Amazing Lanka – A photo Journey to the Island Nation in the Indian Ocean
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SRI LANKA HAS A DOCUMENTED HISTORY THAT SPANS OVER 2,600 YEARS, BUT THERE ARE FACTS TO SUGGEST THAT SRI LANKA HAD PREHISTORIC HUMAN SETTLEMENTS DATING BACK TO AT LEAST 125,000 YEARS. ITS GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND DEEP HARBORS MADE IT OF GREAT STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FROM THE TIME OF THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD THROUGH TO WORLD WAR II. SRI LANKA IS A DIVERSE COUNTRY, HOME TO MANY RELIGIONS, ETHNICITIES AND LANGUAGES. IT IS THE LAND OF THE SINHALESE, SRI LANKAN TAMILS, MOORS, INDIAN TAMILS, BURGHERS, MALAYS, KAFFIRS AND THE ABORIGINAL VEDDA. SRI LANKA HAS A RICH BUDDHIST HERITAGE, AND THE FIRST KNOWN BUDDHIST WRITINGS OF SRI LANKA, THE PĀLI CANON, DATES BACK TO THE FOURTH BUDDHIST COUNCIL IN 29 BCE .
THE PURPOSE OF THIS SITE IS TO CREATE A DEEPER AWARENESS OF ALL THE ATTRACTIONS OF SRI LANKA THUS DEVELOP A RICHER APPRECIATION OF WHAT OUR ANCESTORS AND NATURE HAS PROVIDED US WITH.
SRI LANKA IS HOME TO ONE OF OLDEST CIVILIZATIONS IN THE WORLD WITH A WRITTEN HISTORY COVERING THE LAST 2600 YEARS.
SRI LANKAN CIVILIZATION WAS NATURED AND NOURISHED BY BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY AND WAS BUILT ON A THEME KNOWN AS “WAWAI DAGOBAI, GAMAI PANSALAI” WHICH SIMPLY MEANS EVERY VILLAGE CONSISTED OF A IRRIGATION TANK, A BUDDHIST TEMPLE AND A STUPA.
SEVEN PLACES IN SRI LANKA HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS WORLD HERITAGE SITES UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF WORLD CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE ADOPTED BY UNESCO ON NOVEMBER 16, 1972. SRI LANKANS ARE PROUD TO HAVE SEVEN WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SUCH A SMALL COUNTRY.
SRI LANKAN CIVILIZATION WAS NATURED AND NOURISHED BY BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY AND WAS BUILT ON A THEME KNOWN AS “WAWAI DAGOBAI, GAMAI PANSALAI” WHICH SIMPLY MEANS EVERY VILLAGE CONSISTED OF A IRRIGATION TANK, A BUDDHIST TEMPLE AND A STUPA.
SEVEN PLACES IN SRI LANKA HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED AS WORLD HERITAGE SITES UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF WORLD CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE ADOPTED BY UNESCO ON NOVEMBER 16, 1972. SRI LANKANS ARE PROUD TO HAVE SEVEN WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN SUCH A SMALL COUNTRY.
Heritage of Sri Lanka (New Additions)
Matara Uduwaka Ambalama -මාතර උඩුවක අම්බලමUduwaka Ambalama is a somewhat recent resting place in Matara District lying 8km off Weligama (2.7 km off Thelijjawila) on the Weligama Thelijawila road. The Ambalama lies by the main road, next to a lush paddy field. […]
Ancient Peraru Amuna Hidden off the Jungles of MulathivuFrom the shape of the pin holes made in the stone slabs used to make this Amuna, it is clear that this has been built during the Anuradhapura era. One river bank of the two of the embankment has been systematically prepared using gravel and stone blocks, and the second bank has been prepared using natural rock and embankments has been placed only in the necessary places. […]
Thiruketheeswaram Kovil Road Survey TowerThis square survey tower on the Thiruketheeswaram Kovil Road belonging to British era has four floors. The side length of the original part is 2.4 meters and the height is 2.3 meters. The remaining two storeys are built progressively shorter. The fourth floor is taller than the second and third floors. […]
Illuppaikadavai Padavuthurai Survey Tower Built by the Colonial RulersThis old survey tower is located in Ilukpakadai 04th Gramasewaka division of Manthai West Divisional Secretariat. To reach the temple travel 30 km from Mannar on Poonareen road, turn left at Ilukpakadawai junction and travel 200 meters on Padauthura road, this tower can be seen near a Hindu Kovil. […]
