rigid very much less severe here.

Adams peak

Culture is a way of life according to social scientists. Culture differs from one nation or society to another. Customs beliefs, art, architecture, sculptures, music, drama. Languages, social values on one hand and how people live, behave, think, speak, dress, work, eat, drink on the other all join to form a particular culture. Culture could be enriched with the assimilation of certain features of another without loosing the identity of the forever.

Buddhism was one of the influential forces of culture of Sri Lanka

With the introduction of Buddhism, Pali works Tripitaka, Pali literature came to Ceylon and the Sinhala language was supplemented with Pali words without much difficulty for the language spoken by the people here was much similar to Pali. A vast literature in Sinhala derived influenced by Pali tripitaka. Pali commentaries and other literature brought from India and the Pali works were translated into Sinhala. With the growth of Mahayana and vast literature in Sanskrit, place of Pali was taken over Sanskrit and the Sinhala language.Really became a mixture of Pali and Sanskrit languages Sanskrit literary works as Meghaduta, Ramayana, Maharasrata were studied and their structure was followed in Sinhala prose and verse.

Aryans when they came to Ceylon brought the system of farming and irrigation but most probably not a religion nor art, architecture, sculpture, literature etc. All these were introduced with the advent of Buddhism. Monasteries and temples and other religious edifies were built first of stone and later of brick and mortar as residences for the bhikkus huge stupas were constructed to enshrine the scared relic of the Buddha and his noble disciples. These religious edifies were embellished by a rich legacy of sculptural forms. Interior of the Viharas were decorated with images of the Buddha later with Bodhisattvas, various scenes from Buddha’s life. With divinities etc. when you take all these into the account we could say that there Mahinda not only introduced noblest religion in the world but also a culture of a much advanced form. Introduction of Buddhism and arrival of Aryans to Sri Lanka not only helped socially but helped to enhanced culture of Sri Lanka too.

Aryans first introduced the village system government when they arrived in Lanka. According to historical sources, Vijay’s followers established themselves as chiefs of villagers as indicated by the names Anuradhagama à village of Anradha, Upatissagama à village of Upatissa and so on. They chief most probably captured the adjuring villages and set themselves as rulers or rajas of the area. With the introduction of Buddhism these rulers became more humane for they were expected to rule according to the DasaRajaDhamma – 10 kingly virtues (giving, morality, liberality, straightness, gentleness, self-restriction, non-anger, non-hurtfulness, forbearance and non-opposition. At the beginning kings were not looked upon as gods but ordinary men go=given the leadership to work for the welfare of the people under him according to Buddhist principles. Thus the main duties of the Rajas were to develop agricultures by building tanks and canals to protect the people and lands from foreign invaders, plunderers, robbers etc. and also to protect the religion and build religious edifies and grant land for their upkeep.

Thus Ceylon had a culture based on self-sufficiency. There was actually the barter system prevailing in ancient Lanka. Only the kings could trade with foreigners and transact money. Farmer gave some of his products to the villages potter, smithy, traders on cloths, fancy goods etc. in exchange for pots & pans mammoth blades, axes, fancy goods etc. and as such there was no need for the ordinary man to possess money but he and his family had enough for their sustenance unlike people of the contemporary medieval Europe and England where the 8 years, 10 years old worked as slaves in the work, house, in coal mines in stables for a mere pittance..

This culture based on self sufficiency in Lanka as changed into an export – import oriental economy based on export crops as team rubber, coconut, cinchona, cinnamon, canbamousetc. with a damaging influence to sustainable agriculture which declined at a fast rate with the arrival of the Europeans – Rice was exported and the lands were handed over to the Europeans planters for a mere pittance as the farmers could not produce the “so – call deeds” for the land they cultivated for the time immemorial. Thus money became the pivotal factor upon which everything depended. Family relationships, religious practices, ancient customs receded to the background with a new culture based on money.

New resurgence of former cultural traits is to be seen with the gaining of independence in 1948 and the emergence of national heroes as Walisinghe Harischandra, Angarika Dhrmapala, More and more people became aware of their past cultured heritage and began to take a new interest in ancient customs, classical music, dancing etc. which were fast disappearing features of our cultural heritage. One of the most important is the pride of place given to the sheaf of betel or the “bulath hurulla” This had been an important item in religious and marriage ceremonies, functions, festivals etc. Parents, teachers elders are respected with a shelf of betal at Sinhala New year times and at important functions. This has a power of healing differences among parents and children, relations etc. With betal comes habit of our people having the quid of betal of course with certain other ingredients as obecanuts, bit of chunam, camphor, cardamons, nutmeg, mance, etc. it is said that ours kings had a special officer to prepare the squid of betal for him. In our ancient residences the tray of betal with a spittoon nearby (to empty the reddish saliva from the mouth) could be seen which had gone out of fashion today. Even the upper class ladies of yore had the habit of chewing the quid of betal while gossiping or at leisure or playing indoor games. It is said that in India this habit of chewing the quid of betal is not looked up on down but it is fast disappearing from our society instead the poisonus cigarette has taken its place.

Various types of folk art which should get the pride of place seems to be fading away. One such is the various types of decorations made with the young coconut fronds – gokkola- which is endemic to Sri Lanka for it comes from the coconut tree, At folk – dancing, devil dancing ceremonies, Bali performances, Pirith ceremonies, weddings, funeral & decorations done with gokkola are given prominence in rural areas. Special pavilion made for the Pirit ceremony, Poruwa at a wedding for the couple to stand on, Punkalasa (symbolof propriety) etc. decorated with gokkola are slowly dying away giving place to artificial decorations.

lanka matha

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Water falls

Picturesque Water falls in Sri Lanka

Some of the major water falls in Sri lanka with their distinctive features can be named as the following:

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About Lord Buddha

HORTON PLAINS

YALA

CNN TRAVELLER NEWS

Sri Lanka to scrap visa on arrival

Sri Lanka expects 8.5 percent growth in 2011: central bank

Sri Lanka to drop references to colonial 'Ceylon'

Culture of Sri Lanka

Culture of Sri Lanka Unique and very rich

Buddhism was one of the influential forces of culture of Sri Lanka

Culture of Sri Lanka
Unique and very rich