Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Auspicious items on display after a "Poruwa' wedding ceremony, Bope, Sri Lanka.




A 'Poruwa' ceremony is where, a couple is wedded according to ancient Sinhalese custom. Robert Knox writing in the 16th Century AD refers to the custom of a couple being wedded, by making them stand on a wooden plank - 'Poruwa' - made out of a 'Jak' tree, after which the couple was pronounced man and wife. As the couple is descending from the 'Poruwa' a coconut is broken in half using a heavy kitchen knife and if it breaks clean, is said to be an auspicious beginning for the marriage.
The picture shows the coconut and knife on display, laid on betel leaves after a 'Poruwa' ceremony.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Thevini Hotel, Bope, Sri Lanka.

Under a 'Benjamina' tree in the fore-court.

Decor in the corridor.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Scenes in a hotel in Bope, near Padukka, Sri Lanka.

Fore-court entrance and parking area.
Childrens' swing.
Greenery, flowers and a cool ambiance for its guests, seems to the universal theme in hotels in Sri Lanka now.

Friday, May 8, 2015

A 'Pettagama' S, 'Pettakam' T, used to store items in the last century, Bope, Sri Lanka.


Varying in size from small where articles of silk and jewelry was locked up, to bushels of paddy in huge versions, this design in wood was used extensively in the last century in Sri Lanka. Decorative carvings on the Mahogany wood with brass inlays, this is used as 'objets d art' in hotels and houses now.