Nalanda Gedige - Matale Sri Lanka

Nalanda Gedige  is situated one km to the east of the A9 route 20km north of Aluvihare. It is one of a number of remarkable archaeological sites in Sri Lanka that receive few tourists through no limitations of their own. The reasons for this anomaly are various. Sometimes it has to do with geography and ease of access, although this is not the case with Nalanda. Often, however, it is a case of the beaten tourist track prevailing over good sense. A visit to Nalanda Gedige – gedige is an image house – is strongly recommended, because it exhibits a composite style of architecture unique in Sri Lanka, and an extraordinary fusion of Hinduism and Buddhism. To cap it all, this remarkable shrine occupies an extremely picturesque – if not original – location.

Nalanda Gedige is a curious hybrid of Buddhist and Hindu architecture. Some of the design elements are distinctly Hindu, such as the mandapam or hall of waiting. Yet there is no sign of Hindu gods. There are erotic but eroded Tantric Buddhist carvings, much like the famous ones at Khajuraho in India. The richly decorated façade sections are in the 7th century style which flourished at Madras, South India. However, the southern section has a semi-circular niche containing in high relief a squat figure of Kuvera, the god of wealth, seated on a lotus plinth - an image that is only found in Sri Lanka

Tourist Directory

10 Things to do in Kandy Sri Lanka

1) Visit temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

The most sacred place of Buddhist worship in Sri Lanka and perhaps the world's most sacred Buddhist shrine venerated by millions of the Buddhists all over the world, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa is a monumental palace built in the heart of the city of Kandy to house the sacred relic of the tooth of Gautama Buddha, brought from Kalinga (Orissa) in India during the reign of Sri Meghavanna (310-28).

2) Visit Kandy National Museum

Lying in between the palatial complex and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the Magul Maduwa (audience hall) which is an open-air tall carved wooden pillared pavilion built in 1784 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha. The Magul Maduwa which served as an audience hall as well as the place where the Royal Court was convened is a place where a number of historic events took place. It was at the Magul Maduwa that the patriots such as the Madugalle Disava and the Keppettipola Disava who fought against the English for independence were sentenced to death by them. Also it was at this hall that the Kandyan Convention of 1815 was signed between the British and Kandyan Radalas on 5th March 1815 ceding the Kingdom of Kandy- the last kingdom in Sri Lanka - to the British.

3) See Awesome Kandy Lake

The lake surrounded by an ornate wall of 2060 ft in length lies in a parameter of 2.1 miles and the depth of which is about 60 ft. The islet in the centre of the lake was used by the King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha as his private harem and the Royal Bathhouse was used by the king's wives and concubines as a bathhouse.

4) Go to Pothugal Vihara

Pothgul Vihara that has been in existence for about seven decades is a Buddhist temple located in close proximity to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, perching on the foothills of the famous Udawattekelle Sanctuary, overlooking the breathtaking views of the splendid city of Kandy. The word 'Pothgula' means 'Library' in English. During the British colonial rule, the ancient library known as 'Keerthi Sri Rajasinha Pothgula' located at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic was ruined.

5) Visit Udawattekelle Sanctuary

Located north of the Kandy Lake, 119 hectares in extent, Udawattekelle is a protected forest reserve designated in 1856. The forest reserve which is rich in a variety of plant species and avifauna was declared a sanctuary in 1938. This tall wet evergreen forest is a very popular site especially among local and foreign birders. The lake within the sanctuary attracts many species of birds that feed on fish.

6) Go to British Garrison Cemetery

The cemetery which is managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lies in a serene tranquil location several metres east of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. Opened in 1822, the British Garrison Cemetery consisting 195 graves is the resting place of British nationals who died while in then colonized Ceylon. The cemetery was closed in 1870s due to lack of space.