Narapadu Ancient Watch Tower in MannarFrom the Mannar fort, travel 12 km on the Thalaimannar road, turn right at the Narapadu junction and go 1.4 km along the sandy road, where you can see this monolithic tower pointing towards the sky on the plain. […]
Waterfalls
Kasimani Ella (Madabaddara Ella) Falls – කාසිමනී ඇල්ල (මඩබද්දර ඇල්ල)The waterfall is not so popular outside the Dethabadakanda village and thus remains unspoiled. The villagers may not know the name Kasimani Ella so you may have to try the names "Madabaddara Ella" or "Kiriella Ella" asking for directions. […]
Ilumbakanda Ran Ella Waterfall – ඉලුඹකන්ද රන් ඇල්ලIlumbakanda is a remote village in Kalawana surrounded by the Sinharaja jungle from 3 sides. This hidden waterfall lies on the southern border of the Sinharaja Jungles. […]
Bulatkohupitiya Welanda Ella Falls – බුලත්කොහුපිටිය වෙළඳ ඇල්ලWelanda waterfall lies on a small stream thus there is never lot of water even during the raining season. It almost dries up during the dry season and not worth the visit. Although there is not much water, this water falls over a wide rock edge creating a thin but wide vail during the raining seasons. […]
Hewainna Ella WaterfallHewainna Falls is a wide but small waterfall. The fall is evenly spread along the full length of the river and drops in 2 steps. The first one is about 1 meter in height and the second one is about 2 meters in height. […]
Upper Galdola Ella Waterfall on the Rakwana Soriyakanda Road – රක්වාන සූරියකන්ද මාර්ගයේ ගල්දොළ ඇල්ලUpper Galdola Ella is a small and beautiful waterfall lying on the picturesque Rakwana - Sooriyakanda road in Ratnapura District. This rather unknown waterfall lies just beside the road before the famous 10 elbow bends traveling from Rakwana. […]
ALTHOUGH THE LAND AREA OF SRI LANKA IS RELATIVELY SMALL, IT HAS A WIDE DISTRIBUTION OF ECOSYSTEMS DUE TO DIFFERENT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND TOPOGRAPHY AND HAS A LARGE VARIETY OF FLORA AND FAUNA. THE FORESTS ARE ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE THE BIODIVERSITY OF LANKABE IS AT ITS MAXIMUM BECAUSE OF THE RARE FLORA AND FAUNA ENDEMIC TO SRI LANKA. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SRI LANKA IS ONE OF THE 34 BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IN THE WORLD.
Wildlife and Biodiversity of Sri Lanka (New Additions)
Whale Watching in Sri LankaWhile the world was counting whales elsewhere a small population of whales around Sri Lanka, was growing unseen and unchecked by everybody due to the 30 years of old terrorist war. […]
Hiyare Reservoir Rainforest and Biodiversity Research Center – ගාල්ල හියාරේ රක්ෂිතයHiyare is a secondary lowland rain forest with a high diversity and endemism of species. There are 12 species of dragonflies and 3 butterfly species endemic to this area. […]
Pigeon Island National Park – පරෙවි දූපත් ජාතික වනෝද්යානයPigeon Island National Park consists of two small islands off the east coast north of Trincomalee and is popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. […]
Lunugamvehera National Park – ලුනුගම්වෙහෙර ජාතික වනෝද්යානයThe Lunugamvehera National Park was established for protection as a corridor for elephant migration from the Yala National Park to the Uda Walawe National Park's Western region […]
Lahugala Kitulana National Park – ලාහුගල කිතුලාන ජාතික වනෝද්යානයThe Lahugala Kitulana National Park lies in the eastern boarders of Sri Lanka is most popular for its free roaming Elephants and the abundance of local and migratory birds. […]
Attractions
Old Trincomalee Lighthouse on Swami Rock – ත්රිකුණාමලය පැරණි ප්රදීපාගාරයThe British built their first lighthouse in Trincomalee in the year 1845 on the flagstaff post of the old Trincomalee Fort (Fort Frederick). The lighthouse had one single light with 2 reflectors with an elliptical focus of 6 ½ inches. The lantern was 206 feet (52.8 meters) above the sea level and 10 feet (3 meters) from the foot of the lighthouse. The light was powered using coconut oil. […]
