Discover-SriLanka

DISCOVER - SRI LANKA: PROLOGUE

IN PRAISE OF MY BEAUTIFUL ISLAND,

INFORMATION, PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO.

THE 13th CENTURY VENETIAN TRAVELER MARCO POLO DESCRIBED THE ISLAND AS 'THE JADE PENDANT IN THE INDIAN OCEAN'. THE ABUNDANCE OF GEMSTONES, SPICES, RAIN FORESTS AND WILDLIFE; THE MAGNIFICENT BEACHES, ANCIENT RUINS AND A WRITTEN HISTORY OF OVER 2500 YEARS MAKE THIS ISLAND A TOURISTS' PARADISE.

THE RUINED CITIES OF ANURADHAPURA AND POLONNARUWA ILLUSTRATE THE GLORY OF THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS. THE GIGANTIC STUPAS AND BUDDHA STATUES ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST MAN MADE STRUCTURES OF THE WORLD. THE MASSIVE RESERVOIRS, BUILT BY ANCIENT KINGS TO IRRIGATE THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF LAND, ARE MARVELS OF HYDRO ENGINEERING. THERE ARE EIGHT UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SRI LANKA

THE ISLAND WAS KNOWN TO THE GREEKS AS 'TAPROBANE' AND TO THE ARABS AS 'SERENDIB'. EARLY MERCHANTS VISITED THE ISLAND IN SEARCH OF GEMSTONES AND SPICES, MAINLY CINNAMON AND PEPPER. COFFEE AND TEA PLANTATIONS WERE STARTED BY THE BRITISH COLONIAL RULERS. CEYLON TEA IS FAMOUS THE WORLD OVER.

TOURISM INDUSTRY IS A MAJOR MONEY SPINNER FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL ISLAND. THE VAST EXPANSE OF BEACHES, RAIN FORESTS AND NATIONAL PARKS WITH HERDS OF WILD ELEPHANTS, THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WITH LITHE WATER FALLS, BRING IN THE TOURISTS. THE ISLAND IS DOTTED WITH HUNDREDS OF HOTELS TO ACCOMMODATE THE TRAVELER. AN ISLAND OF 25,000 SQ; MILES HAS 103 RIVERS AND 25000 RESERVOIRS, MOSTLY MAN MADE. WITH VARYING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS THIS IS TRULY A 'SMALL MIRACLE'.

" THE ISLAND OF SRI LANKA IS A SMALL UNIVERSE, IT CONTAINS AS MANY VARIATIONS OF CULTURE, SCENERY AND CLIMATE AS SOME COUNTRIES A DOZEN TIMES ITS SIZE........I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY COUNTRY WHICH SCORES SO HIGHLY IN ALL DEPARTMENTS - WHICH HAVE SO MANY ADVANTAGES AND SO FEW DISADVANTAGES. LOVELY BEACHES, BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES, IMPRESSIVE RUINS, A VIBRANT CULTURE AND CHARMING PEOPLE- NO WONDER SRI LANKA IS A SMALL MIRACLE ".***** Arthur C. Clark *****

23 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - THE GLORIOSA FLOWER [ GLORY LILY ]

The Gloriosa plant has a showy flower with yellow and orange colored reflexed petals but all parts of the plant contain a substance called colchicine which is highly poisonous if ingested.

Pics by : Gerrit,Netty,Hans and Hanneke [ Belgium ]

Sri Lanka Tour, May 2011

22 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - THE DEVIL DANCERS

The devil dance is a dance form of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, it is also called Low Country dance. The dancers wear masks to depict different characters.

Pics by : Gerrit,Netty,Hans and Hanneke [ Belgium ]

Sri Lanka Tour, May 2011

21 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - POLONNARUWA VATADAGE

The word vatadage literally means circular relic house or shrine. The Polonnaruwa Vatadage is one of the finest out of the ten remaining Vatadages in Sri Lanka. The two guard stones on either side of the Moonstone at each entrance deserve a special mention, they are an example of the finest and most elaborate stone carvings of ancient Sri Lanka.

Pics by : Gerrit,Netty,Hans and Hanneke [ Belgium ]

Sri Lanka Tour, May 2011

20 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - COLOMBO ZOO [ MACAW ]

The Macaw with their large beaks and brilliant plumage are native to Central and South America.

Pics by : Gerrit,Netty,Hans and Hanneke [ Belgium ]

Sri Lanka Tour, May 2011

19 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - PEOPLE [ THE FISHERMAN - KALPITIYA BEACH ]

Pics by : Nelsonlanka

Sony DSC H7

18 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - WILD BUFFALO [ YALA NATIONAL PARK ]

The wild buffalo is considered to be one of the most ferocious animals in the bush, prone to attack without provocation. The beast in the photograph seems to have lost its left horn in a fight.

Pics by : Gerrit,Netty,Hans and Hanneke [ Belgium ]

Sri Lanka Tour, May 2011

17 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - THE SKY FROM MY WINDOW

Pics by : Nelsonlanka

Sony DSC H7

16 June, 2011

SRI LANKA - REPTILES [ CAYMAN ]

These photographs were taken on the boat safari on the Madu 'ganga' [river], in Balapitiya in the Southern Province, there are 68 islands on this World Heritage Site. A haven for wildlife, teeming with cayman, birds, fresh water fish and prawn. The newly hatched cayman, fed and tamed are kept by villagers to provide amusement to visitors to the site.