Mongooses are fascinating wild mammals found throughout various parts of Sri Lanka. They belong to the family Herpestidae, within the order Carnivora. Although relatively small, they are agile hunters, with excellent eyesight, a keen sense of smell and remarkable ability to catch fast-moving prey.
Sri Lanka is home to four species of mongoose, each with distinctive physical characteristics, habitats and behaviour.
It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, often growing about 10–20 meters tall under favorable conditions. It has a dense crown and glossy, leathery leaves. The flowers are relatively small and may be yellowish, cream, or pale pinkish, depending on the plant and stage of development. Like other Garcinia species, male and female flowers may occur separately. The fruit is rounded and somewhat similar in appearance to a small pumpkin when mature and the rind is sliced and dried, becoming dark brown to almost black.
This dried goraka has a distinctive sour, smoky flavor. One interesting feature of goraka is that it is both an important Sri Lankan culinary ingredient and a traditional medicinal plant, making Garcinia quaesita a valuable indigenous fruit tree.
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Watalappan (also spelled Wattalapam) is a rich, steamed Sri Lankan custard dessert that originated in the Malay community. It's especially popular during festive occasions such as Eid, but it's enjoyed year-round.Watalappan has a silky, creamy texture with warm notes of cardamom, nutmeg, and caramelized jaggery, making it one of Sri Lanka's most beloved traditional desserts.
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Sri Lankan Kithul Jaggery (Kithul Hakuru) is a traditional sweetener made from the sap of the Kithul palm (Caryota urens), also called the fishtail or jaggery palm. The palm is particularly associated with Sri Lanka's wet-zone regions.
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This is the Calotes calotes, commonly called the Green Forest Lizard (Calotes calotes).The bright green coloration, strongly keeled scales, pointed spines along the neck, and head shape are characteristic. Sri Lanka also has several similar green Calotes species.
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Butterflies “flutter” because of the way their wings and bodies are built for flight. Unlike birds, butterflies have large lightweight wings covered in tiny scales, thin bodies with weak flight muscles and a flight style that relies on rapid, uneven wingbeats.
This creates the characteristic zigzag, bobbing motion we call fluttering.
Guava is a tropical fruit that’s widely loved for its sweet taste, strong aroma, and high nutritional value, a native plant to Central America but now grown in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
Guava from my garden.
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More pictures of the Kandy Wax Museum
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It’s Sri Lanka’s first historical wax museum of this kind. A good complement to other historic sites in Kandy (if you’re visiting the city anyway). For history buffs: gives a visual, almost theatrical, representation of the Kandyan Kingdom’s people and lifestyle.
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