The stark white Kechimalai Mosque stands on a headland at the sleepy southern fishing village of Beruwela in Sri Lanka. Built in 1024, it marks the spot where Moors first landed on the island. Beruwala Maradana Masjidul Abrar Jumma mosque a short distance away is the first mosque of Sri Lanka, built in…
Madu River – a minor watercourse in south-west of Sri Lanka, widens into the Madu Ganga Lake at Balapitiya and flows for a further a 4.4 km before draining into the Indian Ocean. Together with the smaller Randombe Lake, to which the river is connected by two narrow channels, it forms the Madu Ganga wetland dotted with mangrove…
We were tucking into a rice & curry lunch at Sir John’s Bungalow and the large photograph of a spectacular waterfall on the dinning room wall caught my eye. “It is Sera Ella Falls, about an hours drive from here” the waiter said. I had never heard of Sera Ella. It looked gorgeous and I…
“It’s a four kilometre hike up the mountain” Padmini warned us. I got ready with walking boots, back pack and hiking poles. We drove downhill along the B274 to the turn off to the VHF station. There is a good road to the communications towers at the top of the Knuckles Range hill but…
From Sir John’s Bungalow, it is only a short drive to Pitawala Pathana. The road is good, there is ample parking, and the ranger’s office has benches and a public toilet in front of it. A short distance away, a new visitor centre with all mod cons is under construction. I have visited Knuckles –…
The bungalow in the Knuckles Range sits in splendid isolation. The view across the valley to the distant mist shrouded mountains is magnificent. It was once the holiday home of Sir John Kotalawala, the third Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The five bedroom bungalow was built during the British colonial era as a residence for…
I am on a road trip again, this time on the A1 from Colombo to Riverston near Matale in central Sri Lanka, to hike in the Knuckles range of mountains I take a taxi to Borella and board the Flamingo Tours coach at six in the morning. “I will reserve the front double seat for…
Giant’s Tank is a marvel of ancient irrigation engineering in Sri Lanka and is a great place to see rare waders Giant’s Tank (Yodha Vewa in Sinhalese) situated 25 km south-east of Mannar in north-western Sri Lanka is one of the largest ancient irrigation reservoirs of the Island, built by a Sinhalese king in…
The ancient Indian epic Ramayana documents a 30 km bridge over the Palk Strait connecting Rameswaram Island off the southeastern coast of India, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. The epic attributes the building of the bridge to the ape army of Hanuman aiding Rama in his war against Ravana, the…
Mannar Fort is a square fortified structure with four bastions on Mannar Island in north-western Sri Lanka built by the Portuguese in 1560 In the early 16th century, trade in the Indian Ocean was dominated by Arab, Indian, Malay, and Chinese merchants, who used various seafaring craft for their trade in spices to elephants.…
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