Sunday 25 October 2009

Kitulgala - away from the hustle and bustle of the city

By Ethna Brave, Pix by Michael Wiafe, 25th October 2009, www.island.lk

Just when I was starting to tire of the long healing process following an accident when the three-wheeler I was riding toppled over a rut, I was once again pleasantly surprised by Sri Lanka, and my fondness for this exotic island rekindled to its former fervour. Sri Lanka, as I keep finding out, is full of surprises and hidden gems, Kitulgala being but one of them.

Kitulgala, at the gateway as it were to Nuwara Eliya and the hill country boasts a number of attractions. David Lean’s 1957 Oscar winning film, The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed in this beautiful area; it is also renowned for its excellent white water rafting on the Kelani River, but these are only two of the better known allurements of the area.

As much as I like Colombo I always thoroughly enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city and a quiet weekend in Kitulgala was just what I needed to rejuvenate myself. The drive from Colombo is a lovely one and the end destination, Kitulgala Rest House sitting offered a warm welcome with the smiling, friendly staff anxious to make us comfortable. The Rest House is part of the Ceylon Hotels Corporation, which has Colombo’s Heritage Galle Face Hotel as its flagship.

After a pleasant lunch at the at a table offering a spectacular view of the river and the Bandara Kele forest, my fortunate colleague had the opportunity to sample Kitulgala’s famous white water rafting. My injured foot made that activity out of bounds for me and I could only watch the takeoff.

The highly trained and experienced instructors from Lanka Adventures decked him out in the required safety gear, gave him a briefing and generally prepared him for the forthcoming adventure. Ninety minutes later I was told all about an amazing experience which he had thoroughly enjoyed. I was more than a tinge envious!

Later that afternoon we visited the Beli Lena caves which are situated high up in the vast and breathtakingly beautiful Kitulgala Rubber Estate. The caves, to which one must reach hiking through coffee, cocoa and rubber plantations, are believed to have been occupied between 25,000 BC and 1500 BC.

In 1950 a monk had built a pathway and temple home for himself in the caves where he lived in isolation until his death. These constructions can be seen in the cave and the view over the estate and the surrounding countryside from the main upper cave is truly beautiful. The serenity and stillness of the forest with only the sound of chirping birds, rustling leaves and the running water was worlds away from the never ending bustle of Colombo.

After dinner we went to bed early in view of our early morning start. My alarm went off at 5.30 am, not a time I am usually roused at. By 6.15 we were crossing the Kelani River on a bamboo raft with our guide who was taking us for an early morning hike through the Bandara Kele forest up to the Makulwella Waterfalls. The cool morning air was refreshing and the mist hanging over the river and surrounding mountains was almost mystical.

Our path took us through Parawalathanne where the villagers were already up and about. As the mist rose, the suns first rays dappled the pathway before us turning the forest into an enchanted dell of dancing sunbeams. The two and a half hour walk was refreshing and ensured a healthy appetite which was rewarded by a wholesome breakfast at the Rest House before heading back to Colombo.

Despite my fatigue and aching bones after the weekend’s uncommon physical exercise, I slept the deep and welcome sleep of one who deserve it, and woke refreshed and invigorated for work on Monday morning.

A trip to Kitulgala was just what I needed; it was thoroughly energizing and it allowed me to see more of this beautiful island.

Monday 19 October 2009

When Sigiriya Paintings were defaced 42 years ago

By Vikmaj - 42 years ago Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage site and considered to be Eighth Wonder of the World, famous for its frescoes of Sigiriya Damsels, landscaped gardens and Sigiri Graffiti, plunged into a pall of gloom when the vandals defaced the unique paintings. Green paint had been daubed over the priceless paintings while some had been hacked away.

The vandals had carried out their dastardly act on the night of 13th October 1967, and the early morning news of the calamity made the following day a day of despair not only for Sri Lanka but for the entire world as these paintings coming down from 5th century A.D. were a world heritage.

Dr Senarath Paranavithana, regarded as the foremost archaeologist of Sri Lanka who had devoted most of his professional life to bring back Sigiriya to its pristine glory, was horrified by this act. As the saying goes, when Dr Paranavithana visited Sigiriya even on that day, there was a shower in the area.

The Italian restoration expert Dr Luciano Maranzi was flown down to Sri Lanka (Ceylon then) to restore the priceless works of art. Not only the Sri Lankans but the entire world was indebted to this great artist and his team for their incomparable effort in bringing back the famous Sigiriya Damsels to life. In the process, they have managed to uncover some hidden paintings too.

Fresco disaster at Sigiriya in 1967 - Premasara Epasinghe, well known cricket commentator, describes the incident

Monday 5 October 2009

The Best Kept Public Lavatory in the whole of Anuradhapura

Last week I made a pilgrimage to Anuradhapura, ancient capital of Sri Lanka for 1500 years and a sacred city to Buddhists all over the world. If you stepped in to the Archaeological Museum of Anuradhapura, you could see a number of intricately carved urinals and various designs of baths and toilets. As this article too is on the same subject, reader may forgive me for highlighting ancient toilet designs out of all the marvellous achievements of ancient Sinhalese.

It was while at the Isurumuniya Vihara, the beautiful cave temple close to the ancient city that I was struck by a sudden and imperative call of nature. In fairness, it has to be said that an adequate number of public lavatories (toilets, as some say) are maintained at various sites of the ancient city though some of them may not be up to the mark in terms of cleanliness and availability of such facilities as a ready supply of water and functioning faucets (taps). Most of the places charge a nominal fee of Rs 10.00 (US Dollar 9 Cents) which is quite fair for the service provided.

At the far corner of the Isurumuniya car park, I was literally amazed by the spick and span condition of the public lavatory there. Invariably the credit should go to the caretaker of the place, Mr Jinadasa who has been maintaining it for years and thanks to his efforts we can talk about, and of course take comfort in, such a marvellous public amenity.

The place is kept neat and clean, floors are all tiled, and inside each cubicle, the actual place of business features a typical Sri Lankan “squatting pan”. These are different from regular commodes or toilets westerners are accustomed to, and now found all over the world. May be the idea is to keep the place as clean as possible because keeping a squatting pan clean is much easier than a regular commode. The only drawback, if it can be called as such, is that some people, especially the elderly, might find the squatting pan a little troublesome to use. But there had been no complaints, but only grateful comments.

Without fear I can say this is the best kept public lavatory in the whole of Anuradhapura, and must thank profusely Mr Jinadasa for his yeoman service. Out of the fee of Rs 10/=, a negligible amount even in Sri Lanka, he keeps the place squeaky clean so that anybody, be they locals or foreigners, can use the facility without any hesitation.

My only regret is that due to the urgency of my visit, I was not in a position to take a photograph or two of the place. I’ll most definitely correct this lapse when I visit Anuradhapura next.
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