Sankapala, Sri Lanka.

'Sankapala' is a Buddhist monastery complex dating back to the Second Century BC. Its boundaries were set by  marking the area where the sound of a blown conch-shell - 'Sankha' S, 'Sanku' T, were heard. This area was donated to the Buddhis Sangha by Pussadewa a warrior of King Dutugemunu. It lies by the main road from Pelmadulla to Embilipitiya. It consists of a collection of rock caves converted as temples and meditation cells. The pictures above show a wall frieze and a statue in the complex.

Scarlet Minivets, Male and female, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Dawn at 'Saman Dewale', Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

A 'Gypsy' - 'Ahikuntikaya' - foretelling the future, Sankapala, Sri Lanka.

The 'Ahikuntikayo' - the Gypsy tribe of Sri Lanka move from place to place pitching their camps on empty plots of land. The females go out and do 'fortune telling' by reading the palms and earn their living. I saw this woman doing her trade at Sankapala.

Landscaping at 'Amba Sevana', Ussapitiya, Sri Lanka.