Tuesday, July 15, 2014

A squirrel on a branch, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.



Pictures from a home-garden in Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A bath-room tub converted to a lily pond.
A water-lily in bloom and fishes to prevent mosquitoes breeding in the water.
A miniature pine-apple plant.

Flower beds on the window sill.

Lawn with bee-hive and bird feeders'
Orchid in bloom.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Sights in a house-hold in present Sri Lanka.

A traditional cooking place using fire-wood.

Spaghetty and fried-rice with prawns.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Thantrimale to Karawanelle, Sri Lanka, a road journey.







Travelling from the 'Dry Zone' of Sri Lanka to the 'Wet Zone' in June 2014.
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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Thantrimale, Sri Lanka.

A placid water reservoir.

A ststue of Lord Buddha cut in granite.
Statue of Lord Buddha in granite in the Padmasana posture.
Detail of above.
A 'poth-gula' - a structure to contain 'ola-leaf' books, the type from which Fa Hsien the famous Chinese traveler of the 5th Century AD made copies to take back to China.

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'Thantrimale' has a recorded history of more than two thousand years. This word can be broken into two separate words - 'Thanthri ' meaning a war Lord ( compare 'Manthri meaning a civilian administrator) and 'Malai' meaning a mountain.

1. It was the place where the branch of the Sacred Bo Tree from Gaya, India, brought by the Ven.Theri Sangamitta, in the Second Century BC, had a nights rest before proceeding to Anuradhapura to its present site.

2. It was the place where Prince Saliya, the son of King Dutugemunu, found refuge after he married Asoka Mala, the beauty from a lower caste. The Monk here is said to have acted as a peace maker between Prince Saliya and his angry father the King.

3. The artisans who worked the statues in stone found here of Lord Buddha, fled during foreign invasions. They settled down in various parts of the Island like Polonnoruwa, Aukana, and Maligawila. Their descendants inherited their craftsmanship in stone and subsequently created the masterpieces that we see and admire today.