7) Shopping at Kandy City Centre Commercial Shopping Complex (KCC)

Located at Dalala Veediya (a street) in the city centre, this is the largest and the most modern shopping complex in the city of Kandy. The shopping complex has been designed with ultra modern features yet preserving the iconic Kandyan architecture. The shopping complex consists of scores of shops including several leading banks, a fully equipped supermarket, a variety of restaurants, an entertainment zone, a well-designed state-of the-art food court and so on.

8) Watch a Cricket match in Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium

Asgiriya stadium, the inception of which dates back to 1910, is Sri Lanka's only stadium owned by a school, Trinity College Kandy. The stadium was built under the pioneering work of Rev Alec Garden Fraser who held the office of the principal of Trinity College for 20 years (1904-1924). In 1981, the stadium was upgraded to an international cricket stadium. Since then a number of international cricket matches have been played, the first being Sri Lanka Vs Australia. Sri Lanka's first Test win at this stadium came in 1998 against Zimbabwe, 15 years after the ground hosted its first Test. The stadium, located in a picturesque setting can be reached within ten minutes from the city centre.

9) Go to Stunning Hantane Mountain Range

Hantane Mountain Range consisting seven peaks the highest being 3800 ft from sea level, lies southwest of the city of Kandy. Popular among mountaineers, Hantane was declared an environmental protection area in 2010 under the National Environment Act. If you are into mountain hiking and visiting Kandy, mist-clad Hantane is ideal for you. Atop the peaks, you can see stunning scenic views of the splendorous hill capital and its suburban areas. Going with an experienced guide is advisable especially during the rainy season.

10) Relax the day at Royal Botanic Gardens- Peradeniya

Lying beside Colombo-Kandy Road six kilometers west of the historic city of Kandy, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya occupies a horse-shoe-shaped peninsula and the scenic splendour of the garden has been raised to greater heights by the longest river of Sri Lanka, 'Mahaweli' which flows through its fringes. This is the largest botanic gardens in Sri Lanka, spreading over an area of 147 acres (about 60 hectares) containing about 4,500 plant species.

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Fishing in Sri Lanka.

Fishing

Fishing as a recreation or sport is quite a popular activity among tourists world over. An island located in the Indian Ocean with an endless coastline and many tanks and rivers, Sri Lanka is a fine destination to do recreational fishing. Many hotels and resorts in the island offer facilities to tourists for recreational fishing. Those who are into fishing could cast their rods or lines with baits in shallow waters or deep sea once they visit this paradise island. You could do fishing in Sri Lanka round the year as the east coast is best from May to September and the west coast from November to April. 

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Sri Lanka - The Destination For All

Thank you for choosing Sri Lanka as your dream destination. You are warmly welcome to Sri Lanka – the destination for all – where you could have a wonderful vacation without doubt. The stunning natural beauty of this paradise in the tropics will undoubtedly make you amazed and mesmerized.

Lying off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka has attracted visitors for centuries with its natural beauty. Sri Lanka was the ideal stopover of ancient seafarers sailing across the Indian Ocean to the Orient. Marco Polo, a great seafarer, who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1265, said "Sri Lanka is the finest island of its size in all the world". Pliny (45 AD), one of the greatest Roman historians wrote: "It had been of long time thought by men in ancient days that Taprobane (Sri Lanka) was a second world".

A glorious history, a rich culture, age-old ruins, the world's most hospitable people, a rich biodiversity, endless tropical beaches, breathtaking coral reefs, verdant valleys of tea plantations, lush virgin rainforests, ranges of mist-clad mountains, splashing waterfalls, oodles of proboscideans in the wild, pods of giants in the blue, priceless gemstones beneath, mouthwatering spicy foods, delicious tropical fruits and what more to call Sri Lanka "A Land Like No Other". Home to eight world heritage sites, Sri Lanka though a small island, has much more to offer. In terms of diversity, Sri Lanka is incomparable and unbeatable. The tropical paradise is blessed with varied landscapes - flat to hilly, climates - hot to mild and cool, cultures - Buddhist to Hindu, fauna - vertebrates to invertebrates, flora - algae to blackwood and so on.

for more info: Touristdirectory.lk

Sri Lanka transportation Systems - Things you should know before come to Sri Lanka.

