Waterfall in the heart of Kandy town, Sri Lanka.

The water rushing out of the Kandy lake.

The waterfall as seen from the 2nd floor of the multi-storeyed car park.

The water flowing down-stream.

It was a rainy day in Kandy. The Kandy lake was receiving all the rain-water. It was rushing out of the sluice gates and creating a beautiful waterfall in the centre of the town.

Gangaramaya Buddhist Monastery, Lewalla, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

A 'Dewalaya'

The 'Bo Tree'

Inside the Gangaramaya temple on the road to Lewalla, Kandy. This is a very old temple bordering Udawaththakale on the side of the Mahawely Ganga. It has a lovely view of the valley below. It also has some paintings of the Kandyan period of Sri Lankan history.

The trinket seller, Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

As an early teenager he had picked up a cigarette tin lying in the childrens' park bordering the Kandy Lake in the year 1971. As there was a rattling noise inside he had thought that there was a rat inside the tin and smashed it on a rock. The 'cigarette tin' exploded and he lost his thumb. It was the aftermath of the 1971 JVP insurgency. This must have been a hurriedly discarded 'cigarette tin hand-bomb' made by the JVP activists who used these during the insurrection of 1971.  He earns his living as a seller of trinkets on the outskirts of the Dalada Maligawa. He seemed a happy man and said that he had married off his children and his burdens in life have eased off.

Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Moat at the entrance to the Dalada Maligawa

A stone cutting on the wall - Guardian Deity

The aesthetic sense of the designer of the Dalada Maligawa is well represented by these pictures.

Scenes at the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

A water cistern of stone donated to the Maligawa,

The 'Audience Hall of the former Kings of Kandy.

Wetting the flowers to be used as offerings.

Bell and water bowl made of brass.

The Audience Hall was where the articles of the agreement by the Kandyan Chiefs with the conquering British was signed. It was later used as the venue of the Supreme Courts.

'Dhaana Salaawa' - Alms-giving hall, Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Row of statues of Lord Buddha.

More statues.

Paintings depicting the landmarks in the life of Lord Buddha.

The size of the hall.

This hall adjoins the building housing the Sacred Tooth Relic and is used in the alms-giving ceremony to the Buddhist monks. It is filled with statues of Lord Buddha. Note the 'inverted lotus' design on the supporting columns. There are pictures depicting landmarks in the life of the Buddha lining the walls.

Artifacts inside the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka

"Gajasingha' -  Mythical Lion with an elephant's face - Strength and wisdom.

A mythical animal

Design on pillar 

The door lock

Quite a lot of works on the stone pillars are presumably from the early part of the 19th Century PE when the Maligawa was constructed. They could be even earlier.

Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Scene outside the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy.

Inside the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy.

The Dalada Maligawa, repository of the sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha has a lot of attraction to Buddhists and non Buddhists.

Embakka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

The 'store-room' of the temple.

An old 'Ambalama' - resting hall for pigrims, in ruins. Note the granite supporting pillars.

An 'Ambalama' still in use.

Artifacts at Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

A bird motif on a woodcut.

Decorated granite doorway

Wood-work, Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Floral design

A bird

A seated female

Two females

Wood-work, Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Plaited tape design

Mythical double-headed bird

Entwined swans

Mother and child

Wood-cuts, Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

A stylized bird

? Females

Entwined birds

Floral design

The names of the persons who did these works is unknown. The self had no place in this type of art. It was something which after a long period of training came from within.

Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka, wood-work, 16th Century PE

A flower

Mythical ?Parrots

The 'double swan'

A female.

You can see the wealth of imagination of the craftsmen in wood in these pictures.

Wood carvings, Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

A mythical bird

A floral design

A floral design

A floral design

Four of the many stylized wood carvings found on the supporting wooden pillars, of the 15th Century Embekka Dewala.

Embekka Dewala, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

The arrangement of the wooden rafters on the roof of the hall.

Observe the geometrical precision with which these rafters were fitted more than 500 years ago.