The First Lighthouse of Colombo – කොලඹ මුල්ම ප්රදීපාගාරයThis Colombo lighthouse was used to mark the Colombo Port at night with one fixed light. The lighthouse was built on a wooden structure surrounding a 2 story high brick building on the flagstaff bastion of the Colombo Fort. The Bastian was located almost 120 yards (110 meters) away from the sea and was 12 yard (10.9 meters) above the sea level. […]
Memorial of Nuwarawewa Bandara near Ruwanweliseya – රුවන්වැලිසැය අසල නුවරවැව බණ්ඩාර සිහිවටන එලකයThe memorial of the last direct descendent of the prince Bodhiguptha lies in view of Ruwanweliseya and reads - Memorial of Nuwarawewa Bulakulame Bandara, the custodian of the Atamasthana and the son of Anuradhapura Nuwarawewa Bulankulame Sooriyakumara Vannisinghe, The Nilame of Sathpatthu Mahavanni - at Ruwanweliseya premises […]
Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota – හම්බන්තොට රිදියගම සෆාරි උද්යානයRidiyagama Safari Park is 500 acre safari park, zoo in Ridiyagama area of Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. The park was opened to the public on 28 May 2016. Although the park reservation is 500 acres in size, only about 200 acres are currently been developed and is been gradually enlarged. […]
Hambantota Birds ParkThe Bird Park at Hambantota boast of being the Asia's largest Birds Park and Research Centre and is home to endemic and exotic birds with over 180 varieties and around 3200 birds. […]
CONSIDERING ITS SIZE, SRI LANKA PERHAPS HAS THE LARGEST DENSITY WATERFALLS IN THE WORLD. THERE ARE CLOSE TO 500 KNOWN WATERFALLS NAMED AND UNNAMED, SEASONAL AND PERENNIAL WITH THE TALLEST BEING 241 METERS AT BAMBARAKANDA
Waterfalls of Sri Lanka (New Additions)
Kasimani Ella (Madabaddara Ella) Falls – කාසිමනී ඇල්ල (මඩබද්දර ඇල්ල)The waterfall is not so popular outside the Dethabadakanda village and thus remains unspoiled. The villagers may not know the name Kasimani Ella so you may have to try the names "Madabaddara Ella" or "Kiriella Ella" asking for directions. […]
Ilumbakanda Ran Ella Waterfall – ඉලුඹකන්ද රන් ඇල්ලIlumbakanda is a remote village in Kalawana surrounded by the Sinharaja jungle from 3 sides. This hidden waterfall lies on the southern border of the Sinharaja Jungles. […]
Bulatkohupitiya Welanda Ella Falls – බුලත්කොහුපිටිය වෙළඳ ඇල්ලWelanda waterfall lies on a small stream thus there is never lot of water even during the raining season. It almost dries up during the dry season and not worth the visit. Although there is not much water, this water falls over a wide rock edge creating a thin but wide vail during the raining seasons. […]
Hewainna Ella WaterfallHewainna Falls is a wide but small waterfall. The fall is evenly spread along the full length of the river and drops in 2 steps. The first one is about 1 meter in height and the second one is about 2 meters in height. […]
Upper Galdola Ella Waterfall on the Rakwana Soriyakanda Road – රක්වාන සූරියකන්ද මාර්ගයේ ගල්දොළ ඇල්ලUpper Galdola Ella is a small and beautiful waterfall lying on the picturesque Rakwana - Sooriyakanda road in Ratnapura District. This rather unknown waterfall lies just beside the road before the famous 10 elbow bends traveling from Rakwana. […]
Ancient Irregation Wonders
Ancient Peraru Amuna Hidden off the Jungles of MulathivuFrom the shape of the pin holes made in the stone slabs used to make this Amuna, it is clear that this has been built during the Anuradhapura era. One river bank of the two of the embankment has been systematically prepared using gravel and stone blocks, and the second bank has been prepared using natural rock and embankments has been placed only in the necessary places. […]