There are many ways to get around Sri Lanka, whether it’s by taxi, plane, rail, bus or car. Sri Lanka has a better transport system operated by public and private sectors and payment method is most often cash.

Sri Lanka has two international airports, 13 domestic airports and about 20 waterdromes (open water aerodrome facilities for seaplanes) across the island. The Bandaranaike International Airport located at Katunayake 32 km north of Colombo is the main international airport of Sri Lanka and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport located 264 km southeast of Colombo serves as the second international airport.

Domestic Flights

There are a number of airlines currently operating domestic flights within Sri Lanka offering scheduled flights, scenery flights as well as charter flights. In Sri Lanka are about 13 domestic airports covering the whole island, most of which operate from the Ratmalana airport. A number of seaplanes are also operated from Colombo to many cities across the island.

For more info:  Tourist Directory

Rail

Sri Lanka's rail network is operated by Sri Lanka Railways, linking Colombo with almost all the popular tourist destinations and the other populous cities across the island.

Roads

Sri Lanka has a well-connected national network of roads consisting over 12,000 kms, out of which about 4200 kms of “A” class roads and about 7800 kms of “B” class roads.

Expressways/Highways

Two expressways have newly been constructed in the island; one from Colombo to the Bandaranaike International Airport, another from Colombo to Matara known as Southern Expressway. In addition, an expressway known as Outer Circular Highway that runs 20 km away from the Colombo city centre is being built linking the above two expressways.

Buses

A variety of bus services are readily available in Sri Lanka: normal, intercity, semi-luxury and luxury buses in which you can travel to any part of Sri Lanka.

Luxury Buses

Luxury buses operate from the Central Bus Stand in Colombo to selected destinations such as Galle, Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Jaffna and Trincomalee.

Intercity Buses

Air-conditioned intercity buses travel from one city to another with limited stopovers to make the journey fast and comfortable to the passenger. In these buses only a limited space is available for luggage.

Normal Buses

Hiring Vehicles (Cars/Vans)

Coaches

Three-Wheeler Taxis (Tuk Tuks)

Self-driven Cars

CEYLON CINNAMON (TRUE CINNAMON)

The world renowned Sri Lankan savour

When it comes to spices, cinnamon is without doubt the most spoken among the rest. Cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum, and used in both sweet and savoury foods. “True Cinnamon” alias “Ceylon Cinnamon” is the name used to call the world’ finest cinnamon which is produced nowhere in the world other than in Sri Lanka. In the world are several varieties of cinnamon. Nevertheless, it is True Cinnamon that is world-renowned.  How strong the affinity between cinnamon and Sri Lanka is, is evidenced by its botanical name Cinnamomum  Zeylanicum which is derived from the word Ceylon (Zeylan), former colonial name of Sri Lanka.

Ceylon cinnamon has been very popular all over the world since ancient times. This remote antiquity spice was so highly prized among the olden nations that it was regarded as a gift suitable even for monarchs as well as Gods. Attraction to the True Cinnamon compelled the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British to arrive in to Sri Lanka. History says that the King of the Ceylon who ruled this country in the 6^th Century was to supply 250,000 pounds of Cinnamon to Portuguese authorities in return of giving  protection against enemy invasions.

Annual production of cinnamon in the world amounts to 27,500 - 35,000 tons. Sri Lanka is proud to produce 80-90% of the total world supply. Thus, Sri Lanka remains as the main supplier of cinnamon to the entire world.

In Sri Lanka, cinnamon has originated from the Central Hills where several species of cinnamon occur periodically in places such as Kandy, Matale, Haputale and the Sinharaja Forest range. Although Cinnamon cultivation is presently concentrated along the coastal belt stretching from Kalutara to Matara, it has made its way inroads to the inland of Kalutara, Ambalangoda, Matara and Ratnapura.

