Cat-nap

On a cold sunny morning in Nawalapitiya, I saw this cat having a nap on a scooter parked outside a bakery. The scooter and cat appeared to belong to the owner of the bakery.

Raja of Dala Maligawa fame.

'Raja' the Dalada Maligawa tusker was captured in Eravur, in the East of Sri Lanka, by a Muslim ,'Meera Lebbey Panikkaththaan', in the 1920s. He was given to the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy. He ran away to the 'Pankkaththaan's' home in Eravur after a few days but was brought back. Raja had the honour of carrying the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha till 1985 when he died. The Rs.1000/- currency note of Sri Lanka, had a picture of Raja and the 'Panikkaththaan. The dead Raja was stuffed after curing and is on display in a special room at the Dalada Maligawa. I took a piucture of this a few days back. The second picture shows in a smaller scale, the adornments worn by Raja during the Dalada Perahera, when he carried a replica of the Tooth Relic.

Getambe, Sri Lanka.

The terrace bordering the Mahawely Ganga, adjoining the Royal Botanical Gardens, at Getambe Pansala, Kandy. This place attracts crowds of visitors on Full Moon days. It is a very scenic site.

Black-rumped flameback wood-pecker

I spotted this beautiful bird going up and down the trunk of a pinus tree picking up larvae. I saw this at Nawalapitiya Sri Lanka. It was about 150 meters away and I had to use a maximum zoom of 20X on my Fuji Finepix S1500.

Sri Lankan Paradise Flycatcher

I took this picture of a 'Sri Lankan Paradise Flycatcher' in our garden at Avissawella, Sri Lanka, yesterday. This is a male and has a long tail which trails beautifully, during flight. The female has not got a long tail. It has the Sinhalese name 'Siwuru hora' meaning one who steals the ochre colored robes of Buddhist monks. They have a propensity to carry bright coloured clothing to build their nests.
There is an all white variety, which is called the 'Asian Paradise Flycatcher'.