Kuda Vilachchiya Wewa and its Ruins inside WilpattuThis ancient reservoir of Kuda Vilachchiya is believed to have been built by King Wasaba (67-111 AD). Since it lies in the thick jungle of Wilpattu national park where the public has no access, those who are doing the surveys have to first obtain permission to enter the park and then travel by a tractor to a certain distance and lead the rest of the journey by foot. […]
මුලතිවු වනයේ සැඟවුණු වන්නඩි පාළම හා අමුණවන්නඩි අමුණ තිබෙන්නේ මුලතිවු දිස්ත්රික්කයේ මුහුදුබඩ පත්තුව ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම් කොට්ටාශයේ වැලිඔය ග්රාමයේ රූස්ස කැලයක් හරහා ගලායන දියපහරක් හරස් කරමින්. මෙම අමුණ ගොඩනැගීමට ගත් ගල් කුට්ටි මත ඇති ගල්කටු සලකනු අනුව මෙම අමුණ අනුරාධපුර යුගයට අයත් බව නිර්ණය කොට තිබෙනවා. […]
Ancient Wilewewa Amuna Across Yan OyaBuilt on a natural rock foundation, the Wilewewa Amuna is 42 meters long and 9.5 meters wide. It is difficult to get an idea of the height of the amuna as the top surface is completely destroyed. […]
Ancient Ilukwewa Amuna on Yan OyaThis ancient Ilukwewa Amuna is located below the Hurulu Wewa, which is located about 500 meters away from the main road of the Ilukwewa village on the Galenbindunuwewa - Kahatagasdigiliya road […]
CONSIDERED THE LOST PARADISE BY ANCIENT TRAVELERS DUE TO WHAT NATURE HAS OFFERED IN FORM OF PRISTINE BEACHES TO ROMANTIC LANDSCAPES GOVERNED BY RISING MOUNTAINS, LUSH FORESTS, TANKS AS LARGE AS OCEANS AND ROAMING ANIMALS, SOME MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS WHO FIRST LANDED IN SRI LANKA BELIEVED THAT THEY HAVE DISCOVERED THE ORIGINAL GARDEN OF EDEN.
Attractions of of Sri Lanka (New Additions))
Old Trincomalee Lighthouse on Swami Rock – ත්රිකුණාමලය පැරණි ප්රදීපාගාරයThe British built their first lighthouse in Trincomalee in the year 1845 on the flagstaff post of the old Trincomalee Fort (Fort Frederick). The lighthouse had one single light with 2 reflectors with an elliptical focus of 6 ½ inches. The lantern was 206 feet (52.8 meters) above the sea level and 10 feet (3 meters) from the foot of the lighthouse. The light was powered using coconut oil. […]
The First Lighthouse of Colombo – කොලඹ මුල්ම ප්රදීපාගාරයThis Colombo lighthouse was used to mark the Colombo Port at night with one fixed light. The lighthouse was built on a wooden structure surrounding a 2 story high brick building on the flagstaff bastion of the Colombo Fort. The Bastian was located almost 120 yards (110 meters) away from the sea and was 12 yard (10.9 meters) above the sea level. […]
Memorial of Nuwarawewa Bandara near Ruwanweliseya – රුවන්වැලිසැය අසල නුවරවැව බණ්ඩාර සිහිවටන එලකයThe memorial of the last direct descendent of the prince Bodhiguptha lies in view of Ruwanweliseya and reads - Memorial of Nuwarawewa Bulakulame Bandara, the custodian of the Atamasthana and the son of Anuradhapura Nuwarawewa Bulankulame Sooriyakumara Vannisinghe, The Nilame of Sathpatthu Mahavanni - at Ruwanweliseya premises […]
Ridiyagama Safari Park in Hambantota – හම්බන්තොට රිදියගම සෆාරි උද්යානයRidiyagama Safari Park is 500 acre safari park, zoo in Ridiyagama area of Hambantota District, Sri Lanka. The park was opened to the public on 28 May 2016. Although the park reservation is 500 acres in size, only about 200 acres are currently been developed and is been gradually enlarged. […]
Hambantota Birds ParkThe Bird Park at Hambantota boast of being the Asia's largest Birds Park and Research Centre and is home to endemic and exotic birds with over 180 varieties and around 3200 birds. […]
SRI LANKA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD WHO INVENTED AND PERFECTED THE VALVE PIT SYSTEM CALLED BISO KOTUWA WHICH ENABLED THEM TO CREATE GIGANTIC IRRIGATION RESERVOIRS STARTING FROM 3RD CENTURY BC. THE EUROPEANS DISCOVERED AND USED THIS TECHNOLOGY IN THE 20TH CENTURY AND BY THIS TIME, SRI LANKA HAD ALREADY BUILD OVER 30,000 TANKS WHICH USED THE BISO KOTUWAS TO MANAGE PRESSURE CREATED BY THE GIGANTIC WATER VOLUMES
Water Heritage of Sri Lanka (New Additions)