Production of cinnamon is quite informative. The stems must be processed immediately after harvesting it while the inner bark still remains wet. The cut stems are processed by scraping off the outer bark, then beating the branch evenly with a hammer to loosen the inner bark which is then pried off in long rolls. Then, woody portion is discarded, leaving meter-long Cinnamon strips that are curled into rolls on drying.    

True Cinnamon is a popular spice, once considered more precious than gold because of its delicate fragrance and a sweet pungent taste. Therefore, it is used as a flavoring agent in confectionary, pharmaceutical preparations, chewing gums, toothpaste, cinnamon tea, mouthwashes and mixing with several other Asian curries. Furthermore it is used in the preparation of chocolate in Mexico which is the main importer of True Cinnamon. Additionally, it is also used in the preparation of some kinds of desserts such as apple pie, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns as well as spicy candies, hot cocoa and liqueurs.

Research has found amazing benefits of cinnamon which has medicinal value that is making even pharmaceutical companies take notice. Cinnamon has been reported to have remarkable pharmacological effects in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Insulin resistance. It has been clinically proven that Cinnamon has ability to boost memory, lower bad Cholesterol and also Cinnamon contains antiseptic properties, help circulation, relieves pain and cold, aids digestion and flu and battles heart disease.


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Ella Sri Lanka

Who said it’s a Resort. It’s an experience…..

Why  Ella Jungle Resort

Spend your holiday at Ella Jungle Resort and feel   the Difference of busy city life and being tranquil in the pristine jungle.  Bubbling   mountain springs and gusting streams in the vicinity of misty mountains will add peace to your life.

Ella Jungle Resort is nestled on the banks of Kiridi  Oya River which meanders through Uva   Province of Sri Lanka. With its  abundant variety of flora and fauna.  Ella makes the perfect place for your heart to stop.

Taking adventure risks can bring significant  personal experience reward. Time spent with the nature can provide intense and rare opportunities.  It also develops new skill and knowledge. More than all, adventure plus nature. Stops your heart and that is what you desperately Seeking   for.   

Ella offers comfortable lodging foe visitors around the world to get closer with nature  allowing them to have an un intrusive glimpse of a wild paradise.  Amidst   your restless busy schedules, nonstop work load in the concrete city.  You no doubt need an eco friendly vacation.  A   destination where you can find  both green and glamour and enjoy luxury with a conscience.

Worthy Ride.

Situated 12 km away from the Ella Railway Station and an hour’s drive from the Mattala Airport.Ella Jungle Resort is also 10 minutes walk from Ella Jungle Inn.

The distance from Colombo to   Ella is 205km while a drive from the Bandaranayake International airport in Katunayake will take about 6-7 hours but it is worth driving that long.  You can take the Colombo – Rathnapura – Badulla route.  A nine hour journey from the train will also give you wonderful sceneries of the hills and valleys of the central highlands.  Ella Jungle Resort is also located about 7 km away from the beautiful Rawana falls which creates wonderful scenery during the rainy season.

The beauty of natural cliffs, caves, jungles and of course of the brides, make Ella, a trekkers paradise.  The historic Dova  Temple.  The Dunhida Falls and the Demodara Railway station are places that you should take time to visit.  Those who love to travel to beautiful cities like Bandarawela and Diyathalawa.  Ella is a perfect base. 

Birth Of Ella Jungle Resort

The Chairman of wild Holidays which runs Ella Jungle Resort.  Vijith Welikala talking Sri Lanka the  Treasure Island explained the motives and background of the birth of this magnificent spot. 

“we are not hoteliers really, but this came through our passion about the nature and jungle.  We sell silence here.  You can’t explain it because silence cannot speak.  Silence cannot be communicated with words since it’s beyond the mind.  This silence creates a fiction in your mind.  Your mind will get lost and it will get a break to be away from your workload at office and problems that you go through everyday.”

