'Umbrella tree' , Pesalai, Sri Lanka.

Mannar is famous for the 'umbrella trees which dot the arid soil with high degree of salinity. I took this picture in 2004.

Galvihare, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

The figure in the standing posture, next to the figure of Lord Buddha lying down, has some unusual features. The first of these is the fact that the arms are held crossed across the chest, which is unusual for an image of Lord Buddha. The second feature is the fact that there seems to be a sense of profound sadness, on the face of the standing image. These have made people speculate that this is a representation of Ananda, the chief disciple of Lord Buddha. These belong to the 12th Century AD. In the orient, the creator of the sculpture remained anonymous.

Monkeys on the rampage, Hingurala, Sri Lanka.

Monkeys are a regular menace to the households in Sri Lanka. They pluck the young coconut fruits and throw them on the ground. Mango, rambuttan etc get their attention. They sneak into the kitchen and carry away food items. If provoked they can attack people. This happens where villages border jungle land. I took this picture of monkeys just outside a house in Hingurala.

Summer house, Hakgala Gardens, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.

 

"The Gardens (27ha) were established in 1860 as an experimental Cinchona plantation from which the anti-malarial drug quinine is derived. Subsequently the gardens were used for experiments in acclimatizing temperate-zone plants to life in tropics."
 It is situated on the winding road descending from Nuwara Eliya to Welimada. There are various sections for roses, ferns, a beautiful rock garden, a place for orchids etc. In addition there are tall trees which emerge out of the perennial mists surrounding the garden.
The multicolored Summer house stands out on a green lawn with the distant hills as a background.
The best time to visit the garden is in April-May of the year when the flowers are in bloom.  

The Bambarabotuwa valley, Wewalwaththe, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

 

A view of the Bambarabotuwa valley from the Alupola - Balakotunna road. You can see the Wewalwaththe - Balangoda road passing close to a waterfall. The waterfall is not visible from the Wewalwaththe - Balangoda road. The winding road below is a mud track.