- Ancient Peraru Amuna Hidden off the Jungles of MulathivuFrom the shape of the pin holes made in the stone slabs used to make this Amuna, it is clear that this has been built during the Anuradhapura era. One river bank of the two of the embankment has been systematically prepared using gravel and stone blocks, and the second bank has been prepared using natural rock and embankments has been placed only in the necessary places. […]
Kuda Vilachchiya Wewa and its Ruins inside WilpattuThis ancient reservoir of Kuda Vilachchiya is believed to have been built by King Wasaba (67-111 AD). Since it lies in the thick jungle of Wilpattu national park where the public has no access, those who are doing the surveys have to first obtain permission to enter the park and then travel by a tractor to a certain distance and lead the rest of the journey by foot. […]
මුලතිවු වනයේ සැඟවුණු වන්නඩි පාළම හා අමුණවන්නඩි අමුණ තිබෙන්නේ මුලතිවු දිස්ත්රික්කයේ මුහුදුබඩ පත්තුව ප්රාදේශීය ලේකම් කොට්ටාශයේ වැලිඔය ග්රාමයේ රූස්ස කැලයක් හරහා ගලායන දියපහරක් හරස් කරමින්. මෙම අමුණ ගොඩනැගීමට ගත් ගල් කුට්ටි මත ඇති ගල්කටු සලකනු අනුව මෙම අමුණ අනුරාධපුර යුගයට අයත් බව නිර්ණය කොට තිබෙනවා. […]
Ancient Wilewewa Amuna Across Yan OyaBuilt on a natural rock foundation, the Wilewewa Amuna is 42 meters long and 9.5 meters wide. It is difficult to get an idea of the height of the amuna as the top surface is completely destroyed. […]
Ancient Ilukwewa Amuna on Yan OyaThis ancient Ilukwewa Amuna is located below the Hurulu Wewa, which is located about 500 meters away from the main road of the Ilukwewa village on the Galenbindunuwewa - Kahatagasdigiliya road […]
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THE FIRST SETTLERS FROM INDIA HAD REACHED SRI LANKA AT LEAST AS EARLY AS ONE MILLION YEARS AGO – PERHAPS EARLIER.
BY ABOUT 125,000 BP IT IS CERTAIN THAT THERE WERE PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS IN SRI LANKA FROM THE EVIDENCE DISCOVERED AT BUNDALA. NUMBER OF CAVE SITES HAS BEEN DISCOVERED WITH EVIDENCE OF PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS HAS BEEN FOUND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
BY ABOUT 125,000 BP IT IS CERTAIN THAT THERE WERE PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS IN SRI LANKA FROM THE EVIDENCE DISCOVERED AT BUNDALA. NUMBER OF CAVE SITES HAS BEEN DISCOVERED WITH EVIDENCE OF PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS HAS BEEN FOUND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
Pre Historical sites of Sri Lanka (New Additions)
Yapahuwa Megalithic Burial Site (Gal Sohon Kanatta) – යාපහුව මෙගලිතික ආදි මානව සුසාන භූමිය (ගල් සොහොන් කනත්ත)The prehistoric and historic heritage in the surrounding area of Yapahuwa has been preserved in the stone caves, rock shelters, inscriptions, graves and other ruins.. This rather unknown stone cist burial site in Yapahuwa called "Gal Sohon Kanatta" (stone tomb cemetery) by locals lies just 720 meters south to the popular Yapahuwa rock. […]
Kokebe Megalithic Burial Grounds in Yan Oya Valley – කොක්ඇබේ මෙගලිතික සුසාන භූමියKokebe is a remote village in the Kahatagasdigiliya Divisional Secretariat Division in the Anuradhapura District. Konwewa is the nearest village to Kokebe. […]
Mayakkai Prehistoric Limestone Caves in Jaffna – යාපනය මායක්කායි ප්රාග් ඓතිහාසික හිරිගල් ගුහාA couple of limestone caves in Mayakkai, Jaffna peninsula from which prehistoric stone hand axes have been discovered. No proper scientific research has been carried out at this site yet. […]
Waulpane Limestone Caves – වවුල්පනේ හුණුගල් ගුහාවWaulpone Caves ulpone, the 'legendary Rock Cave' with the unexpected archaeological evidence of a civilisation, tens of thousand years old, runs back to the time of the "Balangoda Man". […]
Agbopura Megalithic (Sumerian) Ancient Burial Site – අග්බෝපුර මෙගලිතික (සුමේරියන්) ආදි මානව සුසාන භූමියThe Megalithic Burial Ground at Agbopura in Vavuniya district was first discovered in 1970s and it was reported at almost 100 burials have been discovered spread over an area of 25 acres. […]