“Today people are quite mechanical and glued to modern technology where they have no space to enjoy the nature and its beauty.  So we give them an opportunity to have wonderful time with this natural environment.”

 Transform Yourself

According to him , this resort is a place for a transformation. “ This is a kind of a scientific temple.  You can have a vegetarian meal and listen to some classical music and meditate as well.  The target groups vary for this resort depending on different factors.  In the local market, the main group is corporate institutions and when it comes to the international level.  We basically expect tourists those who travel from country to country looking for the real meaning of life.  Most probably this market is extremely rich in every aspect like, Money, power, education etc. they just want to enjoy the peaceful  averment of the nature which they cannot buy at any price.  They call it spiritual travel, it’s not pilgrimage though.

“This is the only holiday resort on Sri Lanka which has been totally set in a tropical rainforest to provide the tourists with a brand new experience.  To get to the resort, you have to walk along a path  close to a water stream.  Once you are in the resort, no doubt, you will feel that you are really in a jungle.  The specialty here is . we offer visitors a set of adventure games such as mountain biking and canoeing during your stay.  These activities will keep you enthusiastic and create unforgettable memories of your journey”. He said.

  Areal drop is one of the interesting activities they offer to the travelers.  As Mr .welikala mentioned, these activities are created to make people confident and to let them feel that they are capable of many things that they have never even thought doing of.  Though you are in the jungle, you will not be kept apart from the world.  That is why they provide you with Wi-Fi facilities in the common areas of the resort such as site restaurant where you will enjoy both local and continental cuisine.

Fresh Fresh exciting.

You will definitely enjoy a sumptuous of meal with a large variety of food.  What is unique is that food is fresh, natural and more towards tropical Sri Lankan recipes.

“When I talk about food. I must say that we take most of the fruits and vegetables from our own plots and paddy fields and also from the nearby villages as far as possible.  Some of our staff members have their plantations and we directly buy their harvest and give the tourists a really fresh meal” said Welikala.

Team Spirit

The out bound training is a novel experience for those who want to improve team work skills.  For companies this has become a good opportunity to train their staff.  They will set camps in the jungle and put the participants into groups where they have to achieve a pleasure hunt.  It is a kind of a walk in the jungle for about Six kilometers to achieve  a given target.  The objective of this to enhance team working capacities.

“This programme has been designed for three days and within this period every  person changers a lot.  We remove all the designation labels before we start this programme.  So there are no CEOs.Managers. executives or clerks.  Everybody is in the same boat  and has to work as a team for family.  We have highly talented trainers here who have gone through extensive trainings and are capable of impossibly difficult tasks.  They train the participants quite well and they , being a team set a perfect example for the trainees to work as a team.  This includes both mental and physical training:.  Welikala noted.

Come and Relax

As he revealed, the foreigners who come to this place have different objectives.  Some just want to relax.  They come to enjoy the natural beauty of the jungle and they enjoy their holidays sitting        somewhere and reading books.  They walk in the jungle and enjoy the climate.  During their stay, they just live as part of the nature and they walk out and observe the jungle.

According to Welikala, every person  is framed into a box either with their career or studies etc.  Now he suggests people to come out of this box and try novel things and to enjoy the nature.  At Ella Jungle Resort you will automatically tempted to try yourself.

Your Choice

The Ella jungle resort consists of a number of accommodations units that guests are allowed to choose from.  The property consists of a tree house which is the ultimate nature lovers’ hideout.

There are deluxe rooms that offer great views over the mountain rangers of Ella.  The family room which is spread across two levels can accommodate a small family easily.  The greenly surrounding at Ella , will sooth your body and mind with cool breezes, greenly sceneries and sweet melodies of birds and that is why Ella has becomes the most wanted resort by the tourist, both local and foreign.

