The trees and timber near Beragalla on A4, Sri Lanka.

I saw these beautiful trees by the roadside near Beragalla on the A4 road. Freshly cut timber from a pinus plantation was seen close-by.

'Bathalagala' - 'Bible rock' seen in the afternoon, Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka.

The rocky mountain gave the impression of a bible to the conquring British. They called it 'Bible-rock'. The local name for it was 'Bathala-gala'. You can see the lush green valley and a part of a terraced paddy-field in the picture. You can also see a 'chaitya' on a dome shaped rock below. I took this picture in October 2009.

Pinus plantation and logging, Kalupahana, A4, Sri Lanka.

Pinus plantations were funded by international organizations in Sri Lanka from the 1980s. It was looked upon unfavourably by environmentalists. The pinus tree secretes an exotoxin through its roots so that other plants are discouraged to grow round its base. The fallen firs when dry are a fire hazard. The value of pinus is the long stem which is ideal material for telegraph poles. I took this photo at Kalupahana on the A4 road to Haputhale.

'Chaitya' on a rock, seen from Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka.

Looking across the valley from the ascent to Kadugannawa on the Colombo road (A1), one sees the 'Bathalagala - Bible rock'. Below the rock is another bare-faced rocky hill, on which a white painted 'chaitya' is seen. I took this picture through an afternoon haze using a 10 zoom on my Funji Fine-pix digital camera..

Branches of a tree, Belihul Oya, Sri Lanka.

The beauty of the branches of a tree as seen at Belihul Oya, Sri Lanka.