The resort also offers standard rooms with basic facilities.  Each accommodations unit consists of a private  bathroom with shower.  So, if you are waiting for a perfect holidays which will crave abundance of wonderful memories in your heart, just don’t think twice to walk into this amazing place Ella Jungle Resort.

For more attractive places visit Tourist Directory

 

Coins & Currency in Sri Lanka!

Coins are some of the oldest artifacts that reveal the history of our past. Numismatics covers the
collection and study of coins, tokens and currency of all ages.
Lanka has a very rich and documented numismatic history stretching back over 2300 years. The earliest
known coins mentioned in the 3rd Century Chronicle Mahavamsa are Karshapana. These are small flat silver pieces about three grams in weight on which various marks have been punched. Most came from
India in trade, but some may have been manufactured in Lanka.
The first indigenous coins of Lanka issued during the early Anuradhapura period have the railed
swastika which is found only on Lankan coins. The largest of these coins known as the Elephant and
Swastika has multiple symbols. Smaller coins have the Bo tree, or a lion, or Gaja Lakshmi on the
reverse and the railed swastika on the obverse.
The Kahavanu which were issued in the 7th to 11th century are about 4.4 grams of typically 9-15 Karet
gold and are also found as fractions Pala (Quarter) and Aka (Eighth) of a Kahavanu. Similar sized
copper coins known as Massa issued from 9th to 13th centuries had the name of the king written in Nagri
text.
Coins were also issued by the colonial rulers, the Portuguese, Dutch and British for use in Lanka. During
the British period from about 1840 to 1880, tokens were used in coffee and tea estates as payment for
labour. The tokens were redeemable only at the company shop for goods creating a closed economy.
The first rupees and cents coins are dated 1870 and have the head of Queen Victoria. Similar coins
in copper and silver were issued with the heads of Edward VII, George V, George VI and Queen
Elizabeth II. Coins with the Ceylon Armorial emblem were issued from 1963 to 1972, and the Sri
Lanka Armorial Emblem since 1972. The Central Bank has also issued commemorative coins since
1957, some of which circulated, and can be found among the change you get.
(All coins and currency are displayed at actual size.
Background water mark - One Pound Sterling 1827-1853 / Fifty Rupees 1941-1945).
52 | Coins and Currency of Lanka SLT RAINBOW PAGES
Lankan currency notes have a rich history of over 200 years. The oldest notes issued by the Dutch
in 1785 were known as Kredit Brieven. The British issued Sterling currency from 1827 and many
international banks operating Lanka issued currency as well. From 1885 there was rupee currency
from the Ceylon Government, and since 1951 from the Central Bank.
There are a number of Coins and Currency Collections, like those in the Colombo and Kandy National
Museums, the Dutch Period Museum, the Central Bank Economic History Museum, the Bank of
Ceylon Museum which are open to public.

The market value of a coin or currency depends strongly on its rarity and condition. Punch Mark
coins about 2000 years old may sell for little more than their weight in silver. Most copper Massa
coins which are over 800 years old and VOC duits which are over 200 years old may be obtained for
around Rs 100 since they are found in very large numbers. There are, however, a few Lankan copper
coins that are worth a lot more than their weight in gold.
Crude replica of the VOC bar, Dutch and early British dump coins are sold by street hawkers in
Galle Fort and other tourist spots. There also some replica, which need an expert knowledge
to identify.

Note that it is also illegal to export out of the island any genuine antique item including
coins more than 100 years old. The Sri Lanka Customs have recently opened a museum
with the best of these confiscated items including coins.Technically modern fakes are
OK, but the Sri Lanka Customs Officers at Airport or Post Office will not probably
identify them as such, and if discovered will give you as much problems as the genuine
article until you can prove they are fake.

The Sri Lanka Numismatic Society (SLNS) was founded in 1976 to serve the coin collectors
in Lanka and counts many leading collectors of coins and currency as members..
(The writer Dr Kavan Ratnatunga maintains an educational website on Lankan
coins and currency at http://coins.lakdiva.org which could be referenced for more
information).


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